Other Appropriations

Other Appropriations

NOTE: Congressional Research Reports referenced at the Smart Procurement Conference are at the bottom of this page under "More Files"

Congress annually considers 13 or more appropriations measures, which provide funding for numerous activities, for example, national defense, education, homeland security, and crime. These measures also fund general government operations such as the administration of federal agencies. Congress has developed certain rules and practices for the consideration of appropriations measures, referred to as the congressional appropriations process.

Generally, the congressional appropriations process includes the

  • annual appropriations cycle;
  • spending ceilings for appropriations associated with the annual budget resolution; and
  • prohibitions against certain language in appropriations measures that violate separation of the authorization and appropriation functions into separate measures.

There are three types of appropriations measures. Regular appropriations bills provide most of the funding that is provided in all appropriations measures for a fiscal year, and must be enacted by October 1 of each year. If regular bills are not enacted by the deadline, Congress adopts continuing resolutions to continue funding generally until regular bills are enacted. Supplemental bills are considered later and provide additional appropriations.

Appropriations measures are under the jurisdiction of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. These committees control only about one-third of total federal spending provided for a fiscal year. The House and Senate authorizing committees control the rest.

Please contact Faye Powers, my  Legislative Assistant, if you have any questions regarding any Non-Defense appropriations project requests.

Appropriations Links*

House Committee on Appropriations

House Committee on the Budget

Congressional Research Service Reports*

Appropriations

* I do not necessarily support all of the information and opinions expressed therein.