text: Fund the Force
  A. Rate of execution generally will not exceed the amount contained in the President’s
  Budget, the previous year’s rate of execution, or the amount recommended by the House and
  Senate Appropriations Committees, whichever is the lowest or most restrictive.
  B. No new starts may be initiated. Operations maintenance appropriation (OMA) funded
  minor construction is not considered a new start.
  C. No increase in scope of ongoing programs is permitted.
  D. No new multiyear procurements are permitted.
  Operation in the absence of appropriations.
  A. In the event that neither an Appropriation Act nor a CR has been enacted, a “funding
  gap” exists.
  B. Obligations may continue during the new fiscal year (FY) for minimum mission
  essential business.
  C. Prior year unexpired funds of multi-year appropriations are not impacted by the
  absence of a new appropriation or a CR. Revolving funds are also not impacted.
  2-35. Commitments. A commitment is an administrative reservation of allotted funds, or of other funds, in
  anticipation of its obligation. Commitments are usually based upon firm procurement requests, orders,
  directives, and equivalent instruments.
  2-36. Fiscal Year. The Federal Government’s fiscal year begins on 1 October and ends 30 September and
  is designated by the year in which it ends. For example, fiscal year (FY) 10 begins on 1 October 2009 and
  ends 30 September 2010.
  2-37. Obligation. An obligation is any act that legally binds the government to make payment. Obligations
  represent the amounts of orders placed, contracts awarded, services received, and similar transactions
  during an accounting period that will require payment during the same or a future period.
  2-38. Period of Availability of Budget Authority (also referred to as Obligation Authority). When a
  law appropriates budget authority, it sets the period during which you can use it to incur new obligations.
  Normally referred to as the period of availability for new obligation of the budget authority. The period is
  specified in the law providing the budget authority. The period of availability for incurring new obligations
  is shorter than the period of availability for making disbursements, which is covered by a general law.
  There are generally three different periods of availability of budget authority:
  a. Annual budget authority. This term refers to budget authority that is available for
  obligation during only one fiscal year or less. One year is the default period of availability for
  annual appropriations acts, because a general provision in each of the acts specifies that the
  amounts provided in the act are available for one year, unless the act expressly provides
  otherwise. Even if there were not such a provision, the preamble of an appropriations act says
  that it is for a specific fiscal year.
  b. Multi-year budget authority. The language for a specific appropriation of budget
  authority in an appropriations act or the authorization of the appropriation may make all or some
  portion of the amount available for obligation for a specified period of time in excess of one
  fiscal year. Usually, the period covers two or more whole fiscal years, but it may cover a period
  that includes part of the second fiscal year. Such budget authority is referred to as multi-year
  budget authority or, specifically, as two-year budget authority, or three-year budget authority.