Chapter 14 The Congress, The President, and the Budget: The Politics of Taxing and Spending Multiple-Choice Questions 1) A budget deficit occurs when expenditures exceed A) revenues. B) borrowing. C) appropriations. D) authorizations. E) inflation. Answer: A Page Ref: 436 2) Most of todayʹs federal debt was run up by government borrowing during A) World War II. B) the 1980s. C) the Vietnam War. D) the Great Depression. E) the Cold War (1947-1989). Answer: B Page Ref: 436 3) Approximately what percentage of the annual federal budget pays interest on the national debt? A) 13 B) 15 C) 21 D) 9 E) 6 Answer: D Page Ref: 436 4) Which of the following is NOT currently one of the major sources of federal revenue? A) personal income taxes B) social insurance taxes C) borrowing D) excise taxes E) corporate income taxes Answer: D Page Ref: 437 5) In Pollock v. Farmerʹs Loan and Trust Co. (1895), the United States Supreme Court ruled that A) the income tax was constitutional. B) the national sales tax was unconstitutional. C) banks and corporations must pay higher taxes. D) the income tax was unconstitutional. E) business income taxes were unconstitutional but individual income taxes were constitutional. Answer: D Page Ref: 438 6) The Sixteenth Amendment, ratified in 1913, A) explicitly permitted Congress to levy an income tax. B) limited the total income tax Congress could levy on an individual. C) set up the Social Security system. D) forbade Congress from levying an income tax, but was later repealed. E) required the federal government to balance its budget each year but it was repealed during the Great Depression. Answer: A Page Ref: 438 7) A(n) ________ is a policy document allocating taxes and expenditures, or a series of goals with price tags attached. A) balance sheet B) procurement C) fiscal register D) apportionment E) budget Answer: E Page Ref: 436 8) A budget is A) a blueprint for what the government should do. B) a policy determination of how much to spend. C) a policy document allocating burdens (taxes) and benefits (expenditures). D) passed by the presidentʹs cabinet. E) none of the above Answer: C Page Ref: 436 9) Congress was officially given the power to levy an income tax through the A) Sixteenth Amendment. B) Supreme Court case of Pollock v. Farmerʹs Loan and Trust Co. (1895). C) revenue clause of the original Constitution. D) Internal Revenue Act. E) Balanced Budget Amendment. Answer: A Page Ref: 438 10) The federal governmentʹs budget is mainly A) a technical document intended to ensure that tax revenues will be sufficient to meet expenditures. B) a line by line accounting of tax expenditures that is required annually by the Constitution. C) an accounting tool that permits the government to keep track of its assets and liabilities. D) a list of the ways in which the government has spent its money. E) a policy statement that allocates burdens and benefits by attaching price tags to policy goals. Answer: E Page Ref: 436 11) According to Aaron Wildavsky, budgeting is a process most concerned with A) making sure every citizen receives a fair amount of government benefits. B) translating financial resources into human purposes. C) keeping the government running on a day-to-day basis. D) keeping expenditures balanced with taxes. E) redistributing the natural distribution of wealth in a capitalist economy in a fairer more civilized way than the push and shove of free enterprise. Answer: B Page Ref: 436 12) Which of the following is NOT the responsibility of the Internal Revenue Service? A) investigating and prosecuting thousands of errant taxpayers or nonpayers of federal taxes B) establishing the annual tax rates that Americans of different incomes must pay C) auditing more than one million taxpayers annually D) collecting the federal income tax E) All of these are the IRSʹs responsibilities. Answer: B Page Ref: 438 13) Income taxes A) provide the largest source of federal revenue. B) were first used in 1915 after the Sixteenth Amendment was passed. C) were declared constitutional in Pollock v. Farmerʹs Loan and Trust Co. D) yield about 11 cents of every federal revenue dollar. E) All of these are true. Answer: A Page Ref: 437 14) In order of decreasing amounts, the sources of federal revenue include A) individual income tax, excise tax, corporate income tax, and social insurance receipts. B) individual income tax, social insurance receipts, borrowing and corporate income tax. C) social insurance receipts, corporate income tax, individual income tax, and borrowing. D) corporate income taxes, personal income taxes, borrowing and social insurance taxes. E) borrowing, individual income tax, social insurance receipts, and corporate income tax. Answer: B Page Ref: 437-440 15) Corporations today pay A) income taxes which account for most federal revenue. B) income taxes which account for more federal revenue than individual income taxes. C) income taxes which account for much less federal revenue than individual income taxes. D) no income taxes. E) capital gains taxes and property taxes instead of income taxes. Answer: C Page