The budget resolution does not include funding for individual programs, but simply provides a blueprint for overall spending. For example, the budget resolution will include a total funding target for health, education, and children s programs, but will not give specific funding levels for Title I, special education, or other individual programs. The House and Senate Budget Committees each draft a Budget Resolution and the full House and Senate vote on the respective resolutions. The approved resolutions then go to a conference committee with members from both the House and Senate. The conference committee produces a joint Budget Resolution, which then goes back to both the House and Senate for final approval.
Appropriations is the annual process of funding specific programs.
The appropriations process is not the same as the Budget Resolution process. The appropriations process generally takes place after the budget framework is in place and uses the Budget Resolution as a guide when setting specific funding levels. Since the Budget Resolution does not include specific programmatic funding levels, appropriations can take place without a Budget Resolution. The House and Senate Appropriations Committees are responsible for the overall funding process, and their subcommittees are responsible for specific programs. Education programs fall under the responsibility of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittees of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.