You found an apportionment. Now what? This is the second part in our three-part series on apportionments. 1. What is an apportionment? 2. How to Read an Apportionment, Part I: Structure and Time-Based Controls 3. How to Read an Apportionment, Part II: Program Controls and Legal Weight In our first
Congress appropriated $198 million. But the agency can only spend $55 million this quarter. What happened to the rest? This is the first part in our three-part series on apportionments. 1. What is an apportionment? 2. How to Read an Apportionment, Part I: Structure and Time-Based Controls 3. How to
If you've ever ordered food at a nice restaurant, you already understand appropriations, obligations, and outlays. Every federal budget document uses the same three terms. Every spending headline throws them around. And almost everyone—including people who should know better—gets them confused. Fortunately, the concepts are pretty
Every dollar the federal government spends is tracked using a unique identifier that most people have never heard of. Here's Section 249 from the FY 2026 Senate Transportation-HUD appropriations bill: Sec. 249. (a) Any unobligated balances from amounts made available under the heading, "Community Development Fund"
Understanding federal spending requires tracking three distinct processes that most people assume are the same thing.
Federal budget execution isn't just bureaucratic process—it's constitutional law in action.
This guide deconstructs the Continuing Resolution (HR 5371) to reveal how its "anomalies" establish targeted policy choices and funding levels beyond simple maintenance. On November 12, 2025, Congress passed and the President signed HR 5371 (enacted as Public Law 119-37) — ending the Federal government's longest lapse
Last week, you learned what an appropriation is. This week: how they actually work in practice. Last week, we covered the three elements of every appropriation (time, purpose, amount), and how Congress organizes the 12 annual appropriations bills. But knowing what an appropriation IS doesn't tell you how
Today, the federal government hit a milestone - the longest lapse in appropriations in U.S. history. Here's what's actually happening in a shutdown—and what isn't. The federal government is experiencing a lapse in appropriations—commonly called a "government shutdown." But
Before tracking budget execution or making sense of a government shutdown, you need to understand what an appropriation actually is—and what it isn't. Federal budget tracking starts with appropriations. But what exactly IS an appropriation? Most people think it's simple: Congress passes a bill, money