Ref: 438 16) The income tax is generally progressive, meaning that A) it increases incrementally on an annual basis. B) those with more income pay higher rates of tax on their income. C) those with more income pay more in taxes than those with less income. D) it is a newer form of taxation than excise and sales taxes. E) it is better than a flat tax. Answer: B Page Ref: 438 17) Social Security taxes are A) paid for by employees and employers. B) paid for by employees only. C) paid for by employers only. D) taxes paid on Social Security benefits. E) levied and collected by state governments. Answer: A Page Ref: 438 18) Social insurance taxes A) are earmarked for a specific purpose. B) have grown very little in recent years. C) go into the governmentʹs general money fund. D) are paid only by employers. E) all of the above Answer: A Page Ref: 438 19) The fastest growing source of federal revenue has been A) fees for services. B) Social Security taxes. C) personal income taxes. D) borrowing. E) corporate income taxes. Answer: B Page Ref: 438 20) The government borrows money principally by A) selling bonds. B) maintaining numerous departmental credit card accounts. C) printing more currency. D) obtaining loans from foreign governments. E) obtaining loans from the Federal Reserve. Answer: A Page Ref: 438 21) Who can purchase United States government bonds? A) financial institutions B) citizens C) corporations D) mutual funds E) all of the above Answer: E Page Ref: 438 22) The federal debt A) consists of all the money borrowed over the years by the national government and still outstanding. B) is money owed to foreign nations by the United States government when it imports more goods than it exports. C) is all money borrowed over the years by the federal government and owed to state governments. D) is the difference between the amount of annual tax receipts and government expenditures. E) is money owed by taxpayers to the United States government, but never paid. Answer: A Page Ref: 439 23) The federal debt in the United States A) is the difference between federal government revenues and expenditures in a given year. B) has increased due to the budget deficit caused by the difference between revenues and expenditures. C) was eliminated due to George W. Bushʹs efforts to balance the budget. D) consists of the interest that government must pay on the budget deficit. E) is just under $1,000,000,000. Answer: B Page Ref: 439 24) Unlike state and local governments, the federal government is borrowing primarily for A) its day-to-day expenses. B) future development needs. C) military defense. D) printing money. E) its capital needs. Answer: A Page Ref: 439 25) ________ are revenue losses attributable to provisions of the federal tax laws which allow a special exemption, exclusion, or deduction. A) Tax dividends B) Fiscal seepages C) Treasury bills D) Tax reductions E) Tax expenditures Answer: E Page Ref: 441 26) Tax expenditures consist of A) the way taxes are spent by the federal government. B) tax exemptions, deductions, and exclusions. C) taxes paid by employers for social insurance programs. D) direct grants-in-aid to individuals by the government. E) the amount of deficit caused by revenue shortfalls. Answer: B Page Ref: 441 27) The federal income tax deduction for mortgage interest on an owner-occupied home is an example of a A) tax rebate. B) negative income tax. C) federally guaranteed loan. D) tax expenditure. E) tax refund. Answer: D Page Ref: 441 28) An example of a tax expenditure is A) a lower tax rate for lower income families. B) direct government support of a charity. C) the social security system. D) a tax deduction for the mortgage interest paid by homeowners. E) the purchase of a Stealth Bomber by the Pentagon. Answer: D Page Ref: 441 29) The Office of Management and Budget estimates that the total tax expenditures is more than ________ of the federal governmentʹs total receipts. A) 30 percent B) 10 percent C) 25 percent D) 40 percent E) 50 percent Answer: A Page Ref: 441 30) Tax expenditures tend to most benefit A) lower-income people and the poor. B) lower-middle class people and small businesses. C) the government. D) middle- and upper-income people and corporations. E) state and local governments and school districts. Answer: D Page Ref: 441 31) Which of the following statements about President Reaganʹs 1981 tax cut is FALSE? A) Taxes were indexed to the cost of living. B) Corporate taxes were increased. C) Federal taxes were reduced by 25 percent. D) It provided new tax incentives for personal saving and investment. E) none of the above Answer: B Page Ref: 441 32) Which of the following statements about President Reaganʹs 1981 tax cut is TRUE? A) It reduced the federal governmentʹs tax expenditures. B) It provided new tax incentives for personal saving and investment. C) It spread the tax burden more fairly among taxpayers. D) It led to a major reduction in the federal deficits. E) It helped curb inflation. Answer: B Page Ref: 441 33) Which of the following was NOT a provision of President Reaganʹs 1985 tax