Budget Basics, Updated

With Congress beginning consideration of the 2017 budget in coming weeks, we’ve updated several backgrounders on budget terms and procedures:

• Introduction to the Federal Budget Process describes the laws and procedures under which policymakers decide how much money to spend each year, what to spend it on, and how to raise the money to pay for that spending.
• Non-Defense Discretionary Programs outlines the wide variety of annually funded programs in this budget category, which address priorities ranging from education and scientific research to infrastructure, environmental protection, law enforcement, and foreign aid.
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• Deficits, Debt, and Interest explains these three important budget concepts, which are often misunderstood.