Backdoor Authority / Backdoor Spending (CongressionalGlossary.com)

From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Backdoor Authority / Backdoor Spending A colloquial phrase for budget authority provided in laws other than appropriations acts, including contract authority and borrowing authority, as well as entitlement authority and the outlays that result from that budget authority.   Fiscal Law #1 – Overview   … Read more

Budget Authority (CongressionalGlossary.com)

From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Budget Authority photo credit: Carly & Art The key terms of federal spending are budget authority, obligations, outlays, and spendout rate. Congress and the president enact budget authority in law. Budget authority allows federal agencies to incur obligations, such as entering into contracts, employing personnel, … Read more

Supplemental Appropriation / Supplemental Appropriations Act (CongressionalGlossary.com)

From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Supplemental Appropriation / Supplemental Appropriations Act Budget authority provided in an appropriations act in addition to regular or continuing appropriations already provided. Supplemental appropriations generally are made to cover emergencies, such as disaster relief, or other needs deemed too urgent to be postponed until the … Read more

Basic Federal Budgeting Concepts and Terminology

The federal budget process typically involves a rather complex series of legislative and executive procedures and various financial transactions. photo credit: Evelyn Proimos The term Revenue refers to income that is received by the federal government. (The executive branch also uses receipts as a term for revenue.) Revenue may be raised from a variety of … Read more

Glossary of Legislative Terms: “Impoundment”

See Impoundments (CongressionalGlossary.com)     Courses Congressional Operations Briefing – Capitol Hill Workshop Drafting Federal Legislation and Amendments Writing for Government and Business: Critical Thinking and Writing Custom, On-Site Training Congressional Operations Poster, with Federal Budget Process Flowchart Federal Budgeting, a Five-Course series on CD Congress, the Legislative Process, and the Fundamentals of Lawmaking Series, … Read more