The Political Economy of Supplemental Appropriations

Abstract

To obtain additional funding after regular appropriations have been enacted, the president submits requests for supplemental appropriations to the Congress. Supplemental appropriations have been considered technical adjustments to various unpredictables and have received little attention in studies of the budgetary process. This study addresses the determinants of supplemental appropriations between fiscal years 1950 and 1989. The analysis reveals that supplemental appropriations have been used regularly both for discretionary purposes and to maintain the budgetary status quo. Ultimately, the need for and use of supplemental appropriations are much more substantial and politically defined than a theory of pure deficiencies implies.