to hide spending within the limits. Not only does this reduce the amount of inflation-fighting deficit reduction, but it could ultimately mean more spending when this year’s appropriations process is done.that provides $11 billion for a “Nonrecurring Expenses Fund” within the Department of Commerce. If you haven’t heard of this, you’re not alone. The fund is meant to cover things like upgrading obsolete equipment owned by the federal government.
That’s because the $11 billion figure is an authorization; meaning, it allows spending up to that amount, like with a credit card limit. However, the fund is designed to spend only a much smaller amount in reality.the debt deal, estimating that only about 1% of the authorization would be used for spending. Having such a big gap between potential spending and actual spending is very unusual in the federal government. That points to it being an enormous budget gimmick.
Sure enough, when the House Appropriations Committee produced its spending bills for the upcoming fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1, one of them rescinded the $11 billion in the fund. So, Congress created a small fund for buying computers, then said the fund could spend up to $11 billion, and now is “cutting” the $11 billion just a few weeks later.
The reason for this convoluted scheme is that Congress is taking the $11 billion authorization that wouldn’t lead to new spending, “cutting” it, and using the “savings” on programs and bureaucracies — where there actually will be spending. This would be like putting a $1 million unicorn in your family’s budget, then removing the unicorn and claiming you now have $1 million to spend on boats and luxury cars.
Incredibly, there’s still another level to the scheme. Rather than addressing this Commerce Department fund in the spending bill that includes the Commerce Department, the Appropriations Committee placed the “cut” in theThat’s because the latter bill is often the subject of intense spending fights due to it containing the programs and bureaucracies that Democrats cherish the most. With this $11 billion maneuver, Congress can protect funding for Dr.