The Congressional Budget Process Timeline : Congressional Research Service (CRS) , July 29 , 2025
The Congressional Budget Process Timeline : Congressional Research Service (CRS) , July 29 , 2025
From the report: “The Constitution grants Congress power over federal spending, revenues, and borrowing. While the Constitution establishes the legislative branch as having this authority, it does not specify how, when, and in what order Congress should exercise it. As a result, Congress has created a budget process over time to define how it develops and considers budgetary measures for each federal fiscal year beginning on October 1. The timing, sequence, and occurrence of the actions and decisions that make up the congressional budget process may differ for each fiscal year. Target dates and timetables established in law are intended to guide the timing and sequence of certain aspects of the process, however.
The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (the Budget Act) created a timetable that provides a framework for the intended timing and sequence of the congressional budget process for each fiscal year. It established a series of target and enabling dates for the consideration and adoption or enactment of budgetary measures prior to the start of each fiscal year. The timetable outlined in the Budget Act is useful for understanding the intended timing and sequence of the congressional budget process. In practice, however, there is no timeline that can predict with certainty how the process will unfold each year.
The annual submission of the President’s budget to Congress serves as a statement of Administration policy and priorities and is typically seen as the beginning of the congressional budget process for the upcoming fiscal year. The President is required by law to submit a budget request for the upcoming fiscal year by the first Monday in February, but the submission often occurs after this date.”
Authors - Aherne, Drew C.Subjects
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