Title page
Contents
Summary 2
Introduction 5
Development of the President's Budget 6
Initial Preparation of Agency Budget Requests 7
OMB Review and Modification of Agency Budget Requests 8
Budget Requests and Agency Bypass Authority 9
Submission and Justification of the President's Budget 10
Composition of the President's Budget Submission to Congress 10
Revisions and Supplements to the President's Budget Request 11
Agency Budget Requests and Justifications 12
Statements of Administration Policy and Other Presidential Actions 13
Execution of Enacted Budgetary Legislation 14
Apportionment and Allocation of Budget Authority 15
Entering into Obligations 18
Public Reporting of Obligations 18
OMB SF-133 Reports 18
USASpending.gov Website 19
Budget Appendix 19
Outlay of Funds 19
Expiration and Cancellation of Unobligated Funds 19
Reallocation of Budget Authority During Budget Execution 21
Use of Obligation Discretion 23
Reprogramming: Moving Funds Among an Account's PPAs 24
Transfers: Moving Funds from One Account to Another 25
Congressional Notification and Holds 26
Impoundment of Budget Authority: Rescissions and Deferrals 26
Rescissions 27
Deferrals 27
Occasional Procedures During Budget Execution 27
Budget Execution During Federal Funding Gaps and Government Shutdowns 28
Budget Execution in the Event of Sequestration 28
Potential Issues for Congress 30
Length of Time Between Budget Formulation and Enactment of Full-Year Appropriated Funds: Implications for Information Technology 30
Effect of Transfer and Reprogramming Authorities on Congressional Oversight and Agency Actions 31
Transparency of OMB's Apportionment Processes 32
Effects of Funding Gaps, Shutdowns, and Sequestration on Agency Budget Planning 33
Appendix A. Selected Statutes Relevant to the Executive Budget Process 34
Appendix B. Executive Budget Process Timelines 36
Author Information 38
Acknowledgments 38
Disclaimer 38
Figure 1. Executive Budget Process Milestones Before and After Annual Submission to Congress 7
Figure 2. Example of Appropriated Funds Lifecycle 15
Figure 3. Expiration and Cancellation of Unobligated Funds 21
Figure 4. Example of Transfers, Reprogramming, and Other Forms of Budgetary Discretion Within and Among Agencies 23
Figure B-1. Executive Budget Process and the Congressional Budget Process for FY2025 36
Figure B-2. Concurrent Budget Planning for Multiple Fiscal Years 37