Money & budgets
appropriation
A law permitting federal agencies to spend money. The Constitution forbids any spending without one, Congress's 'power of the purse'.
In full
Article I, Section 9 is blunt: 'No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.' Congress funds most agencies through twelve annual appropriations acts; when they stall, a continuing resolution keeps the lights on, and when even that fails, unfunded operations shut down. Authorizing a program and funding it are separate acts, and only the appropriation moves money.
Also written as: appropriations, power of the purse
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.