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The Federal Budget: Spending, Taxes, and Debt

EPIC Resource: FY25 House Appropriations Requests

The Appropriations request portal is open in the House. Members should take advantage and engage with the FY 2025 appropriations process.

The Federal Budget: Spending, Taxes, and Debt EPIC Explainers One Pager ResourceApril 29, 2024 By Matthew Dickerson
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Deadlines in the House

Submissions to the House Appropriations Committee must be submitted to the online portal https://appropriations.house.gov (access for House staff >only) by:
  • Programmatic and Language Requests- Wednesday, May 1, 2024
  • Earmarks - Friday, May 3, 2024

Types of Requests

Programmatic Fund an account, program, project, or activity at a specific level or dollar amount. Can be used to reduce or defund.
Bill Language Rider language, often used to prohibit the use of funds for certain activities. Can be used to block Executive Branch activities or regulatory actions.
Committee Report Language Often overlooked, but powerful for providing direction to Executive Branch agencies. Can be used to require reporting or transparency.
Earmarks Officially called “Community Project Funding.” Only available for certain accounts in certain bills.
Official guidance from the House Appropriations Committee is available here.

What Should Members Consider for Appropriations Requests?

  • The Appropriations Committee only provided Members and Staff with less than one week to submit programmatic and report language requests. This could advantage lobbyist-backed proposals, many of which will support higher spending.
  • It will be important for Members to indicate support for spending cuts, restrictions on harmful Executive Branch actions, regulations to block, program reforms, and oversight of federal agencies.
  • If a Member feels the need to submit a programmatic request for a spending increase or an earmark, a smart (and fiscally responsible) practice would be to pair it with an offsetting programmatic spending reduction within the same appropriations bill.
Need assistance? EPIC is here to help. Reach out to Hello@EPICforAmerica.org.

Author

Matthew D. Dickerson

Matthew D. Dickerson

Director of Budget Policy

Matthew D. Dickerson is Director of Budget Policy at the Economic Policy Innovation Center (EPIC). Dickerson is recognized as an expert on fiscal policy issues, including the budget, appropriations, and entitlement reform. His articles have been featured in the Wall Street Journal , the Miami Herald , National Review , the Sacramento Bee , the Washington Times , the Baltimore Sun , The Hill , the Washington Examiner , and other outlets. Prior to joining EPIC, Dickerson served as Senior Policy Advisor on the staff of the House Budget Committee, where he helped lead development of the fiscal year 2024 budget resolution. He has a dozen years of experience on Capitol Hill, including as a senior staffer with the Republican Study Committee (RSC), the caucus of conservatives in the House of Representatives. Under four different RSC chairmen, Dickerson held senior level roles including Policy Director and Senior Policy Staff. Additionally, he served as Legislative Director and other policy positions for the late Congressman C.W. Bill Young (R-FL), a former Chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. During his tenure at The Heritage Foundation, Dickerson was Director of the Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget. In this capacity, he oversaw a team of budget analysts and economists researching diverse subjects including spending, entitlements, budget process, tax, labor, pensions, and infrastructure issues. He has also been a Policy Manager at Americans for Prosperity, where he supervised a team of fellows and analysts covering a variety of federal and state policy issues. Dickerson is a graduate of the College of William and Mary in Virginia and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government and History.

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