Fast Acting Relief

By Aislinn McLaughlin
The Blue Print
on Appropriations:

Although the Senate Appropriations Committee addresses bills that have already been passed, their work is far from obsolete. While the committee can’t change the bills once they are written and voted on, the way in which they distribute funds demonstrates their approval or lack thereof.

Our economy, already in dire straits, is now struggling with the added pressure of crop failures brought about by the eruption of Mount Sinaburg. Under this additional strain, the committee finds itself hard-pressed to appropriate money with a good conscience.
The Appropriations Committee has a total of $100 billion to distribute to the respective bills, an amount that is divided up by suggestions from the Congressional Business Office (CBO), which is then voted on by the committee.

The Fair American Stimulus Today (FAST) Act is a bill designed to provide funds for the federal stimulus. The CBO originally suggested that the committee appropriate $21 billion, an amount that was rejected by the committee who decided to lower the sum to $13 billion.

As the Appropriations Committee delves into the business of allocating money for the remainder of the bills, they must try to curb their spending in light of the economic crisis and follow President Obama’s advice to try to “balance that need for spending with fiscal propriety.”

Summary: The Senate Appropriations Committee struggles to distribute funds to needy bills in the wake of an economic crisis, an issue that has only become more difficult in light of the eruption of Mount Sinaburg.