WHAT IS THE FEDERAL BUDGET?
Each year the federal government creates a plan for what and how much should be spent on the business of government. The process begins on or before the first Monday in February, when the president is required by law to submit to Congress a budget proposal for the following fiscal year. Box 9.9 outlines the timeline for the budget process. Part of the plan includes estimates for how much money will be taken in for taxes and how much the economy will grow. Because the plan is devel-oped almost a year before it is implemented, the president’s budget is the starting place for discussions and negotiations with Congress and government agencies. Congressional hearings precede voting on the appropriation measures. By Septem-ber 30, on the eve of the new fiscal year, Congress and the president must enact the new budget.
WHAT ARE FEDERAL BUDGET SURPLUSES AND DEFICITS?
When the government ends the year with more revenue than was spent, it has a surplus. When the government overspends, it incurs a budget deficit. In order to
continue financing its operations, the government must borrow to make up for the shortfall. The largest amount of borrowed money is financed through the selling of
government treasuries to the public. This borrowed amount is referred to as the public debt. The public debt is the cumulative total of all federal deficits minus
any surplus. By 2007, that amount had exceeded five trillion dollars (Congressional Budget Office, 2008).
From 1962 through 1997, the federal government had a deficit in every year except 1969. From 1998 through 2001, for the first time in decades, the federal gov-ernment realized a budget surplus in consecutive years. Since 2002, the federal government has gone back to accruing a deficit annually. Box 9.10 lists the deficits and total debt for the past 30 years.
The budget surplus was short lived. The impact of the recession on lowering wages consequently lowered tax revenues. President Bush began his term in 2001
BOX 9.9 MORE ABOUT THE FEDERAL BUDGET PROCESS
First Monday in February the president submits budget proposal to Congress
February through September Congress works on budget resolution, setting the framework for
expenditures and taxes, with the goal of passing the budget by
April 15
Congressional hearings are held on budget and appropriation
bills
Congress passes 13 annual appropriation bills, no later than
September 30
October 1 Budget begins with new fiscal year
Source: Executive Office of the President, 2001; Meyer, 2002