![]() One of the subcommittees covers the Legislative Branch. The House and Senate Appropriations Committees each have 12 subcommittees, with most covering all or part of Cabinet agencies along with other entities generally focused on related programmatic areas. The Appropriations Committee sets the levels for its subcommittees Non-defense discretionary programs, or NDD, includes a wide variety of activities including scientific research, housing assistance, veterans’ health care, education, and transportation. What is discretionary spending?ĭiscretionary spending is controlled through the annual appropriations process and includes funding for both national defense and non-defense. The Senate uses the budget resolution procedures to enforce both budget authority and outlay allocations. The budget resolution often allows for adjustments to the initial allocation, discussed further below. House enforcement procedures only apply to budget authority. The allocation to the Appropriations Committee sets the level of discretionary spending – both budget authority and outlays – for the budget year. The 302(a) committee allocations are included in explanatory materials accompanying a conference report or separately filed in the Congressional Record. Section 302(a) of the CBA calls for budget resolution spending levels to be allocated across Congressional committees, including the Appropriations Committee, and these allocations are enforceable through points of order. However, these reports are not meant to provide comprehensive detail for all programs or develop account-level information. Budget Committee reports and factsheets may provide additional information on non-binding assumptions, including some program areas where specific funding level goals may be identified. The committee report accompanying the budget resolution displays the assumed division of function totals into mandatory and discretionary categories. The budget resolution itself does not include specific detail below the functional level. The functional distribution is illustrative: it reveals Congressional priorities but is not binding through the rest of the process. The resolution lays out a vision for spending by major functional category as well as revenues and the resulting deficits and debt. The annual budget resolution is Congress’ budget plan. It is a concurrent resolution and thus does not require the President’s signature. ![]() The budget resolution sets the topline for discretionary spending Once adopted by the House and Senate, the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2022 will supersede the provisions in the deeming resolution, and Congress can return to the budgeting process laid out in the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (BCA), detailed below. This year, a deeming resolution was used to temporarily set the topline discretionary number so appropriators could begin their work while Congress continues to develop a budget for 2022 that reflects the needs of the American people. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019, which set new toplines through the expiration of these statutory spending caps, finally closed the door on an era of self-inflicted austerity. However, for the past decade, discretionary spending limits have been dictated by the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA) and follow-on legislation that sought to mitigate its dangerously austere requirements. ![]() It also can provide a vehicle for making changes to mandatory programs and revenues through a process known as reconciliation.ġ The main exception is that budget resolutions cannot be used for making changes to Social Security.The development of the annual Congressional budget resolution provides an opportunity to discuss trade-offs and establish big-picture priorities. It defines the Congress’ goals for federal spending, revenues, deficits and debt, and allocates budgetary resources among the major functions of government (such as national defense, transportation, health, veterans’ benefits, general government and income security). It is passed by the House and the Senate, and it establishes the top-line levels for the budget by setting targets for revenues and upper limits for subsequent spending bills 1 over a specific period or budget window.Īlthough it is not presented to the president for signature (and hence is not a law), it is a critically important document because it sets the terms of the budget debate. A Congressional Budget Resolution is a “blueprint” that guides fiscal decision-making in the Congress. ![]()
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