2027 Appropriations Tracker

The annual appropriations process begins each year with the president submitting a budget request to Congress, outlining the administration's priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. The U.S. House and Senate Appropriations Committees then each hold a series of budget hearings with the heads of the various federal agencies and adopt a budget resolution outlining the topline spending limits for the respective fiscal year. Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 discretionary spending limits are not bound to statutory spending caps enforced by sequestration.

The House and Senate Appropriations Committees then adopt topline spending limits for each of the 12 spending bills (known as “subcommittee allocations”) and each of the subcommittees draft their spending bills in line with these limits. The 12 annual spending bills are considered at both the subcommittee and full-committee level before advancing to the full chamber for a vote. After appropriations bills are passed by both chambers of Congress, appropriators and party leadership from each chamber enter negotiations through a “conference committee” where differences between the bills are resolved. Both the House and Senate must then pass the reconciled bills before they are sent to the president’s desk for signature.  If Congress fails to enact all 12 bills by Oct. 1, it may pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) to maintain federal funding at current levels on a temporary basis while negotiations continue.

Counties rely on federal funds determined through the annual appropriations process to provide vital services to our residents. As such, we urge Congress and the president to commit to working together to reach an agreement on all spending legislation by Oct. 1 of each year.  

The House Committee on Appropriations formally kicked off the FY 2027 appropriations process with subcommittees beginning to meet in mid-April. The U.S. Senate is set to start its process mid to late May. 

NACo’s Letter to the U.S. House and Senate Appropriations Committees