Smith Currie provides services in the highly specialized area of federal appropriations and fiscal law to a wide variety of clients. The scope of our work includes responding to questions relating to sequestration, government liability when funds become exhausted, and congressional underfunding of mandatory and entitlement programs. Relying on our wealth of experience in the area, we provide interpretations of federal statutes and regulations regarding the availability and expenditure of appropriated funds by federal agencies. When necessary, we undertake litigation on legal issues such as the decisions federal agencies make regarding the expenditure of appropriated funds to carry out programs of interest to our clients, the availability of alternative funds to carry out programs, and the extent to which the federal government may have created binding obligations even though appropriations to pay these obligations appear to have been exhausted. These services have great value to clients when an agency administering a program of interest indicates that it lacks funds to continue with the program and obtaining supplemental appropriations is unlikely.
Smith Currie personnel also have substantial experience in developing statutory and committee report language governing the manner in which appropriated funds are to be expended. This experience is valuable to our clients—and their lobbyists—who want to assure eligibility for or entitlement to appropriated funds and to restrict the discretion that an agency may have to reprogram, transfer, or otherwise use the funds elsewhere.
Our lawyers have depth of experience in all aspects of federal appropriations law. In addition to the work we have done for clients, our lawyers have written sections of the leading publication on federal appropriations law, the GAO Redbook, served as course instructors on the subject and written scholarly works on appropriations matters including the intricacies of the Anti-Deficiency Act.
