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Office of Management and Budget
US-OfficeOfManagementAndBudget-Seal.svg
Agency overview
Formed July 1, 1970; 55 years ago (1970-07-01)
Preceding agency
  • Bureau of the Budget
Headquarters Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Employees 448
Annual budget $141 million (FY 2022)
Agency executives
  • Russell Vought, Director
  • Dan Bishop, Deputy Director
  • Eric Ueland, Deputy Director for Management
Parent agency Executive Office of the President of the United States
Child agencies
  • Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
  • Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator
  • Office of E-Government & Information Technology
  • Office of Federal Financial Management
  • Office of Federal Procurement Policy

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is a very important office that helps the President manage the U.S. government. It is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP).

OMB's main job is to create the President's yearly budget plan for Congress. It also checks how government agencies are doing. This includes looking at their programs and rules to make sure they follow the President's plans. OMB helps different agencies work together on important projects.

Russell Vought is the current Director of the OMB. He started this role in February 2025.

History of the OMB

From Bureau to Office

The OMB started out as the Bureau of the Budget in 1921. It was first part of the Department of the Treasury. President Warren G. Harding signed the law that created it.

In 1939, the Bureau of the Budget moved to the Executive Office of the President. This happened during World War II, when the government was spending a lot more money. Harold D. Smith led the Bureau during this time. People who worked there said the Bureau and the President were very close.

Becoming the OMB

The Bureau of the Budget changed its name and structure in 1970. This happened during the time Richard Nixon was President. It became the Office of Management and Budget. The first leaders of the new OMB included Roy Ash and Paul O'Neill.

In the 1990s, OMB changed again. It combined the jobs of managing and budgeting into one role for its staff. This helped them work more efficiently.

What the OMB Does

Managing the Nation's Money

The OMB helps the President create the budget plan that is sent to Congress. It also watches over how the different parts of the government spend their money. OMB checks if government programs are working well. It helps decide which programs need money the most.

OMB makes sure that all government reports, rules, and new laws fit with the President's budget and plans. This helps keep the government running smoothly.

Improving Government Operations

The OMB also helps improve how the government buys things, manages its money, handles information, and creates rules. In these areas, OMB works to make government management better. It tries to find ways to measure success and reduce unnecessary work for the public.

OMB has two main goals:

  • Budgeting: It creates and manages the government's budget. This is how the President puts their plans into action. It affects everything from the Department of Defense to NASA.
  • Overseeing Agencies: It helps manage the money, paperwork, and computer systems of other government agencies.

How the OMB is Organized

Who Works at OMB?

Most people who work at OMB are career staff. This means they stay in their jobs even when new Presidents are elected. This helps keep things consistent.

Six top positions at OMB are chosen by the President and approved by the Senate. These include the Director and Deputy Directors.

Resource Management Offices

The biggest parts of OMB are the five Resource Management Offices. These offices are set up to match different parts of the federal government. Each office is led by an Associate Director.

About half of all OMB staff work in these offices. They are called program examiners. These experts watch over one or more federal agencies. They might also focus on specific topics, like U.S. Navy ships. They give advice on both management and budget issues.

Every year, program examiners review budget requests from federal agencies. They help decide what money requests will be sent to Congress. They also check how well programs are performing. They review new rules and laws. They help the President's team with important information.

Support Offices

Other parts of OMB help support the whole office. These include:

  • The Office of General Counsel (legal advice).
  • The Office of Legislative Affairs (works with Congress).
  • The Budget Review Division (BRD) (handles budget details).
  • The Legislative Reference Division (reviews proposed laws).

The BRD helps put together the President's budget each February. It makes sure all the numbers are correct.

The Legislative Reference Division checks all proposed laws and official statements from federal officials. It gathers opinions from different government departments. It also writes a memo to the President when a bill is ready to be signed into law. This memo explains the bill and suggests if the President should sign or veto it.

