Command and General Staff College (CGSC) F100 Practice Test

Spending appropriated funds happens through a two-step legal process. Congress must first authorize a program or activity, which creates the program and often sets policy conditions or a funding ceiling. Then Congress passes an appropriation to provide the actual money to fund that program. The President signs the appropriations bill, and typically signs the authorization as well, so the funds can be released and the program can operate. Without an appropriation, funds can’t be spent even if a program is authorized; without authorization, there isn’t a program to fund in the first place. Reprogramming, realignment, and doctrine don’t create or authorize new funding, so they aren’t the spending bills involved in this process.