What Are Congressional Appropriations, and How Can Sepsis Advocates Get Involved on Behalf of Patients?

February 2, 2023

Appropriations are an extremely important part of what Congress does each year. During the appropriations process, Congress determines what projects and initiatives will receive federal funding (and how much) for the entire fiscal year. This work begins at the beginning of each calendar year and continues into the fall. The exciting news is that constituents can be an influential part of this process! 

During this year’s appropriations process, Sepsis Alliance is advocating for funding to help begin creating a national sepsis data trust. A data trust is a hub of information that can help experts – clinicians, researchers, innovators, and public health officials, as well as sepsis advocates – better understand a condition like sepsis. There is currently no hub for sepsis information, which means we are limited in our ability to understand and fight a condition that impacts 1.7 million people in the U.S. every year.  

The appropriations process presents an opportunity to take a huge step forward towards Sepsis Alliance’s data trust goal, but we need your voice to make an impact. The more that Congressional representatives hear from sepsis advocates like you, the more likely they will be to act on this request.  

Below, discover answers to frequently asked questions about Congressional appropriations, including how advocates can get involved on behalf of patients with sepsis, survivors, and their loved ones. 

 

What are appropriations? 

Appropriations are portions of the federal budget that Congress devotes to specific projects or initiatives. The part of the budget that Congress uses to make appropriations decisions is known as the discretionary budget. This does not include the mandatory portion of the federal budget, which covers things such as Medicare and Social Security. Appropriations include almost everything else – ranging from funding for our national parks to building roads and bridges to healthcare research.  

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have an Appropriations Committee. Through the appropriations process, these two Committees make decisions about what the discretionary federal budget will be spent on over the course of the upcoming fiscal year. Every year around this time, this process begins again.  

 

How does the appropriations process work? 

The process begins when the House and the Senate Appropriations Committees are told the total amount of money that they are allowed to spend that year. Once they know the total amount, it is up to them to divide it among the many things that require funding.  

The Appropriations Committees are made up of knowledgeable subcommittees that draft their own individual bills during this process. The subcommittee that makes decisions about how much to spend on health is not the same as the subcommittee that makes recommendations about homeland security, for example. There are 12 subcommittees total, all working to address different needs and come to a consensus about how to spend the budget. The subcommittee with key jurisdiction over funding related to healthcare is Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS).  

Once a consensus is reached at the subcommittee level, the 12 subcommittee bills continue to move through the legislative process. They must be agreed upon by the full Appropriations committee and eventually move to the House and Senate floors for a vote. The bills must ultimately pass both chambers of Congress and be signed by the President before they take effect and the money is distributed.  

  

Where do I come in? 

Constituents are an extremely important part of the appropriations process. Members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees take constituent requests into consideration when making decisions about how to spend the budget. There is a step-by-step procedure that you can follow to submit requests to Congress at the beginning of the appropriations process (more on that below). Your Congressional representatives or their staffers will read your request and may choose to include it in their own request. 

Even if your Representative or Senators do not sit on the Appropriations Committees, your voice is extremely important. All members of Congress are able to (and most do) share priorities with the Appropriations Committees, asking them to take requests into consideration. Often, these priorities come directly from constituents. No matter where you live or who your elected officials are, your voice can impact what Congress spends money on.  

 

Great, I want to make an impact! What do I do next? 

Congress has not opened its call for appropriations requests just yet – but they will be doing so in the next few weeks. When that happens, Sepsis Alliance will be asking Congress for funding for state data programs that will eventually feed into a national sepsis data trust. This will help us learn about sepsis and save more lives and limbs. Many advocate voices will be needed to ensure that this request gets heard! 

Make sure you are signed up for advocacy updates from Sepsis Alliance to be alerted as soon as Congress opens its call for requests. At that time, Sepsis Alliance will also be sending out step-by-step instructions on how to complete the request, so that you can feel confident in approaching your Congressional representatives on behalf of patients with sepsis, survivors, and their loved ones. 

Have more questions or want to get involved in the meantime? Don’t hesitate to reach out to Kristin, Director of Policy & Advocacy (kdevries@sepsis.org) or Amanda, Advocacy Communications Manager (afeinman@sepsis.org).