The federal budget process | USAGov (2024)

Learn about the federal government’s budget process, from the president’s budget plan to Congress’s work creating funding bills for the president to sign.

Every year, the U.S. Congress begins work on a federal budget for the next fiscal year. The federal government’s fiscal year runs from October 1 of one calendar year through September 30 of the next.

Annual funding areas

The annual budget covers three spending areas:

  • Mandatory spending - funding for Social Security, Medicare, veterans benefits, and other spending required by law. This typically uses over half of all funding.
  • Discretionary spending - federal agency funding. Congress sets funding levels for these each year. This usually accounts for around a third of all funding.
  • Interest on the debt - this usually uses less than 10 percent of all funding.

Creating the U.S. federal budget

The budget planning begins a year before the budget is to go into effect.

  1. Federal agencies create budget requests and submit them to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

  2. OMB refers to the agencies’ requests as it develops the budget proposal for the president.

  3. The president submits the budget proposal to Congress early the next year.

  4. Proposed funding is divided among 12 subcommittees, which hold hearings. Each is responsible for funding for different government functions such as defense spending or energy and water.

  5. The House and Senate create their own budget resolutions, which must be negotiated and merged. Both houses must pass a single version of each funding bill.

  6. Congress sends the approved funding bills to the president to sign or veto.

LAST UPDATED: December 6, 2023

Have a question?

Ask a real person any government-related question for free. They will get you the answer or let you know where to find it.

The federal budget process | USAGov (2024)

FAQs

What is the federal budgeting process? ›

Federal agencies create budget requests and submit them to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). OMB refers to the agencies' requests as it develops the budget proposal for the president. The president submits the budget proposal to Congress early the next year.

What is the federal budget process quizlet? ›

OMB, president, and agencies talk back and forth about budget before in president submits his budget to Congress in winter. CBO analyzes and reports to Congress. These budget committees report a resolution which acts as a budget agenda. Congress passes new budget after reconciliation.

How is the budget process? ›

The budgeting process lets an organization plan and prepare its budgets for a set period. It involves reviewing past budgets, identifying and forecasting revenue for the coming period, and assigning amounts to spend on a company's various costs.

What are the 4 steps of the budgeting process? ›

phases: budget preparation, budget legislation or authorization, budget execution or implementation and budget accountability. While distinctly separate, these processes overlap in implementation during a budget year.

What is the federal budget in simple terms? ›

n its most elemental form, the federal budget is a comprehensive accounting of the government's spending, revenues, and borrowing. This report provides a brief overview of the basic terminology and concepts used in the federal budget process.

What is the step 5 of the budget process? ›

Step 5: The President Signs Each Appropriations Bill and the Budget Becomes Law. The president must sign each appropriations bill after it has passed Congress for the bill to become law.

Who approves the federal budget? ›

The federal budget is approved by the House, Senate, and the President combined. There is a lot of back and forth and collaboration to get this to happen and it doesn't always go according to plan.

What is the breakdown of the U.S. budget? ›

The U.S. Treasury divides all federal spending into three groups: mandatory spending, discretionary spending and interest on debt. Together, mandatory and discretionary spending account for more than ninety percent of all federal spending, and pay for all of the government services and programs on which we rely.

What are the three phases of the federal budget process can be summarized as? ›

The Federal budget process can be broken down into four phases: budget formulation, the congressional budget process, budget execution and control, and audit and evaluation.

Who started the federal budget process? ›

Congress responded by establishing a formal budget process through the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. Today's congressional budget process has its origins in the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974.

Which of the following is the first step in the federal government's budget process? ›

The president's budget request is the first step in the complex process of funding the federal government. On or before the first Monday in February, the president submits to Congress a detailed budget request for the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.

How does the US budget process work? ›

The House and Senate appropriations committees, through their 12 subcommittees, hold hearings to examine the budget requests and needs of federal spending programs. The House and Senate then produce their own appropriations bills to fund the federal government.

What are the phases of the budget process? ›

The budget process has four main phases: (1) formulation, (2) congressional action, (3) execution, and (4) audit1. A complete budget cycle lasts more than three years from start to finish, with the formulation phase starting as early as 21 months prior to the fiscal year in which the budget will be executed.

What are the four steps in preparing a budget quizlet? ›

  • Estimate Expenses.
  • Estimate Income.
  • Determine Savings.
  • Balance Budget.

What are the phases of the federal budget? ›

Preparing the budget for any fiscal year takes approximately 18-24 months. There are four major phases in the federal budget process: planning, formulation, presentation, and execution.

How does the federal government get a budget approved? ›

Appropriations bills

The House and Senate appropriations committees, through their 12 subcommittees, hold hearings to examine the budget requests and needs of federal spending programs. The House and Senate then produce their own appropriations bills to fund the federal government.

What 3 parts of government are involved in the budgeting process? ›

The budget covers the agencies of all three branches of Government—Executive, Legislative, and Judicial—and provides information on Government-sponsored enterprises.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Edmund Hettinger DC

Last Updated:

Views: 5741

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (58 voted)

Reviews: 81% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Edmund Hettinger DC

Birthday: 1994-08-17

Address: 2033 Gerhold Pine, Port Jocelyn, VA 12101-5654

Phone: +8524399971620

Job: Central Manufacturing Supervisor

Hobby: Jogging, Metalworking, Tai chi, Shopping, Puzzles, Rock climbing, Crocheting

Introduction: My name is Edmund Hettinger DC, I am a adventurous, colorful, gifted, determined, precious, open, colorful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.