Are Written Guidelines Needed To Establish New Agencies' Funding Needs?
FGMSD-80-64: Published: Aug 6, 1980. Publicly Released: Aug 6, 1980.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Contact:
GAO was asked to inquire into the need for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to publish guidelines for new Federal agencies to follow in preparing requests for initial or supplemental budgets to cover their first year of operation. The request was prompted by problems the Merit Systems Protection Board encountered when it began operation in fiscal 1979. The Board originally did not get enough funds to cover its operating costs for the year and experienced some difficulty in obtaining the needed funds.
Analysis of the problems that the Board had in obtaining funding for operation showed that the Board had some unique problems, including the fact that the Board was given additional responsibilities in its charter beyond those originally planned, and the fact that the Board's operation was expected to be relatively small in the first year but was later increased by managerial decisions. Both of these conditions developed after the initial budget was submitted to Congress and would not have been avoided even if general guidelines existed. Additionally, OMB officials believe they could not identify any instances where general guidelines would have helped overcome budgeting problems of new agencies. Each new agency has a unique set of problems that must be resolved individually. Thus, GAO believes that general budgetary guidance could be developed for use by new agencies, but it would be impractical to develop guidance covering all possible problems that might develop. Moreover, it is doubtful whether the guidance would be a useful supplement to existing mechanisms in handling new agencies' budgetary problems.
Dec 15, 2020
The Nation's Fiscal Health:
Information on the Spending and Revenue Implications of Potential Debt TargetsGAO-21-211: Published: Dec 15, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 15, 2020.
Oct 7, 2020
-
The Nation's Fiscal Health:
A Long-Term Plan Is Needed for Fiscal SustainabilityGAO-21-161T: Published: Oct 7, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 7, 2020.
Sep 23, 2020
-
The Nation's Fiscal Health:
Effective Use of Fiscal Rules and TargetsGAO-20-561: Published: Sep 23, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 23, 2020.
Jan 23, 2020
-
Federal Trust Funds and Other Dedicated Funds:
Fiscal Sustainability Is a Growing Concern for Some Key FundsGAO-20-156: Published: Jan 16, 2020. Publicly Released: Jan 23, 2020.
Dec 19, 2019
-
State and Local Governments' Fiscal Outlook:
2019 UpdateGAO-20-269SP: Published: Dec 19, 2019. Publicly Released: Dec 19, 2019.
Nov 14, 2019
-
Certificated Expenditures:
Executive Office of the President FY 2018 Certificated Expenditures Were Spent for Authorized PurposesGAO-20-139R: Published: Nov 14, 2019. Publicly Released: Nov 14, 2019.
Oct 16, 2019
-
Civilian Personnel:
Additional Guidance and Consistent Data Reporting Could Help Improve the Marine Corps' Budget ManagementGAO-20-148: Published: Oct 16, 2019. Publicly Released: Oct 16, 2019.
Jun 26, 2019
-
The Nation's Fiscal Health:
Actions Needed to Achieve Long-Term Fiscal SustainabilityGAO-19-611T: Published: Jun 26, 2019. Publicly Released: Jun 26, 2019.
Apr 10, 2019
-
The Nation's Fiscal Health:
Action Is Needed to Address the Federal Government's Fiscal FutureGAO-19-314SP: Published: Apr 10, 2019. Publicly Released: Apr 10, 2019.
Mar 27, 2019
-
Fiscal Exposures:
Federal Insurance and Other Activities That Transfer Risk or Losses to the GovernmentGAO-19-353: Published: Mar 27, 2019. Publicly Released: Mar 27, 2019.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here
Explore our Key Issues on Budget and Spending
Explore our other Key Issues here
