5 Things You Need to Know About the Budget
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This week the Senate is debating amendments to the Republican budget resolution for fiscal year 2018, with a final passage vote expected Friday. The congressional budgeting process can be confusing and difficult to follow, so here are five things you need to know about the budget resolution:
It’s Non-Binding: Budget resolutions are introduced as concurrent resolutions, which means that while both chambers of Congress can vote on them, they don’t go to the president’s desk to become law. All of the funding outlined and policy proposals included have to be legislated separately with funding provided through the appropriations process. This means that a budget resolution is really more of a blueprint than a concrete budget.
It Allows For the Use of Reconciliation: Perhaps the most substantive aspect of the budget resolution is that it lets Congress designate legislation that can be considered using reconciliation, under which a bill can pass the Senate with a simple majority. This year’s budget resolution allows reconciliation to be used for tax reform and deficit reduction, while fiscal year 2017’s was used for the failed effort to repeal and replace Obamacare using reconciliation.
It’s Not the President’s Budget: While the president is required to submit a budget proposal to Congress each year at the start of the budgeting process, budget resolutions are created by the House and Senate Budget Committees and are distinct from the president’s proposal. (Read more about President Trump’s budget here at Countable and check out related resources at USAFACTS.)
It’s Late, But That’s Typical: The Congressional Budget Act established a timetable that expects both chambers of Congress to complete their consideration of the budget resolution by April 15 each year — well in advance of the start of the corresponding fiscal year on October 1 so they can work on appropriations bills. However, Congress rarely meets that deadline. Work on the 2017 budget resolution wasn’t completed until January 2017, three months after the fiscal year began. If the Senate passes the budget resolution this week it will come nearly three weeks into fiscal year 2018. (The chronic lateness is why Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) introduced the No Budget, No Pay Act, which would withhold congressional paychecks if lawmakers are late approving a budget.)
It Doesn’t Actually Fund the Government: Not to belabor the point, but despite its name the budget resolution itself doesn’t provide any funding. The federal government is currently funded through December 8, 2017 thanks to a short-term spending deal reached September 8th. The stopgap funding is intended to give the Senate more time to consider the $1.23 trillion omnibus appropriations package for fiscal year 2018, which the House passed September 14th.
Tell your reps what you think of this year’s budget resolution and the congressional budget process in general using the Take Action button and join the conversation in the comments below.
— Eric Revell
RELATED READING
The GOP Budget for Fiscal Year 2018 and Using Reconciliation for Tax Reform and Deficit Reduction
The $1.23 Trillion Omnibus Spending Bill for Fiscal Year 2018
No Budget, No Pay: Holding Congressional Paychecks When They Can’t Agree On a Budget
(Photo Credit: kaarsten / iStock)
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