simplification program? A) It removed several million low-income individuals from the tax rolls. B) It eliminated or reduced the value of many tax deductions. C) It increased the number of tax expenditures available to businesses. D) It reduced the number of tax brackets to two. E) none of the above Answer: C Page Ref: 443-444 34) Beginning in 1985, federal income taxes were ________ to the cost of living, so that government no longer got a larger percentage when inflation pushed incomes into higher brackets while the tax rates stayed the same. A) raised B) added C) indexed D) lowered E) flat-rated Answer: C Page Ref: 442 35) President Reaganʹs 1981 tax cuts were most beneficial to A) low-income families. B) the middle class. C) the government. D) high-income families. E) the states Answer: D Page Ref: 443-444 36) In 1993, Congress agreed to President Clintonʹs proposal to A) cut Social Security expenditures. B) decrease the top corporate income tax rate. C) raise the income tax rate for families in the highest income brackets. D) eliminate all energy taxes. E) establish national health insurance Answer: C Page Ref: 442 37) The United States governmentʹs annual budget is now approximately A) $2.75 trillion. B) $15 trillion. C) $775 billion. D) $12 trillion. E) $11.3 trillion. Answer: A Page Ref: 447 38) Compared to most other countries with developed economies, the national, state, and local governments in the United States tax A) about twice as heavily. B) about one and a half times as much per capita. C) about four times as heavily. D) less. E) at about the same rate. Answer: D Page Ref: 444 39) Compared to other Western nations, Americaʹs total government expenditure as a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is A) one of the largest, but dropping. B) about average. C) the highest and increasing. D) one of the largest. E) one of the smallest. Answer: E Page Ref: 446 40) Which of the following countries have the smallest total tax revenues as a percentage of their gross domestic product? A) Sweden B) Canada C) Germany D) United States E) United Kingdom Answer: D Page Ref: 444 41) The federal budget consumes ________ of Americaʹs gross domestic product. A) 20 percent B) 30 percent C) 50 percent D) 25 percent E) 12 percent Answer: C Page Ref: 446 l 42) In order of decreasing amounts, federal expenditures include A) national defense, interest on the national debt, and direct payments to individuals. B) interest on the national debt, national defense, and direct payments to individuals. C) national defense, direct payments to individuals, and state and local grants. D) direct payments to individuals, national defense, and interest on the national debt. E) none of the above Answer: E Page Ref: 445 43) Americaʹs national, state and local governments spend an amount equal to ________ of the GDP. A) 20 percent. B) 30 percent. C) 50 percent. D) 25 percent. E) 12 percent. Answer: A Page Ref: 448 44) During the 1950s and early 1960s, over half the federal budget was spent every year on A) agricultural subsidies and programs. B) Medicare. C) the interstate highway program. D) the Department of Defense. E) Social Security. Answer: D Page Ref: 447 45) From the mid-1960s to the early 1980s, the biggest change in government spending was the A) ratification and implementation of the Twenty-eighth Amendment, the Balanced Budget Amendment. B) abandonment of the gold standard and the creation of the Federal Reserve System. C) growth of new budgeting techniques such as zero-based budgeting. D) increase in social service expenditures and decline in defense spending. E) elimination of tax expenditures. Answer: D Page Ref: 447 46) The military industrial complex refers to A) the global network of bases that the Department of Defense maintains. B) the close relationship between defense officials and the corporations that supply their hardware needs. C) the competition between the military and civilian industries for government dollars. D) the government-owned industries that manufacture military weapons and large equipment. E) the Pentagon and the buildings that surround it. Answer: B Page Ref: 447 47) The budget of the Department of Defense A) decreased in the 1990s. B) constitutes the bulk of the ʺuncontrollableʺ expenditures of the United States budget. C) constitutes over half of all federal expenditures. D) is the driving force in the expansion of the federal budget. E) has increased despite the end of the Cold War. Answer: A Page Ref: 447 48) The purchasing of military hardware is known as A) regalia. B) procurement. C) requisitioning. D) appropriations. E) mobilization. Answer: B Page Ref: 447 49) The biggest expenditure in the federal budget today is A) foreign aid programs. B) welfare programs for the poor. C) interest on the debt. D) income security programs. E) defense. Answer: D Page Ref: 447 50) The Social Security Act, which set up the Social Security system, was passed in A) 1935. B) 1913. C) 1865. D) 1962. E) 1929. Answer: A Page Ref: 448 51) The Social Security Act was passed under the administration of President A) Franklin