45 U.S.C. § 403 — Appropriation to railroad unemployment insurance account; transfer and repayment of funds; interest

This section lets the federal government fund the railroad unemployment insurance account. Congress authorizes appropriations to this account. There's no fiscal year limitation, so the money doesn't expire and doesn't have to be reauthorized every year. It can be as large as needed to carry out the rules of this chapter. The Secretary of the Treasury decides how much to transfer, and when, from time to time. Before doing so, the Secretary consults with the Railroad Retirement Board. The Secretary bases each transfer on estimates of what the account actually needs to carry out this chapter's programs. The money isn't a gift. Each amount transferred counts as a "repayable advance." That means the railroad unemployment insurance account must pay the money back later. But these advances come with no interest charge. The government doesn't add any extra cost for lending the account this money — only the original amount transferred ever has to be repaid.