The funding for 2017 runs out October 1. Congress is currently planning on being on recess until September at which point when they return they will have four weeks to pass a budget. If they are unsuccessful in passing a budget, we will have another government shutdown. The federal budget is a tricky process that seems to confuse most folks. Let’s look at its history and what the current status of the budget is.
How it’s supposed to work:
Let’s simplify it down to the basic five steps, which are supposed to occur on an annual basis:
- The President submits a budget request to Congress
- The House and Senate pass budget resolutions
- House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees “markup” appropriations bills
- The House and Senate vote on appropriations bills and reconcile differences
- The President signs each appropriations bill and the budget becomes law