Cost-Share Accountability Act of 2025

Enumerated powers · passes

Congress has the enumerated power to legislate regarding energy policy under the Commerce Clause (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3) and the Spending Clause (Article I, Section 8, Clause 1). The bill merely requires reporting on the use of existing authority under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which is within Congress's power to oversee the execution of laws it has enacted. No new substantive authority is created.

Bill of Rights · passes

The bill imposes no restriction on speech, religion, press, assembly, petition, arms, quartering, search and seizure, self-incrimination, due process, trial by jury, or cruel and unusual punishment. It is a reporting requirement on a federal agency and does not implicate any provision of the Bill of Rights.

Individual liberty · passes

The bill does not restrict any individual's use of their person, property, speech, labor, or belief. It merely requires a federal agency to report on its waiver authority. No individual is compelled to act or refrain from acting. The burden of government justification is not triggered because no individual liberty is affected.

Decentralization · passes

The bill does not consolidate decision-making at a higher level of government. It is a federal oversight measure over a federal program that already exists. The reporting requirement does not shift authority from individuals, local communities, or states to the federal government. It simply provides transparency regarding existing federal discretion.

Due process and takings · passes

The bill does not deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, nor does it take private property for public use. It imposes no penalty and requires no adjudication. It is a straightforward reporting requirement that does not implicate the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment or the Takings Clause.