AP U.S.

Government & Politics

February 25, 2015

OMB Budget Process

Due: EOP Thursday

There are two basic parts to this task:

(1) Researching the budget proposal for a federal department, analyzing the
mandatory and discretionary portions, and the services provided; and
(2) Presenting your results to your group, and participating in a discussion prioritizing
a budget proposal based on priorities provided by the President.
DIRECTIONS. READ CAREFULLY. THE INFORMATION YOU NEED IS HERE.
You will work in a group of up to 8 - I will break you into groups based on seating.
You are staff for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). OMB advises and assists the
president on the budget. The OMB also measures the quality of agency programs, policies, and
procedures and to see if they comply with the president's policies.
Review the following priorities from the president:
1.
Ensure the security of the nation, including anti-crime and anti-terrorism efforts.
2.
Protect the long-term health of the Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security programs.
3.
Support working families in addressing the challenges of finding affordable childcare,
housing, and health insurance.
4.
Create a world-class system of education and training for Americans of all ages.
5.
Reduce pollution and protect the environment.
6.
Reduce the deficit.
Each person in the group is to select or be assigned one government agency from the list
below, and to review and evaluate that department budget proposal. You must include those
with an *:
C
Agriculture
C
Homeland Security*
C
Defense*
C
Labor
C
Energy
C
Social Security Administration*
C
Environmental Protection Agency
C
State/USAID
C
Education
C
Transportation
C
Health & Human Services*(home of
Medicare and Medicaid)
You then need to find two things:
(1) your departments budget proposal, and
(2) your departments 2014 funding level
(1)

C
C

To find your departments budget proposal, go to http://media.cq.com/budget/2015

(Congressional Quarterly) and scroll down to the list of departments to find yours, and
click on it.
Just under your departments heading, you should see a breakdown of budget authority
into total and discretionary (the balance would be mandatory).
You should find a link to Budget Highlights, a 3-4 page document outlining the budget

proposal, and describing key projects or policy goals.

(2)

To find 2014 funding levels, try http://media.cq.com/budget/2014 or

http://useconomy.about.com/od/usfederalbudget/fl/FY-2014-US-Federal-Budget.htm
(its not neatly organized, but it seems to all be there).

Review the budget proposal, and collect the following information:

C
Primary responsibilities (what is the main function of this department?)
C
Mandatory expenditures
C
purpose and amount (if available)
C
Discretionary expenditures
C
purposes and amounts (if available)
C
Total expenditures
Take your notes on a separate sheet of paper, to be turned in with the groups budget
recommendation.
Review again the presidents priorities.
Evaluate on a scale of 1-5 how well your departments proposal aligns with the Presidents
priorities.
Based on that evaluation (not your own priorities), determine a recommendation regarding
funding for the department, remembering that mandatory spending is mandatory, and cannot
be cut:
C
5 = full funding as requested
C
4 = 5% increase over last year
C
3 = full funding at prior years level
C
2 = 5% reduction from last year
C
1 = 10% reduction
If cuts are called for, where possible and appropriate, based on the information on the
budget summary, using the funding highlights section, identify specific programs or
projects most out of line with the Presidents priorities.
Making Your Recommendation
When everyone is finished (or time is called), report to your group your findings and
recommendations.