LegiStorm

Summary:

This report provides background and analysis on congressional action relating to the FY2014 appropriations process. The annual appropriations process currently anticipates that 12 regular appropriations bills will be enacted prior to the beginning of the fiscal year (October 1) to provide discretionary spending for federal government agencies. If all regular appropriations bills are not enacted by that time, one or more continuing resolutions (CRs) may be enacted to provide interim or full-year funds until regular appropriations are completed, or the fiscal year ends. During the fiscal year, supplemental appropriations may also be enacted to provide funds in addition to those in regular appropriations acts or CRs. Amounts provided in appropriations acts are subject to limits, both statutory (as provided by the Budget Control Act of 2011 [BCA]), and procedural (as provided by the Congressional Budget Act of 1974), and are enforced through respective mechanisms such as sequestration and points of order. The FY2014 BCA discretionary spending limits are to be first enforced within 15 calendar days after the congressional session adjourns sine die. Any necessary reductions to bring appropriations into compliance with those limits would occur through sequestration. The House-and Senate-adopted versions of the budget resolution differ as to total discretionary spending, as well as how it should be distributed between defense and nondefense spending. On December 10, 2013, however, the chairs of the House and Senate Budget Committees announced an agreement that would establish FY2014 and FY2015 discretionary spending levels (the Bipartisan Budget Act; Division A, H.J.Res. 59). This agreement was enacted into law on December 26, 2013 (P.L. 113-67). The regular appropriations process for FY2014 was concluded on January 17, 2014, when the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (P.L. 113-76), was enacted. Prior to this time, the House Appropriations Committee had reported all but two regular appropriations bills, while the Senate Appropriations Committee had reported all but one such bill. The House previously considered five regular appropriations bills on the floor and passed four of them. The Senate began floor consideration of one regular appropriations bill, but did not complete it. At the start of the fiscal year, each chamber's appropriations bills reflected the differing assumptions on the levels of FY2014 discretionary spending that were in the House- and Senate-adopted versions of the budget resolution. Once the House and Senate agreed to a total level of FY2014 discretionary spending in the Bipartisan Budget Act, however, the two chambers were able to resolve their differences with regard to the regular appropriations bills. A broad CR to provide temporary funding for FY2013 projects and activities did not become law until October 17, 2013 (The Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014; H.R. 2775; P.L. 113-46), resulting in a funding gap for affected projects and activities from October 1 until that time. Prior to the funding gap, a narrow CR was enacted providing funding for FY2014 pay and allowances for (1) certain members of the Armed Forces, (2) certain Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) civilian personnel, and (3) other specified DOD and DHS contractors (the Pay Our Military Act; H.R. 3210; P.L. 113-39, 113th Congress). After the funding gap commenced, only narrow CRs to provide funds for specified projects and activities received congressional consideration, of which one was enacted (the Department of Defense Survivor Benefits Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014; H.J.Res. 91; P.L. 113-44). The Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014, provided funds at an annualized rate of $986.3 billion through January 15, 2014. Funding was extended to January 18, 2014, through the enactment of H.J.Res. 106 (P.L. 113-73). Congressional consideration of FY2014 supplemental appropriations measures (H.R. 5230, S. 2648, and H.J.Res. 76) occurred late in the fiscal year. The primary purpose of H.R. 5230 and S. 2648 is to provide additional funds to address the influx of unaccompanied and escorted children illegally crossing the Southwest border. On July 29, during floor consideration of S. 2648 in the Senate, the bill was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee after a point of order under Section 306(a) of the Congressional Budget Act was raised and sustained. The following day, H.R. 5230 was passed by the House. No further action on these proposals has occurred as of the date of this report. H.J.Res. 76, a related measure that provides supplemental appropriations for military cooperation with the government of Israel related to the Iron Dome program, was adopted by both the House and Senate on August 1; the measure currently awaits presidential action. This report will be updated if further FY2014 appropriations are enacted. For up-to-date information on the status of appropriations measures, see the CRS FY2014 status table, available at http://www.crs.gov/pages/AppropriationsStatusTable.aspx.