OMB's Role in the Budget Process

Creating the President's Budget

The OMB helps the President create the yearly budget plan. It sends out instructions and guidelines to all government agencies. The OMB works closely with these agencies to make sure the budget process goes smoothly.

Creating the budget takes almost a year. Here are the main steps:

  1. The OMB first tells the President about the country's economic situation.
  2. OMB gives agencies instructions on what policies to follow for their budget requests. They also set deadlines.
  3. OMB works with agencies to discuss any issues with their upcoming budgets.
  4. In July, OMB sends out detailed instructions (called Circular A-11) for submitting budget proposals. Agencies send these by September.
  5. The government's fiscal year starts on October 1. OMB staff meet with agency leaders to check if their proposals match the President's plans.
  6. The OMB Director meets with the President to discuss the budget proposals. They recommend a final federal budget plan. Agencies are told about the decisions.
  7. Agencies can ask OMB and the President to reconsider decisions they don't like in December.
  8. After issues are resolved, agencies and OMB prepare a document to explain the budget to Congress.
  9. By the first Monday in February, the President must send the final budget to Congress for approval.

Keeping the Government Running

OMB also helps create "Statements of Administrative Policy" (SAPs). These statements tell Congress the White House's official position on proposed laws.

OMB plays a key role in solving disagreements about policies. It makes sure that new laws and agency actions fit with the President's plans. OMB is very powerful and important. It helps make sure the government's daily work gets done. Without a budget, federal workers might not get paid. Government buildings could close, and programs would stop. This can lead to a government shutdown. Shutdowns happen when Congress does not approve a budget.

OMB Circulars

Circulars are instructions or information that OMB sends to federal agencies. They cover different topics like:

  • Budgeting
  • Working with state and local governments
  • Rules for schools and non-profit groups
  • Government buying rules
  • Managing federal money
  • Handling government information

Circular A-119

Circular A-119 tells federal agencies to use "voluntary consensus standards." These are standards created by experts from different groups, not just the government. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency uses ISO 14001 standards for environmental management. The Food and Drug Administration uses ISO 13485 for medical devices. This helps make sure government work follows widely accepted best practices.

Current Leaders

  • Director: Russell Vought
  • Deputy Director: Dan Bishop
  • Deputy Director for Management: Eric Ueland

List of Directors

Here is a list of people who have led the OMB (or its earlier form, the Bureau of the Budget):

