Article I, Section 9 of the United States Constitution gives Congress the responsibility for drafting bills that propose to pay for the operations of the federal government: "No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law." Today, the Appropriations process is one of the few remaining annual responsibilities facing Congress. Without passage of these various spending bills, portions of the federal government would not have the resources necessary to carry out their mandates.

I have the honor of serving on the Senate Appropriations Committee. In this capacity, I get the opportunity to sit on six appropriations subcommittees, each of which oversees the drafting of one Appropriations bill.

The most important aspect of my job as an Appropriator is to work with my colleagues to ensure that taxpayers' hard earned dollars are spent responsibly. I will always fight to keep bills reported by the Appropriations Committee within budget unless an unforeseen funding emergency, such as a large scale natural disaster, should require supplemental spending.

Many Appropriations bills contain accounts through which meritorious individual projects can receive federal funding on a one-time grant basis. Each Senator submits requests on behalf of his/her constituents to each Appropriations subcommittee every year. Some of these projects get funded; most do not. I submit requests on behalf of deserving projects in the State of Kansas according to the following guidelines:

• I request funding for only those projects that seek to meet a compelling human or economic need.
• I request funding for only those projects that are thoroughly vetted with me or my staff because I must know of the quality of any request before I can agree to champion it.
•  I do not request funding for any project that is supervised by a for-profit corporation or company unless:
  A) The project will benefit the national defense and has been vetted thoroughly with the Department of Defense.
  B) The project seeks to enhance our national security and the personal safety of our citizens.

Serving on the Appropriations Committee allows me to be involved in policy discussions on nearly every issue faced by Congress. As Congress progresses through the Fiscal Year 2010 Appropriations process, I will continue to advocate the values Kansans hold dear and fight to see deserving projects in the State funded.

 Appropriations Press Releases FY 2009 and other fiscal years

 Kansas projects which Senator Brownback has requested funding for FY 2008

 Fiscal Year 2010 Projects Requested by Senator Brownback to date

 Fiscal Year 2011 Projects Requested by Senator Brownback to date

WRDA Appropriations Request to Date