The President's budget just dropped. Congress will ignore much of it and enact some of it. But before Congress can write its own spending and tax bills, it needs a plan — and that plan is the budget resolution. We just finished a four-part series on the President'
The Appendix has the numbers. The CBJs have the why. But buried on OMB's supplemental materials page are five documents that most people skip — and they're some of the most useful tools in the entire budget release. In Part 1, we covered the Budget Appendix — account-by-account
It's Friday, April 3, 2026. The White House just released the President's FY 2027 Budget Request. Your inbox is blowing up. Here's what you need to know right now. The 60-Second Version Question Answer What just dropped? The 2027 Budget Fact Sheets Is this
Last week, the Budget Appendix told you the President requested $8.7 billion last year for Federal Prison System, Salaries and Expenses. Two pages of numbers. No explanation. The Congressional Budget Justification for the Bureau of Prisons? That's where you'll find out exactly why. In Part
The FY 2027 President's Budget Request could drop as early as next week. The Appendix is the heart of the request: 1,200+ pages of account-level detail. This is the document that matters. Let's get into it. The 60-Second Version Question Answer What is it? The
The bill tells agencies what they can spend. The report tells them what Congress actually expects. This is the final part of our series on how to read appropriations bills. 1. Where to start? 2. Structure 3. Account Text 4. General and Administrative Provisions 5. Reports and Explanatory Statements The
The accounts appropriate the money. The provisions set the rules. This is the fourth part of our series on how to read appropriations bills. 1. Where to start? 2. Structure 3. Account Text 4. General and Administrative Provisions 5. Reports and Explanatory Statements The 60-Second Version Question Answer What are
A single appropriations account can contain $38 billion, six numbered paragraphs, 49 provisos, an "of which" clause, and span multiple pages. How do you read that? This is the third part of our series on how to read appropriations bills. 1. Where to start? 2. Structure 3. Account
You found the right bill. It's 200 pages. Now what? This is the second part of our series on how to read appropriations bills. 1. Where to start? 2. Structure 3. Account Text 4. General and Administrative Provisions 5. Reports and Explanatory Statements I'll be honest,
Congress passed a 567-page spending bill. You need to find one thing. Where do you even start? This is the first part in our series: How to Read an Appropriations Act 1. Where to start? 2. Structure 3. Account Text 4. General and Administrative Provisions 5. Reports and Explanatory Statements
Obligations are promises. Outlays are checks. This is the fourth and final part in our four-part series on the SF-133. 1. What is an SF-133? 2. How to Read an SF-133, Part I: Budgetary Resources (1XXX Lines) 3. How to Read an SF-133, Part II: Status of Budgetary Resources (2XXX
Congress provided $100 million. What did the agency do with it? This is the third part in our four-part series on the SF-133. 1. What is an SF-133? 2. How to Read an SF-133, Part I: Budgetary Resources (1XXX Lines) 3. How to Read an SF-133, Part II: Status of