How is a budget resolution enforced? Q.How is a budget resolution enforced? A.Spending and revenue targets set in the annual budget resolution are enforced by points of order, which any member of Congress may raise against legislation inconsistent with those targets. Read more about How is a budget resolution enforced?
What is reconciliation? Q.What is reconciliation? A.Congressional budget committees use the reconciliation process to ensure tax laws and mandatory spending programs are revised according to the budget resolution’s revenue and mandatory spending targets. Reconciliation is a way to fast-track revenue and spending legislation into becoming law. Read more about What is reconciliation?
What does it mean for a government program to be off-budget? Q.What does it mean for a government program to be off-budget? A.The two Social Security trust funds and the postal service are “off-budget”—their spending and receipts are walled off from the rest of the budget. Putting Social Security and the post office off-budget shields them from some pressures, but policymakers often focus on the unified budget that includes them. A few other agencies are excluded because of their independence (e.g., the Federal Reserve) or private character (e.g., government-sponsored, privately owned entities and funds managed for private citizens). Read more about What does it mean for a government program to be off-budget?
