Congress may make an appropriation that grants authority to draw money from the Treasury but does not grant budget authority. Such an appropriation is known by a more specific term. For example, a “liquidating appropriation” provides authority to draw money from the Treasury to satisfy obligations incurred pursuant to contract authority (discussed in the next sub-section). A “deficiency appropriation” provides authority to satisfy obligations that exceeded an agency’s available budget authority. The word “appropriation” appearing alone nearly always refers to a provision of law that grants both budget authority and authority to make payments from the Treasury.

[From GAO Principles of Appropriations Law, Volume II]