# Congressional Budget Process Course Canonical URL: ## Overview This course focuses on the phase of the budgetary process that impacts every federal employee and agency – the congressional budget process. This is the phase of the budget process when Congress reviews and considers the agency’s budget submission and then decides what types and how much funding to provide to the agency. The course covers topics such as the House and Senate Budget Committees, the congressional budget resolution process, congressional actions on authorizations and appropriations, and the budget reconciliation process. ## What you'll learn - Describe the federal budget and the three phases of the federal budget process. - Identify the key legislation influencing the budget process and the control of spending. - Discuss the budget review and enactment activities of Congress. - Identify the key documents used and produced during the congressional process. - Describe the purposes of each document. - Explain the differences between a budget resolution, an authorization, and an appropriation. - Explain how a bill becomes law. - Explain the influence of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 on the congressional process. - Explain the purpose of the reconciliation and sequestration processes. ## Curriculum #### Module 1: Overview of the Budget Process - Understand the separation of powers and the constitutional foundation of budget authority - Review the evolution of the federal budget and financial management structure - Explore the purposes of the federal budget and how Congress fits into the overall process - Analyze the size, composition, and trends in federal receipts and expenditures #### Module 2: Basic Budget Concepts - Examine how Congress provides authority to spend and types of budgetary authority - Differentiate between budget authority, obligations, and outlays - Explore mandatory vs. discretionary spending and the concept of budget baselines - Understand the federal debt limit and its impact on fiscal policy #### Module 3: The Congressional Budget Process - Understand the composition, leadership, and legislative process in Congress - Explore the roles of authorization and appropriation committees and subcommittees - Learn about budget resolutions, authorization acts, and appropriation acts - Examine the types of appropriations and the use of continuing resolutions #### Module 4: Reconciliation and Budget Enforcement - Understand the reconciliation process and its legislative function - Explore the Byrd Rule and its role in preventing extraneous provisions - Learn about sequestration and its use in deficit reduction enforcement - Analyze how omnibus reconciliation bills are considered and enacted #### Module 5: Principal Organizations Providing Support to Congress - Identify the functions of the Congressional Budget Office and Government Accountability Office - Understand the role of the Congressional Research Service and Inspectors General - Learn about the Government Publishing Office and the Congressional Record #### Module 6: Course Summary - Recap the legislative framework and evolution of the budget process - Summarize the roles of Congress in shaping and enacting the federal budget - Highlight major laws, processes, and enforcement mechanisms governing budget legislation ## Schedule - Jul 30, 2026 – Jul 31, 2026 — Live Online - Sep 15, 2026 – Sep 16, 2026 — Live Online - Nov 9, 2026 – Nov 10, 2026 — Live Online ## Instructors ### Alan B. Robinson — Instructor Mr. Robinson is a seasoned legal and federal employment expert with over two decades of experience. He recently retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, where he spent 11 years as Deputy Director/Director for the Office of Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity (ODEO) and 8 years as Chief of Employee and Labor Relations. In these roles, he provided extensive guidance on federal employment matters, showcasing his deep expertise in labor relations and diversity initiatives. A graduate of the University of Virginia with a B.A. in Government, Mr. Robinson earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Maryland School of Law. He is licensed to practice law in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Before his federal service, he built a robust legal career, starting as a law clerk for the Baltimore City Orphan’s Court, followed by 10 years as a civil defense litigator with a D.C. law firm, and later operating his own solo practice for 5 years. His private practice focused on representing federal agencies, employees, municipalities, and private entities in employment-related cases before the EEOC, Merit Systems Protection Board, and various courts. Currently, Mr. Robinson shares his wealth of knowledge as an adjunct instructor with the Graduate School USA and serves as a registered arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). His extensive background in law, federal employment, and diversity makes him a valuable resource in his field. ### Kent Miller — Instructor Kent D. Miller, Jr., MBA, CDFM-A, is a highly accomplished financial management expert and educator with over 40 years of experience in both the public and private sectors. A retired U.S. Army officer, Kent has held leadership roles such as Controller/CFO for the U.S. Army Missile Command and Program Manager/Financial Analyst for the Assistant Secretary of the Army. His expertise spans budgeting, cost analysis, managerial accounting, and financial systems implementation. Notably, he managed a $9 billion organization, supervised a financial staff of 150, and developed funding requirements and congressional testimony for senior Army leadership. Kent’s career also includes consulting and training, where he has developed over 50 courses and taught more than 20,000 students from federal agencies and contractors. As an adjunct instructor at Graduate School USA since 2005, Kent specializes in financial management training for federal employees. His courses cover a wide range of topics, including appropriations law, budget formulation and execution, and performance-based budgeting. Kent’s teaching is informed by his extensive experience in planning, programming, and budgeting, as well as his work in reengineering processes to achieve cost savings. He is also a Certified Defense Financial Manager with Acquisition Specialty (CDFM-A) and has been recognized for his leadership in professional organizations such as the Society of Defense Financial Management and the Association of Government Accountants. ### Alan McCain — Curriculum Program Manager Alan McCain is a retired combat veteran who served as both an Air Force enlisted member and a Navy officer. He brings over 30 years of experience spanning federal and commercial budgeting, auditing, programming, operations, global logistics support, supply chain and inventory management, as well as major IT acquisition. He possesses extensive, hands-on budget and audit experience across Federal, State, and Local government operations, including work within the Executive Office of the President and the Departments of State, Defense, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Education, as well as the Office of the Mayor of Washington, D.C., among others. Alan’s consulting background includes strategic planning and business development with the District of Columbia government, multiple federal agencies, Lockheed Martin, KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. He is a Certified Government/Defense Financial Manager (CGFM/DFM), holds a Teaching Certification from Harvard University’s Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, and earned an Executive MBA in International Business from The George Washington University. ## Pricing **Tuition:** $1049