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The U.S. federal budget outlines how the government will allocate its resources, manage spending, and fund its programs and services for the upcoming fiscal year – encompassing both taxes and expenditures. Arriving at a final budget requires a complex series of steps, starting with the President submitting a proposal to Congress, which according to the Constitution holds the power of the purse. But how does the federal budget reconciliation process actually work? That question has never been more important than now, with a budget proposed by the Trump administration that cuts many vital programs in health, housing, education, and even the National Park Service, while cutting taxes forthe extremely wealthy. Chris Cook, Ph.D. associate professor of political science at Pitt-Johnstown, will explain this process with a focus on what’s going on right now as Congress considers the budget.