The Congressional Budget Process

Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution states, "No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law."

In order to prevent abuses of Presidential power, the Framers of the Constitution deliberately gave the power of the purse to Congress. Only Congress can authorize the government to collect taxes, borrow money and make expenditures. The executive branch can spend funds only for the purposes and in the amounts specified by Congress. The process for the annual federal budget has been wrought with intense political struggles in the past two decades, and continues to be a forum for complicated political maneuvering and confusion. The following is an overview of the budget process.

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