The federal budget is not one vote and not one document. Follow the path from the President’s request to congressional fiscal decisions, appropriations laws, and agency spending.
Explore the process ↓Select a stage to see what changes, who has authority, and what the process does not mean.
The executive branch develops a proposed federal budget and submits it to Congress. The request communicates the administration’s priorities, estimates, and proposed funding levels.
The President’s budget request is a proposal to Congress—not the law that funds the government.
The House and Senate may adopt a concurrent budget resolution that sets aggregate fiscal targets and can create reconciliation instructions. A concurrent budget resolution does not go to the President for signature.
The budget resolution guides congressional action; it is not itself an appropriations law.
Congress divides annual discretionary funding across twelve regular appropriations bills. Committees and subcommittees develop detailed funding legislation.
Appropriations provide legal budget authority; a budget resolution alone does not fund an agency.
Appropriations bills must pass both chambers in identical form and be presented to the President. If regular bills are unfinished, Congress may use a continuing resolution to provide temporary funding.
A continuing resolution is temporary appropriations legislation, not merely an informal extension.
Federal agencies obligate and spend appropriated funds subject to statutory purpose, time, and amount restrictions. Mandatory programs operate under separate authorizing laws and are not all funded through annual discretionary appropriations.
“The federal budget” includes multiple kinds of spending with different legal mechanisms.
An executive-branch policy proposal.
A congressional framework; not presented to the President.
Legislation that provides budget authority for specified purposes.
