#47: CIVICS 101: The Legislative Branch
Q&A #47: Why must tax bills originate in the House?
Our American Government
Our American Government is a small book published by the House of Representatives for citizens and those who seek a greater understanding of the American interpretation of democracy. It follows a question-and-answer format and covers a broad range of topics dealing with the three branches of our Government, the electoral process, and the role of political parties.
The Savvy Citizen is reproducing the 169 questions-and-answers through a series of posts called Civics 101. Each post will contain the Q&A as well as some additional commentary to add historical context, fun facts, or anything we believe will add to our collective understanding of these topics.
Think of it as your adult Civics class but without the test!
Let’s keep at it.
SECTION: The Legislative Branch: The Congress
Congressional Process and Powers
Q&A #47: Why must tax bills originate in the House?
The constitutional provision that “all Bills” for raising Revenue [funding the federal government] shall originate in the House of Representatives” (Article I, Section 7) is an adaptation of an earlier English practice. It was based on the principle that the national purse strings should be controlled by a body directly responsible to the people.
So when the Constitution was formulated, the authority for initiation of revenue legislation was vested in the House of Representative where Members are subject to direct election every two years.
However, the Constitution also guarantees the Senate’s power to “propose or concur with Amendments as on the other Bills.”
My Thoughts
The Congress.gov website has some great resources on the appropriations process, including how to track the bills as they move through Congress. You can review them here.
Each fiscal year, Congress considers 12 annual appropriations bills and any supplement appropriations or continuing resolutions bills. The bills cover discretionary funding for government functions (mandatory funding is required by law, discretionary funding is approved by Congress). The 12 bills come from 12 different House subcommittees.
Subcommittees include1:
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, which oversees funding for the USDA (except the Forest Service) and other agencies;
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, which oversees funding for the Department of Commerce, the Department of Justice, NASA, and other agencies;
Defense, which oversees funding for the military, the intelligence community, and other national defense related agencies;
Energy and Water Development, which oversees funding for the Department of Energy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other agencies;
Financial Services and General Government, which oversees funding for the Department of the Treasury, the Executive Office of the President, and other government functions;
Homeland Security, which oversees funding for the Department of Homeland Security;
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, which oversees funding for the Department of the Interior, the EPA, the U.S. Forest Service, and a number of independent agencies;
Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, which oversees funding for the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Labor, and other agencies;
Legislative Branch, which oversees funding for the House of Representatives (the Senate Legislative Branch oversees funding for the U.S. Senate), the U.S. Capitol, the Library of Congress, and other legislative branch functions;
Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies, which oversees funding for military construction (including military housing), the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies;
State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, which oversees funding for the U.S. State Department, USAID, and related programs; and
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, which oversees funding for the Department of Transportation, HUD, and related agencies.
You can track the appropriations legislation and receive email alerts if interested in being notified each time there’s movement. You can also write the members of the subcommittees to make your thoughts known about what should and shouldn’t be funded. This is an important duty of citizenship!
—
Back next time with Q&A #48: Must all appropriation measures originate in the House?
Meanwhile, don’t forget that we’re organizing the post links on a single page available here.
xo,
Kelley for the Savvy Citizen Team
February 14, 2025
From https://simpson.house.gov/appropriations/12appropriationssubcommittees.htm