As Congress returns next week from the Spring recess, the Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15) appropriations process is near the top of the list of items awaiting action.

Spending Levels -

A top line spending level of $1.014 trillion for FY15 was established last December when Congress, in the wake of an extended and controversial government shutdown, passed the Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA) of 2013, an agreement brokered by Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA) and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI). The BBA provides $63 billion in relief from the sequestration of the Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011.