GAI Newsletter

Second Session, 112th Congress: What to Watch for on Agency Budgets

By John Haskell, Senior Fellow

With President Obama’s State of the Union Tuesday night and the subsequent delivery of the budget on February 13, the congressional budget process kicks into high gear. For those concerned about the appropriations process and agency budgets, here are a few factors to keep in mind.

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Upcoming GAI Course(s):

Seminar for Executives on Legislative Operations

February 13 - 15, 2012

This 3-day seminar is designed for members of the Senior Executive Service, SES candidates, and GS/GM 14s and 15s (or uniformed service equivalent) who would benefit from more detailed knowledge of the legislative process and are more likely to interact directly with Congress.

The Seminar for Executives on Legislative Operations is designed to make federal managers more savvy about Congress. The legislative branch has extensive powers to determine agency policies, and has the ultimate power of the purse. It is crucial that managers and executives understand how Congress exercises those powers, as well as the context of the current political dynamics.

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Appropriations and the Federal Agencies

April 12 - 13, 2012

In the current era of tight discretionary budgets across the federal government for nearly all departments and agencies, it is crucial that agency personnel understand how congressional funding decisions are made affecting their programs. The unique component of the course is a workshop that features individualized instruction in which participants receive intensive, hands-on training in writing budget justifications.

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Director's Desk

Although it was nearly an hour into the State of the Union address Tuesday night, the president did get around to mentioning the future of federal personnel, in three sentences that each received extensive applause. He stated that “The executive branch also needs to change. Too often, it’s inefficient, outdated and remote. That’s why I’ve asked this Congress to grant me the authority to consolidate the federal bureaucracy, so that our government is leaner, quicker, and more responsive to the needs of the American people.” While few would question the need to be quicker and more responsive, it’s the “leaner” part that may concern federal workers (assuming he’s not referring to a new federal employee weight loss program.) The operative phrase, however, is “I’ve asked this Congress.”

For the foreseeable future, the discretionary budget will be more competitive than ever, and the ability to represent federal programs before Congress more critical than ever. GAI’s mission, as it’s been for more than 45 years, is to educate federal personnel so that they can be more effective in this environment.

- Ken Gold

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