Total, or just total funded so far this year?

Every year's hiring numbers this cycle have been more than the announced numbers by several hundred. The number we get for much of the year has been (so far) an already funded and BoD approved number but then we've gone above that later in the year. Not sure exactly when later is defined, but I doubt its March.

So if every year they say a certain number, and then exceed it by hundreds, why in March would we see the relatively lower number of 700 and assume that's pretty much the cap for the year?