Biennial Budget in the United States

Biennial Budget in the Federal Budget Process

Meaning of Biennial Budget in the congressional and executive budget processes (GAO source): A budget covering a period of 2 years. The federal government has an annual budget, but there have been proposals to shift to a biennial budget. The 2-year period can apply to the budget presented to Congress by the President, to the budget resolution adopted by Congress, or to the frequency and period covered by appropriations acts. The Department of Defense Authorization Act, 1986, Pub. L. No. 99–145, required the Department of Defense to submit 2-year budgets beginning with the budgets for 1988 and 1989. However, to date, appropriations have been made on an annual basis.

Resources

See Also

• Federal Appropriations
• Entries about the United States Budget Process in the Encyclopedia (including Biennial Budget)
• Public Debt

Further Reading

• Legislatures and the budget process: the myth of fiscal control

  (J Wehner, 2010)

• Reconcilable Differences?: Congress, the Budget Process, and the Deficit (JB Gilmour, 1990)
• Fiscal institutions and fiscal performance

  (JM Poterba, J von Hagen, 2008)