Image Name Start End President
Portrait of Vice President Charles Dawes of Illinois, 1925.jpeg Charles G. Dawes June 23, 1921 June 30, 1922 Warren G. Harding
111-SC-35906 - NARA - 55231005-cropped.jpg Herbert M. Lord July 1, 1922 May 31, 1929
Calvin Coolidge
Herbert Hoover
No image.svg Clawson Roop August 15, 1929 March 3, 1933
Lewis Williams Douglas.jpg Lewis Williams Douglas March 7, 1933 August 31, 1934 Franklin D. Roosevelt
DanielWafenaBell (cropped).jpg Daniel W. Bell September 1, 1934 April 14, 1939
Harold D. Smith, Dir. of the budget, Feb. 1940 LCCN2016877061 (cropped).jpg Harold D. Smith April 15, 1939 June 19, 1946
Harry S. Truman
James E. Webb, official NASA photo, 1966.jpg James E. Webb July 13, 1946 January 27, 1949
Frank Pace Sec. Army.jpg Frank Pace Jr. February 1, 1949 April 12, 1950
No image.svg Frederick Lawton April 13, 1950 January 21, 1953
No image.svg Joseph Dodge January 22, 1953 April 15, 1954 Dwight D. Eisenhower
No image.svg Rowland Hughes April 16, 1954 April 1, 1956
No image.svg Percival Brundage April 2, 1956 March 17, 1958
Maurice H Stans (better cropped).jpg Maurice Stans March 18, 1958 January 21, 1961
David E. Bell.png David E. Bell January 22, 1961 December 20, 1962 John F. Kennedy
Portrait de Kermit Gordon.jpg Kermit Gordon December 28, 1962 June 1, 1965
Lyndon B. Johnson
Portrait de Charles Schultze.jpg Charles Schultze June 1, 1965 January 28, 1968
Portrait de Charles Zwick.jpg Charles Zwick January 29, 1968 January 21, 1969
No image.svg Robert P. Mayo January 22, 1969 June 30, 1970 Richard Nixon
George Pratt Shultz.jpg George Shultz July 1, 1970 June 11, 1972
Caspar Weinberger official photo.jpg Caspar Weinberger June 12, 1972 February 1, 1973
Roy Ash Ford Library.jpg Roy Ash February 2, 1973 February 3, 1975
Gerald Ford
James Thomas Lynn official portrait.jpg James Thomas Lynn February 10, 1975 January 20, 1977
Bert Lance (businessman and Director of Office of Management and Budget under President Jimmy Carter).jpg Bert Lance January 21, 1977 September 23, 1977 Jimmy Carter
No image.svg James T. McIntyre September 24, 1977 January 20, 1981
David Stockman by Gage Skidmore.jpg David Stockman January 21, 1981 August 1, 1985 Ronald Reagan
James C. Miller III.jpg James C. Miller III October 8, 1985 October 15, 1988
Joseph Robert Wright, Jr.jpg Joe Wright October 16, 1988 January 20, 1989
Richard Darman 1983 9.jpg Richard Darman January 25, 1989 January 20, 1993 George H. W. Bush
Leon Panetta, official DoD photo portrait, 2011.jpg Leon Panetta January 21, 1993 July 17, 1994 Bill Clinton
Alice Rivlin.jpg Alice Rivlin October 17, 1994 April 26, 1996
Franklin Raines July 2002.jpg Franklin Raines September 13, 1996 May 21, 1998
Jacob J. Lew, U.S. Ambassador (cropped).jpg Jack Lew May 21, 1998 January 19, 2001
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels.jpg Mitch Daniels January 23, 2001 June 6, 2003 George W. Bush
Bolten Joshua.jpg Joshua Bolten June 6, 2003 April 15, 2006
Rob Portman official portrait.jpg Rob Portman May 26, 2006 June 19, 2007
Jim Nussle small.jpg Jim Nussle September 4, 2007 January 20, 2009
Peter Orszag 2023.png Peter R. Orszag January 20, 2009 July 30, 2010 Barack Obama
Jeff Zients, WHCOS (cropped).jpg Jeff Zients
Acting
July 30, 2010 November 18, 2010
Jacob J. Lew, U.S. Ambassador (cropped).jpg Jack Lew November 18, 2010 January 27, 2012
Jeff Zients, WHCOS (cropped).jpg Jeff Zients
Acting
January 27, 2012 April 24, 2013
Sylvia Mathews Burwell official portrait (3x4 cropped).jpg Sylvia Mathews Burwell April 24, 2013 June 9, 2014
Brian Deese 2022.jpg Brian Deese
Acting
June 9, 2014 July 28, 2014
Shaun Donovan official photo (cropped).jpg Shaun Donovan July 28, 2014 January 20, 2017
Mark sandy.jpg Mark Sandy
Acting
January 20, 2017 February 16, 2017 Donald Trump
Mick Mulvaney official photo.jpg Mick Mulvaney February 16, 2017 March 31, 2020
Russell Vought.jpg Russell Vought January 2, 2019 July 22, 2020
July 22, 2020 January 20, 2021
No image.svg Rob Fairweather
Acting
January 20, 2021 March 24, 2021 Joe Biden
Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young, holds a press briefing at the White House on May 4, 2023 - P20230504CS-0313 (cropped).jpg Shalanda Young March 24, 2021 March 17, 2022
March 17, 2022 January 20, 2025
No image.svg Matthew Vaeth
Acting
January 20, 2025 February 7, 2025 Donald Trump
Russell Vought.jpg Russell Vought February 7, 2025 present

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Oficina de Administración y Presupuesto para niños

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