Federal budget and appropriations process
Chapter 10 of the CLEP American Government study guide on Effortless Math covers Federal budget and appropriations process: the key terms, the core ideas, and worked examples showing how this topic is tested on the exam.
CLEP American Government, Chapter 10
Federal budget and appropriations process
The president submits a budget proposal, but Congress exercises the constitutional power of the purse. A budget resolution sets an internal congressional framework and does not itself become law. Authorization legislation creates or continues a program and may recommend funding; appropriations legislation provides legal authority to obligate and spend federal money. When regular appropriations are unfinished, a continuing resolution can temporarily fund operations.
Mandatory spending follows eligibility rules and other permanent law unless Congress changes those laws. Discretionary spending is generally set through annual appropriations. Outlays are payments made by the Treasury; budget authority and obligations occur at different stages. A deficit is the annual excess of outlays over revenues, while the national debt reflects accumulated federal borrowing and related changes over time.
Reconciliation is a special process for legislation that changes spending, revenue, or the debt limit to meet budget instructions. Its Senate treatment differs from ordinary legislation, but reconciliation is not a general shortcut for provisions with merely incidental budget effects. The Office of Management and Budget assists the president; the Congressional Budget Office supplies Congress with nonpartisan budget analysis.
For a test item, identify the document, actor, and stage. A proposal from the president is not an appropriation; authorization is not necessarily funding; an obligation is not yet an outlay; and a budget resolution is not presented for presidential signature. When reading budget data, compare like units and years, distinguish nominal from inflation-adjusted amounts, and use the stated denominator.
Video lesson: Congressional Decisions: Crash Course Government and Politics #10
Related to This Article
More math articles
- Full-Length 6th Grade Common Core Math Practice Test
- Top 10 6th Grade NYSE Math Practice Questions
- Free Grade 3 English Worksheets for Nebraska Students
- The Chain of Infection, Bioburden, and Biofilm
- P-value Calculator — from z, t, or Chi-Square
- An Odyssey Through Distance and Midpoint Formulas in the Plane
- How to Find the Focus, Vertex, and Directrix of a Parabola?
- Word Problems Involving Writing a Ratio
- A Comprehensive Collection of Free AFOQT Math Practice Tests
- How Congressional Elections Work
What people say about "The Federal Budget and Appropriations"?
No one replied yet.