25 U.S.C. § 135 — Supplies distributed so as to prevent deficiencies

The Secretary of the Interior, and the officers legally responsible for handing out supplies to Indians under money appropriated by law, have a duty. They must distribute and pay out those supplies to the Indians who are entitled to them, in proportions that are spread out fairly. The goal is to make sure that the current year's appropriation is not all spent before the year ends — this is meant to prevent running short of money, called a "deficiency." There is also a hard limit: unless another existing law specifically allows it, no one may spend money or create a debt on the government's behalf for the Indian Service, in any fiscal year, beyond the amount of money that was already appropriated for that service during that year.