How Congress funds crises while preserving oversight and constitutional guardrails.
PRAY FIRST for faithful stewardship and that lawmakers and administrators handle public funds with integrity and sobriety, especially when decisions must be made quickly.
Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. 1 Corinthians 4:2
When disaster strikes, the federal government does not have the luxury of moving slowly. In those moments of crisis, Congress is asked to act quickly and spend at scale. The tension is immediate. Speed can prevent deeper harm, but haste can strain accountability. The challenge is not merely financial. It is constitutional, institutional, and civic.
The U.S. Constitution assigns Congress the power of the purse. Article I, Section 9 states that “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.” Even in a national emergency, that authority remains with Congress. The executive branch may request funds and implement programs, but it cannot unilaterally be spent without legislative authorization. Crisis does not suspend constitutional structure. It tests it.
Emergency appropriations differ from the regular budget process in both pace and structure. Annual appropriations move through hearings and extended debate. Emergency bills, by contrast, may be drafted and passed within days. They are often designated as “emergency requirements,” exempting them from certain budget limits. The designation signals urgency, but it does not remove the need for later review.
Congress usually reserves the “emergency” label for circumstances that are sudden, urgent, unforeseen, and temporary—such as major natural disasters, economic collapses, or public health crises. The scale of recent examples, including the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, has demonstrated how quickly federal spending can surge when lawmakers determine that ordinary procedures are insufficient.
Rapid funding is often necessary because delay carries real costs. After a hurricane, housing assistance cannot wait for months of procedural negotiation. During economic shock, relief must reach households before savings are exhausted. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted that agencies frequently must design and implement new programs simultaneously in order to stabilize conditions.
However, compressed timelines can potentially carry risk. Large sums may move before safeguards are fully operational. Eligibility rules can be drafted broadly. Agencies may rely on self-certification in early phases—increasing exposure to fraud. The GAO has repeatedly observed that emergency programs are more vulnerable to improper payments when internal controls lag behind funding. Urgency can force oversight, even when oversight is intended.
Balancing speed with deliberation requires intentional design. Sunset clauses, phased funding, reporting deadlines, and inspector general review are not afterthoughts; they are structural tools meant to preserve trust. Independent bodies such as the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee were created specifically to coordinate transparency across agencies during COVID-19 relief efforts.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issues guidance directing agencies on tracking and reporting emergency expenditures. Public dashboards allow citizens, journalists, and researchers to review contracts and grants. Transparency improves over time, but in the earliest phases of a crisis, information is often incomplete. That reality stresses why follow-up review matters.
Still, real-time monitoring is difficult. Agencies must verify applicants, disburse funds, and prevent fraud simultaneously. Data systems across departments may not be integrated. As the GAO has noted, building oversight infrastructure while money is already flowing is inherently challenging. Transparency improves over time, but the earliest phases of spending are often the least visible.
When immediate threats recede, evaluation begins. Did the funds reach intended recipients? Were programs duplicative? Did they create unintended consequences? Reports from CRS and GAO regularly assess efficiency, long-term fiscal exposure, and implementation gaps.
Temporary measures require deliberate reassessment. Extensions may depend on measurable outcomes and continued need. Each crisis leaves behind lessons with some anticipated and others uncovered only after careful review.
Emergency spending is stewardship under pressure. It tests whether constitutional guardrails hold when urgency rises. It asks whether speed and responsibility can operate together. Public money is not abstract. How it is handled shapes not only recovery but trust.
For additional background on how Emergency Powers function and the safeguards that guide them, see our earlier Pray First series:
Emergency Powers and Guarding Liberty – Part 1
Exercising Emergency Powers Responsibly – Part 2
Recent Examples
Congress has used several major bills to provide or designate emergency funding for Fiscal Year 2025 and 2026, often relying on “emergency requirement” labels to bypass statutory spending caps. The American Relief Act, 2025 (H.R. 10545), passed by the House in December 2024, is a central example: it includes substantial emergency‑designated funding for disaster recovery, agricultural support, and other urgent needs. These designations allow Congress to respond quickly to natural disasters and economic disruptions without triggering budget enforcement mechanisms. The White House confirmed that multiple accounts in this bill were formally designated as emergency requirements under federal budget law.
Congress also incorporated emergency spending into broader appropriations measures. The Full‑Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (H.R. 1968) included numerous emergency‑designated transfers, most of which the President accepted, though nearly $3 billion in additional designations were rejected as improper. Meanwhile, the Further Continuing Appropriations and Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2025 (H.R. 10445)—introduced in December 2024—proposes additional supplemental disaster relief for 2025, signaling Congress’s intent to continue using emergency appropriations to address ongoing natural disasters and funding gaps. Together, these actions illustrate how Congress relies on emergency designations to maintain flexibility in responding to crises during the Fiscal Year 2025 and 2026 budget cycles.
Why It Matters and How We Can Respond
This conversation is about faithful stewardship in public life. Scripture speaks of accountability in leadership: “Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2). When vast resources are deployed in moments of fear and uncertainty, faithfulness matters.
We can learn to resist cynicism. Not every rapid decision is reckless, and not every large appropriation is wise. Discernment requires patience, humility, and a willingness to examine evidence. Proverbs 18:13 cautions, “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.” That applies to public debates about emergency spending as much as to personal disagreements.
As followers of Christ, we can cultivate informed conversations. That might mean taking the time to study primary oversight reports to become well‑informed, supporting ethical journalism, or asking discerning questions. In conversations where information may be misleading or politically charged, we can respond with gentleness, staying anchored in facts and marked by respect (Colossians 4:6).
We can also pray that leaders act with clarity and restraint. James 3:17 describes wisdom from above as “pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason.” In times of crisis, those qualities are not optional. They are essential.
Emergency spending will never be simple. But it can be guided by constitutional fidelity, institutional vigilance, and a citizenry committed to thoughtful participation. That is work worth doing.
HOW THEN SHOULD WE PRAY:
— Pray for God to give leaders His discernment in time of crisis. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God… and it will be given him. James 1:5
— Pray for truthful reporting, careful analysis, and conversations rooted in accuracy rather than fear or agenda. Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight. Proverbs 12:22
CONSIDER THESE ITEMS FOR PRAYER:
- Pray that oversight institutions would have the courage and resources to fulfill their mandates.
- Pray for citizens to grow in patience and attentiveness rather than suspicion or fear.
- Pray that emergency measures would genuinely relieve suffering and not create new burdens.
Sources: Congressional Research Service, Government Accountability Office, Office of Management and Budget, Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, White House, Congress.gov, House.gov
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