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 [email protected].
