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1 1 (December 21, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/goveasi0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Defense Primer: Defense Appropriations Process The Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse in Article I, Section 9, which provides that No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law. To fulfill this duty, Congress annually considers appropriations measures, which provide funding for numerous activities-such as national defense, education, and homeland s ecurity- consistent with policies and priorities established through legislation such as the National Defense Authorization Act. The congressional appropriations process includes various rules and practices that Congress has adopted to distinguish appropriations measures and facilitate their consideration. These measures generally provide funding authority in response to the President's budget request for a fis caly ear (October 1 through September 30). Committees of Jurisdiction The House and Senate Committees on Appropriations exercise jurisdiction over the annual appropriations measures. Each committee has 12 subcommittees, with each subcommittee having responsibility for developing one regular annual appropriations billto provide funding for departments and activities within its jurisdiction. The jurisdictions of the House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees are generally parallel. The main subcommittees dealing with defense matters are * Subcommittees on Defense, with jurisdiction over appropriations for the Departments of Army, Navy (including Marine Corps), and Air Force; the Office of the Secretary of Defense; defense agencies; the Central Intelligence Agency; and the Intelligence Community staff. * Subcommittees on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and RelatedAgencies, with jurisdiction over appropriations for the Military Construction, Chemical Demilitarization Cons truction, Military Family Housing Construction and Operation and Maintenance, and Base Realignment and Closure accounts; the NATO Security Investment Program; the Department of Veterans Affairs; and other related agencies. * Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, with jurisdiction over the Army Corps of Engineers and all defense-related activities of the Department of Energy, including the National Nuclear Security Administration. The Congressional Budget Resolution The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 provides for the annual consideration of a concurrent resolution on the budget, which allows Congress to establish overall budgetary and fis calpolicy to be implemented through enactment of s ubsequent legislation. The budget resolution, in part, establishes a limit on totalnew budget authority and outlay levels divided among 20 functional categories-such https ://crs repo Updated December21, 2020 as national defense, agriculture, and transportation-that set spending priorities. Section 302(a) of the Congressional Budget Act requires that the total new budget authority and outlays in the budget resolutionbe allocated among allcommittees with spending jurisdiction. This establishes ceilings on spending for legislation reported fromeach committee that can be enforced procedurally through points of order during consideration of the legislation. All discretionary spending is allocated to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, which are required to subdivide this allocation among their 12 subcommittees under Section 302(b) of the Congres sionalBudget Act. These suballocations are also enforceable during consideration oflegislation, preventing the consideration of amendments that would increase funding above these limits. In the absence of agreement on a budget resolution, the House and Senate may use alternative means to establish enforceable limits. Committee Processes Upon receipt of the President's budget request, the appropriations subcommittees begin a series ofhearings in which the senior civilian and military leadership of the Department of Defense, thenmilitary services, and certain defense agencies are invited to testify before the subcommittees on the budgetrequest. At the same time, Members of Congress may submit requests and make recommendations concerning proposed programmatic levels and language to be included in appropriations bills and committee reports. After conducting these hearings, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees make their suballocations, and the subcommittees begin to draft, markup, and report the appropriations bills to theirrespective full committees. The full committees also hold markups and may adopt amendments to a subcommittee's recommendations before reporting thebills and making themavailable for floor consideration. In addition to drafting the bills, the subcommittees also prepare reports, which include information required by House and Senaterules, explain committee actions, and provide guidance and directives to agencies. Committee reports may not be amended directly during floor proceedings. House and Senate Consideration Traditionally, the House initiates consideration ofregular appropriations measures, although the Senate Appropriations Committee may draft or report appropriations legislation in anticipation of House action. The House Appropriations Committee generally begins reporting the appropriations bills to the House in May or June. Once reported fromcommittee, an appropriations bill may be scheduled for floor consideration. In the House, current practice is to consider the bill under the terms of a

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