Appropriation

The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization and then appropriation. Legislation status tables and information about the appropriations process are available on the Appropriations page.

Amount of water legally set apart or assigned to a particular purpose or use.

An authorization by an act of Congress that permits Federal agencies to incur obligations and make payments from the Treasury. An appropriation usually follows an enactment of authorizing legislation. An appropriation act is the most common means of providing budget authority. Appropriations do not represent cash actually set aside in the Treasury; they represent limitations of amounts, which agencies may obligate during a specified time period. See Authorization.