D. Roosevelt. B) Dwight D. Eisenhower. C) Herbert Hoover. D) Lyndon Johnson. E) Abraham Lincoln. Answer: A Page Ref: 448 52) In 1965, ________ was added to the Social Security program to provide hospital and physician coverage to the elderly. A) Medplan B) Healthmark C) Medicare D) Medicaid E) disability Answer: C Page Ref: 449 53) Medicare A) is given only to those who do not have private insurance. B) is administered separately from the social security system. C) provides only hospital coverage to the poor. D) is the most expensive of all the welfare programs, providing basic medical care for the poor. E) provides both hospital and physician coverage to the elderly. Answer: E Page Ref: 449 54) The biggest slice of the federal budget pie belongs to A) law enforcement. B) national defense. C) education aid. D) income security expenditures. E) health expenditures. Answer: D Page Ref: 447 55) By 1990, the Social Security system was financed by a payroll tax of A) 2 percent. B) 5 percent. C) 7.5 percent. D) over 15 percent. E) 10 percent. Answer: D Page Ref: 449 56) A major feature of incremental budgeting is that it A) provides small increases in the current budget over the previous yearʹs budget. B) greatly inflates government spending each year. C) fragments the budget into many small items, making it hard to plan a unified budget. D) reduces current budgets by small amounts over successive years. E) reevaluates the budgetary base on which past budgets were built. Answer: A Page Ref: 451 57) An example of incremental budgeting is A) reviewing an agencyʹs budget to establish a lower base. B) Carterʹs zero-based budgeting. C) reducing an agencyʹs budget a little each year. D) giving an agency a little more than it had last year. E) breaking a budget into its component parts and reviewing each part individually. Answer: D Page Ref: 451 58) Which of the following is not a feature of incremental budgeting? A) Most of the debate and attention are focused on the proposed increment. B) Agencies must justify their entire budget request. C) Very little attention is focused on the budgetary base. D) The budget for any given agency tends to grow by a little bit every year. Answer: B Page Ref: 451 Edition: National 59) ________ refers to the concept that in the spending appropriations process, the best predictor of this yearʹs budget is last yearʹs budget plus a little bit more. A) Inflation-plus budgeting B) Indexing C) Program Planning-Budgeting Systems D) Incrementalism E) Minimalist Budgeting Answer: D Page Ref: 451 60) The most prevalent model of budgetary decision making in practice is A) program-planning budgeting. B) incrementalism. C) zero-based budgeting. D) line-item budgeting. E) rational party bargaining. Answer: B Page Ref: 451 61) Which of the following is NOT associated with incremental budgeting? A) An agency or program must prove it still merits its very existence every year. B) Most of the budget debate and attention is over an increase in the agencyʹs funding. C) Agencies and programs tend to safely assume they will receive at least what they had last year. D) The budget for any given agency tends to grow a bit every year. E) Agencies often pad their budgets a little bit. Answer: A Page Ref: 451 62) Budget items mandated by law or by a previous obligation are known as A) uncontrollable expenditures. B) increments. C) fiscal mandates. D) bearer bonds. E) procurements. Answer: A Page Ref: 451 63) Social Security payments are an example of a(n) A) increment. B) indexing. C) apportionment. D) controllable expenditure. E) entitlement. Answer: E Page Ref: 452 64) An ʺuncontrollableʺ expenditure in the federal budget is defined as A) expenditures exceeding revenues so as to require borrowing to cover the difference. B) an expenditure that is required by current law or a previous government obligation to people automatically eligible for some benefit. C) an annual incremental increase in the cost of a program. D) one in which more money must be appropriated to handle a national crisis. E) the governmentʹs allowance for meeting budget requests. Answer: B Page Ref: 451 65) Social Security programs, interest on the national debt, and military pensions are examples of A) tax expenditures. B) uncontrollable expenditures. C) revenue sources. D) tax loopholes. E) incremental expenditures. Answer: B Page Ref: 452 66) The biggest uncontrollable expenditure in the federal budget is A) government retirement benefits. B) interest on the national debt. C) veterans aid. D) national defense spending. E) the Social Security system. Answer: E Page Ref: 452 67) An estimated ________ of the federal budget is considered uncontrollable, unless Congress changes a law or existing benefit levels. A) two-thirds B) 80 percent C) one-half D) one-third E) one-fifth Answer: A Page Ref: 451 68) Approximately what percentage of the federal budget is uncontrollable? A) one-fourth B) two-thirds C) almost all of it D) one-half E) one-third Answer: B Page Ref: 451 69) The ultimate power to determine how much the government will tax and spend, and what it