An Introduction to the U.S. Congress by Charles B. Cushman Jr

Author:Charles B. Cushman Jr. [Cushman, Charles B. Jr.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Political Science, General
ISBN: 9781317476689
Google: y1ffBQAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 24048635
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2014-12-18T00:00:00+00:00

Congress and the Federal Budget

Budget matters have not always been central to the work of Congress. At first there was no central budget process; the executive branch departments reported their expenditures and made their budget requests directly to Congress. From 1885 to 1921, the House did not even have a centralized appropriations process: many of the larger agencies made their budget requests to their oversight committees, which had both authorizing and appropriating powers.5 World War I ushered in a new era requiring more attention to fiscal matters. From then until 1974, the White House had better budget development capabilities than Congress. But in 1974, Congress enacted a major reform that allowed it to take a more active and central role in the federal budget process. Congress is now the key player in the budget process, so much so that its own legislative calendar is dominated by the budget cycle. From the submission of the president’s budget in February through final passage of the twelve6 appropriations bills (one passed by each Appropriations Subcommittee) in late September or early October, the calendar in both chambers is built around the budget resolution and the appropriations bills.

In this section, we will take a look at the development of the modern budget process, starting in the late nineteenth century. Following that, we will see how the Congress makes budget decisions today and how the budget process has come to dominate the whole legislative schedule.

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