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A term sometimes applied to a period when federal agencies lack authority to obligate or spend funds because their appropriations for that period have not been enacted.
Spending gaps occur most frequently at the beginning of a fiscal year, but agencies occasionally run out of money later in the year. During such periods, agencies sometimes furlough many of their employees and shut down many of their operations.
SOURCE: House Budget Committee
See all terms in the National Debt Glossary
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