EXECUTIVE POLICYMAKING
The Role of the OMB in the Presidency
Edited by
MEENA BOSE
ANDREW RUDALEVIGE
BROOKINGS INSTITUTION PRESS
Washington, D.C.
Copyright © 2020
THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the Brookings Institution Press.
The Brookings Institution is a private nonprofit organization devoted to research, education, and publication on important issues of domestic and foreign policy. Its principal purpose is to bring the highest quality independent research and analysis to bear on current and emerging policy problems. Interpretations or conclusions in Brookings publications should be understood to be solely those of the authors.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020943087
ISBN 9780815737957 (pbk)
ISBN 9780815737964 (ebook)
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Typeset in Sabon
Composition by Elliott Beard
Contents
Foreword
THE HONORABLE JACOB J. LEW
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Challenges and Opportunities for OMB Leadership in U.S. Policymaking Today
THE HONORABLE JACOB J. LEW
ONE Understanding OMB’s Role in Presidential Policymaking
MEENA BOSE
TWO OMB, the Presidency, and the Federal Budget
JAMES P. PFIFFNER
THREE The Office of Management and Budget and the Congressional Budget Process
MOLLY E. REYNOLDS
FOUR The President’s Budget Powers in the Trump Era
ELOISE PASACHOFF
PART II
CENTRAL CLEARANCE
FIVE OMB’s Role Inside the White House
MARTHA B. COVEN
SIX Projects Worth the Price
OMB and the Central Clearance of Legislation and Executive Orders
ANDREW RUDALEVIGE
SEVEN Learning from Failure
A “Failure CV” for the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
RACHEL AUGUSTINE POTTER
PART III
OMB—MANAGING THE BUREAUCRACY (AND ITSELF)
EIGHT OMB in Its Management Role
Evidence from Surveys of Federal Executives
DAVID E. LEWIS | MARK D. RICHARDSON | ERIC ROSENTHAL
NINE State of the Agency
Internal Developments at OMB
GEOVETTE E. WASHINGTON | THOMAS E. HITTER
TEN Guarding the Emperor’s New Clothes
OMB, the Presidency, and the “Problem” of Neutral Competence in the Era of Trump
MATTHEW J. DICKINSON
ELEVEN Conclusion
OMB and Presidential Transitions: Building a More Effective Government through a Transformed Office of Management and Budget
KRISTINE SIMMONS | PETER KAMOCSAI
Appendix
BOB/OMB Directors 1921–2020
Contributors
Index
Foreword
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is a remarkable institution at the heart of executive branch policymaking. Whether developing the president’s budget submission, advocating for administration priorities in budget negotiations, reviewing and analyzing proposed bills and regulations, or overseeing management processes, OMB is integral to the governing of our nation. OMB’s cross-cutting responsibilities allow it to exercise outsize influence on the policymaking process, and it plays a key role in budgetary and regulatory decisions stretching across every function of government and sector of the economy, from entitlements and defense programs to education grants, nuclear safety, and automobile emissions.
For all of OMB’s influence in shaping and executing policy priorities, it remains an intimate and low-profile institution, especially compared to other, larger Cabinet-level agencies. OMB’s workforce is bound together by duty, pride in service, and deep and apolitical expertise. For decades, OMB’s ethos of meticulous competence has safeguarded its government-wide reputation for insight and analysis and protected its seat at the table in vital national discussions.
I spent over seven years at OMB, including nearly four years as director under two presidents. In that time, and by engaging with OMB in subsequent roles, I developed a deep respect for the committed civil servants who carry out its mission across administrations, and I take pride in the years I participated in OMB’s shaping and executing national priorities. Heavy workloads and tight schedules, coupled with the scope and importance of OMB’s work, made for an intense experience, but I treasure my time there as some of the most rewarding years I spent in government. Further, I am grateful I had the opportunity to explore the full breadth of government programs and economic activity throughout our nation, with the support of an incredibly talented team. I often relied on what I learned at OMB in subsequent roles as White House Chief of Staff, Secretary of the Treasury, and Deputy Secretary of State.
OMB is rightly celebrated for the work it does by directing its considerable analytic capacity outward, but this volume represents a chance to reverse that perspective and turn the analytical lens inward. I hope the lessons contained in this volume will inform the next generation of civil servants and policy officials as they improve and continue OMB’s essential mission.
—The Honorable Jacob J. Lew
Acknowledgments
The origin of this project, centered on the myriad responsibilities of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in executive policymaking, was Hofstra University’s Conference on the George W. Bush Presidency in March 2015. That conference and the three edited volumes preserving its scholarshipa inspired participants