Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Today, many citizens are struggling as a result of the recession. The Executive Office of the President is focusing on how to boost the economy. President Obama will rely on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for assistance in creating and monitoring a federal budget that addresses the public's concerns and provides relief for those individuals in greatest need. The OMB's primary function of administrative management includes overseeing the effectiveness and truthfulness of executive branch agencies in regards to financing and spending behaviors.

The most important goal of the Office of Management and Budget is to protect the public from enduring hardships due to an inadequate federal budget plan. This goal is achieved by supervising programs, policies, procedures, and priorities. Agencies are also held accountable for accurately reporting evidence in support of funding and financial records. The OMB measures performance of allocated funds and ensures that federal budget monies are correctly appropriated to agencies that prove most likely to benefit the public.

To complete such arduous tasks, the OMB is organized into three offices under the Director, Wide Support, Statutory, and Resource Management. The Wide Support Office is comprised of individuals with law, economic, legislation, management, and communication backgrounds. Offices concerned with financial analysis, procurement of funds for programs, information technology, and regulatory matters complete the Statutory Office. Resource Management includes various programs, such as natural resources, education, health, transportation, and national security. The OMB's strategic plan outlines the responsibilities of each office.

The Budget Review Division (BRD) aids the President in creating and putting into action a federal budget based upon performance of previous policy decisions. Congress relies upon these trends when petitioning the floor for monies to aid specific agencies implementing or continuing public programs. Employees of the BRD are well informed about budgets and appropriations. The Office of Economic Policy (EP) reviews the economy's circumstances and how both short-term and long-term the public will be affected by such fiscal matters. Thorough knowledge of monetary issues enables the EP to properly advise the President of possible outcomes based upon specific policy assumptions. The Legislative Reference Division (LRD) is responsible for reviewing and either approving or denying legislative proposals based upon support and report documentation presented by agencies lobbying for funds. Bills pending votes on the Congress floor are directly affected by the LRD's evaluation.

These offices work closely with Resource Management Offices (RMO) to ensure that appropriations are used as intended. The Office of Federal Financial Management (OFFM) works with financial officers of RMO agencies to create and update systems necessary to manage financial data. The Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) handles Competitive Sourcing, which is when public and private sectors compete for government projects. The OFPP is primarily concerned with getting agency projects accomplished in the most cost effective and efficient manner whether through civil servants or private individuals and corporations. The Office of E-Government and Information Technology examines IT budgets. Each agency presents technological needs and expected expenditures necessary to properly report data and performance of programs. Technology spending, planning, and prioritizing are then compiled into an IT Budget Plan. The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) monitors the entire process by overseeing regulatory policies, reliability of data gathered, standard reporting practices, and policies regarding disbursement of federal information.

The RMO is directly involved in creating the budget along with the President because its agencies are the groups spending federal funds to provide services and implement programs. Once a federal budget is passed and funds are apportioned for programs, the agencies within the Resource Management Offices provide analyses of policies' performances. RMO relies on the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) to evaluate spending and its effectiveness. Further funding and management decisions are based on each program's strengths and weaknesses identified by PART. PART is considered reliable and valuable because assessments are made using the same series of analytical questions every time. Format and material consistency allows for trends to develop as well as comparisons of programs success over time.

Currently, President Obama is in the midst of trying to get this country out of a recession. To do so, he will work closely with the Office of Management and Budget in hopes of creating a federal budget plan that brings about immediate and enduring change. His mission along with the OMB is to provide a budget that will not burden the public any further and also alleviate as many hardships as possible so that the economy overtime can recover.