will spend taxes for, lies with A) the Treasury Department. B) the courts. C) the president. D) Congress. E) the bureaucracy. Answer: D Page Ref: 452 70) In the House of Representatives, it is the ________ Committee that writes tax codes, subject to the approval of Congress as a whole. A) Ways and Means B) Appropriations C) Budget D) Revenue E) Finance Answer: A Page Ref: 453 71) Agencies invariably pad their budget requests because A) they want the almost inevitable budget cuts to be bearable. B) Congress would view a lower request as a sign of weakness. C) it is an accepted part of zero-based budgeting. D) their constituencies expect more benefits. E) cost overruns almost always put them over budget. Answer: A Page Ref: 452 72) In the Senate, the ________ Committee is responsible for writing tax codes, subject to the approval of Congress as a whole. A) Revenue B) Budget C) Appropriations D) Ways and Means E) Finance Answer: E Page Ref: 453 73) The budget cycle begins in the executive branch ________ months before the fiscal year begins. A) 11 B) 19 C) three D) seven E) 24 or more Answer: B Page Ref: 454 74) The Director of the Office of Management and Budget A) is a career official. B) is elected by the Council of Economic Advisors. C) is a congressional appointee. D) is a presidential appointee requiring approval of the Senate. E) is appointed by the Senate Finance Committee. Answer: D Page Ref: 453 75) The ________ is responsible for supervising preparation of the federal budget and advising the president on budgetary matters. A) Treasury Department B) Office of Management and Budget C) Senate Finance Committee D) General Accounting Office E) Bureau of the Budget Answer: B Page Ref: 454 76) Until Congress passed the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921, A) agencies of the executive branch sent their budget requests directly to the president, who alone had the authority to approve and fund the bureaucracy. B) agencies of the executive branch sent their budget requests to the secretary of the treasury, who forwarded them on to Congress, with the president playing little or no role in the entire process. C) there was no federal income tax in the United States. D) the United States had no formalized budget process. E) the federal budget had to be balanced, by law. Answer: B Page Ref: 454 77) Before the president submits her budget to Congress, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) coordinates the requests of A) the governors. B) individual legislators. C) the subject matter committees of Congress. D) executive agencies. E) interest groups. Answer: D Page Ref: 454 78) The heads of executive agencies send their budget requests to the A) Office of Management and Budget. B) Congressional tax committees. C) president. D) Treasury Department. E) Congressional Budget Office. Answer: A Page Ref: 454 79) Agenciesʹ behavior and budgets are audited, monitored, and evaluated for Congress by the A) Congressional Budget Office. B) president. C) Internal Revenue Service. D) Office of Management and Budget. E) General Accounting Office. Answer: E Page Ref: 454 80) The Office of Management and Budget parcels out money to government agencies and is accountable to A) the Internal Revenue Service. B) Congress. C) the secretary of the treasury. D) the president. E) the Congressional Budget Office. Answer: D Page Ref: 454 81) Which of the following statements about the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is FALSE? A) The OMB advises the president on budgetary matters. B) The OMB is one of the few government agencies created by the Constitution. C) The OMB supervises preparation of the federal budget. D) Government agencies send their budget estimates to the OMB. E) none of the above Answer: B Page Ref: 454 82) Once the Office of Management and Budget has prepared the federal budget, A) it is sent to the Treasury Department for implementation. B) the president makes revisions and submits it to Congress. C) it is either signed into law or vetoed by the president. D) Congress must vote it up or down as a package within ten days. E) it immediately becomes law. Answer: B Page Ref: 454 83) According to the Constitution, all federal appropriations must be authorized by A) the General Accounting Office. B) the Office of Management and Budget. C) the president. D) Congress. E) the secretary of the treasury. Answer: D 84) The Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 set up all of the following EXCEPT A) a Budget Committee in each house of Congress. B) the Congressional Budget Office. C) the Office of Management and Budget. D) a fixed budget calendar mandated by law. E) both A and B Answer: C Page Ref: 455 85) The Congressional Budget and Impoundment Act of 1974 requires that A) the president impound those moneys appropriated by Congress which exceed federal revenues. B) Congress develop a budget on the basis of the presidentʹs budget, through coordinated efforts of the CBO and the OMB. C) Congress develop a budget by adding up the requests of all the government agencies. D) Congress impound that