My limited understanding is based on talking with some people I know who are affected by this. But since this fight is over “appropriations”, it is about the actual allocation of money for specific programs. The budget comes first, and that has been passed, so agencies know how much money is in their budget, they just don’t have it.
The anti-deficiency act prevents agencies from exceeding appropriations, or spending money before it has been appropriated. But it says nothing about spending money that has already been appropriated in a later period.
So, I assume that organizations that are still spending money are doing it with money from last year’s appropriations that they have saved. Some organizations may have other constraints on how they spend their money that apply to them specifically, but not the anti-deficiency act (as I read it).
My limited understanding is based on talking with some people I know who are affected by this. But since this fight is over “appropriations”, it is about the actual allocation of money for specific programs. The budget comes first, and that has been passed, so agencies know how much money is in their budget, they just don’t have it.
The anti-deficiency act prevents agencies from exceeding appropriations, or spending money before it has been appropriated. But it says nothing about spending money that has already been appropriated in a later period.
https://www.gao.gov/legal/appropriations-law/resources
So, I assume that organizations that are still spending money are doing it with money from last year’s appropriations that they have saved. Some organizations may have other constraints on how they spend their money that apply to them specifically, but not the anti-deficiency act (as I read it).