B

The main federal anti-money laundering law. It requires banks and other financial institutions to keep records and report large cash transactions and suspicious activity.

A fixed amount of federal money given to states or local governments for a broad purpose, such as social services, with wide flexibility in how to spend it.

In Bills:H.R. 7726

The federal power marketing administration that sells electricity from federal dams in the Columbia River Basin to utilities in the Pacific Northwest and runs much of the region's high-voltage transmission.

Official site ↗ (opens in a new tab)

The part of U.S. Customs and Border Protection that patrols the land borders and coasts between official ports of entry.

In Bills:H.R. 7147H.R. 35

The legal authority Congress gives agencies to commit the government to spend money, for example by signing contracts. The actual payments, called outlays, may come later.

The House and Senate committees that write the annual budget resolution and assemble reconciliation bills from other committees' parts.

The amount by which federal spending is larger than revenue in a fiscal year. The government borrows to cover it, which adds to the national debt.

In Bills:H.Con.Res. 113S.Con.Res. 33

A fast-track process for bills that change spending, revenue or the debt limit as directed by a budget resolution. Senate debate is limited to 20 hours, so a reconciliation bill can pass by simple majority without facing a filibuster.

In the Congress Guide →

In Bills:H.Con.Res. 113S.Con.Res. 33

A concurrent resolution in which Congress sets overall spending, revenue and deficit levels for the coming fiscal year and later years. It does not go to the president, but it can include reconciliation instructions.

In the Congress Guide →

The Justice Department agency that enforces federal firearms and explosives laws, licenses gun dealers, and investigates arson and illegal trafficking of alcohol and tobacco.

Official site ↗ (opens in a new tab)

The Interior Department agency that carries out the federal government's trust responsibilities to federally recognized tribes, including managing land held in trust and supporting tribal governments.

Official site ↗ (opens in a new tab)

In Bills:S. 723

The Interior Department agency that funds and operates schools for American Indian and Alaska Native students, most of them run by tribes.

The Commerce Department agency that controls exports of sensitive technology and goods with military uses, including through its Entity List of restricted foreign companies.

In Bills:H.R. 1316

The Justice Department office that funds state, local and tribal criminal justice programs, including the Byrne Justice Assistance Grants.

The Labor Department agency that measures employment, unemployment, wages and inflation, including the monthly jobs report and the Consumer Price Index.

Official site ↗ (opens in a new tab)

The Interior Department agency that manages about 245 million acres of public land, mostly in the West, for uses such as grazing, energy, mining, recreation and conservation.

Official site ↗ (opens in a new tab)

In Bills:H.R. 972H.J.Res. 140

The Interior Department agency that manages offshore energy and mineral leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf, including oil, gas and wind.

Official site ↗ (opens in a new tab)

In Bills:S.J.Res. 11

The Interior Department agency that builds and runs dams, reservoirs and canals in the 17 western states and is the largest wholesale supplier of water in the country.

Official site ↗ (opens in a new tab)

In Bills:H.R. 131H.R. 4553

The Interior Department agency that enforces safety and environmental rules for offshore oil and gas operations.

The Treasury Department bureau that makes federal payments, collects debts owed to the government and sells Treasury securities.

In Bills:H.R. 8312

A Senate rule that lets senators strike provisions from a reconciliation bill that are extraneous, such as those whose effect on spending or revenue is merely incidental. Waiving it takes 60 votes.

In the Congress Guide →