[Thane_Banquo]

Coincidentally the fiscal year ends Sep 30th.

Or un-coincidentally. Typical bureaucratic maneuver: If you have extra funds at the end of the fiscal year, spend all of it by the end of the year on something or else Congress wises up and realizes its over-allocating to you.

[The Duke]

Or un-coincidentally. Typical bureaucratic maneuver

There's nothing "typical" about 360,000 foreign troops on US soil at the same time! :O

[trebb]

Typical bureaucratic maneuver: If you have extra funds at the end of the fiscal year, spend all of it by the end of the year on something or else Congress wises up and realizes its over-allocating to you.

It's a conundrum. If you save money during the year, your funding is automatically cut for the next year. There is no incentive to return funds because Congress punishes those who do - hence the Congress-like spending orgy at the end of each FY.