The Red Book by the U.S. Government Accountability Office

Principles of Federal Appropriations Law, also known as the Red Book, is GAO’s multi-volume treatise concerning federal fiscal law. The Red Book provides text discussion with reference to specific legal authorities to illustrate legal principles, their application, and exceptions. These references include GAO decisions and opinions, judicial decisions, statutory provisions, and other relevant sources.

Our current Red Book consists of Chapters 1-3 (of the 4th Edition) and Chapters 5-15 (of the 3rd Edition). As we update these chapters, we will also update this table of contents and provide new links. We will no longer publish a separate Annual Update.