Courses

    This course will examine the U.S. federal appropriations process and its legal framework. It is essential for students who expect to be working on Capitol Hill, in the Staff Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps, as counsel within federal agencies, in defense contracting, or for lobbying firms.

The course begins by exploring the constitutional underpinnings of the appropriations process. It then covers the evolution of federal budgeting, the president’s budget process, the congressional budget process, and the appropriations process. The course uses case studies, like the Air Force’s struggle to gain appropriations for a replacement air refueling tanker and President Obama's 2009 sweeping reform proposals to bring these processes alive. Throughout, the course examines the legal framework of the appropriations process by introducing case law, statutes, and common law that can be used and applied in today’s legislative environment. The course will include four class sessions where half of the session will be filled with a guest speaker followed by Q&A. Guest speakers will include members of congress, appropriations committee staff, and members of the DoD comptroller community.