portion of the presidentʹs budget in excess of government revenues. E) Congress agree on a budget according to a fixed schedule, with target figures for the total budget size. Answer: E Page Ref: 455 86) The congressional equivalent of the Office of Management and Budget is the A) Congressional Office of Finance. B) Joint Committee on Ways and Means. C) Joint Committee on the Budget. D) General Accounting Office. E) Congressional Budget Office. Answer: E Page Ref: 455 87) One of the important purposes of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is to A) require the federal government to balance its budget. B) force Congress to consider the budget as a whole rather than in terms of individual appropriations. C) restore budgetary control to the appropriations committees and subcommittees. D) delegate effective budgetary authority to the president. E) give Congress almost exclusive control over the federal budget. Answer: B Page Ref: 455 88) The main purpose of the Congressional Budget Office is to A) advise Congress on the consequences of its budget decisions. B) act as a liaison with interest groups. C) prepare Congressʹ own operating budget for salaries and supplies. D) receive reports and recommendations from committees. E) advise the president on congressional priorities in the budget. Answer: A Page Ref: 455 89) To set a limit on total government spending, both houses of Congress are required to pass a(n) ________ every April, binding Congress to a total expenditure level, or bottom line, of all federal spending for all programs. A) budget B) budget resolution C) omnibus appropriations package D) circumscription bill E) authorization bill Answer: B Page Ref: 456 90) A budget resolution A) revises program authorizations to achieve required savings. B) resolves the differences between House and Senate versions of the budget. C) is an act of Congress that establishes a discretionary government program or an entitlement. D) must be passed to actually fund programs established by authorization bills. E) sets limits on expenditures based on revenue projections. Answer: E Page Ref: 456 91) Congress attempts to bind itself to a total expenditure level that should form the bottom line of all federal spending for all programs by passing A) a zero-based binding resolution. B) a budget reconciliation. C) a budget resolution. D) an appropriations bill. E) an authorization bill. Answer: C Page Ref: 456 92) Budget ________ revises program authorizations to achieve required savings. A) impoundment B) realignment C) closure D) appropriation E) reconciliation Answer: E Page Ref: 456 93) A budget reconciliation A) reconciles the differences between House and Senate versions of the budget. B) revises program authorizations to achieve required savings. C) is an act of Congress that establishes a discretionary government program or an entitlement. D) must be passed to actually fund programs established by authorization bills. E) sets limits on expenditures based on revenue projections. Answer: B Page Ref: 456 94) An ________ bill is an act of Congress that establishes a discretionary government program or an entitlement, or that continues or changes such programs. A) omnibus B) authorization C) impoundment D) appropriations E) enabling Answer: B Page Ref: 457 95) To actually fund a program, Congress must pass an ________ bill. A) authorization B) expenditure C) appropriations D) omnibus E) impoundment Answer: C Page Ref: 457 96) Which of the following would be a specific example of an appropriations bill? A) Congress voting to discontinue the federal income tax B) a budget resolution passed by both Houses of Congress C) a bill funding the Department of the Interior for the fiscal year D) a bill to continue the space shuttle program for another five years E) a bill establishing a national health insurance system Answer: C Page Ref: 457 97) Failing to meet its own budget timetable, Congress has frequently resorted to ________, which are laws that allow agencies to spend at the previous yearʹs level. A) reconciliations B) revenue extensions C) appropriations D) continuing resolutions E) retrenchments Answer: D Page Ref: 457 98) An authorization bill A) provides the funding for discretionary programs. B) authorizes the president to spend specific line-item amounts in the final budget. C) covers only one year at a time. D) sets the maximum amount that may be spent for entitlement programs. E) establishes, continues, or changes a discretionary program or an entitlement. Answer: E Page Ref: 457 99) In order to actually fund programs established by authorization bills, Congress must pass A) a budget resolution. B) a budget reconciliation. C) an appropriations bill. D) authorization vouchers. E) a continuing resolution. Answer: C Page Ref: 457 100) The Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act called for the president to order ________, if Congress failed to meet specific deficit-reduction goals. A) reconciliations B) defunding directives C) re-authorizations D) continuing resolutions E) sequestrations Answer: E Page Ref: 457