Submission of the President's Budget in Transition Years (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Revised July 28, 2021 |
| Report Number |
RS20752 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Michelle D. Christensen, Analyst in Government Organization and Management |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
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Summary:
At the time of a presidential transition, one question commonly asked is whether the outgoing or incoming President submits the budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
Under past practices, outgoing Presidents in transition years submitted a budget to Congress just prior to leaving office, and incoming Presidents usually revised them. Six incoming PresidentsâDwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reaganârevised their predecessor's budget shortly after taking office, while only two Presidents during this period, Lyndon Johnson and George H. W. Bush, chose not to do so.
The deadline for submission of the President's budget, which has been changed several times over the years, was set in 1990 as "on or after the first Monday in January but not later than the first Monday in February of each year." The change made it possible for an outgoing President, whose term ends on January 20, to leave the annual budget submission to his successor.
The three outgoing Presidents since the 1990 changeâGeorge H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bushâexercised this option. Accordingly, the budget was submitted in 1993, 2001, and 2009 by the three incoming Presidents (Bill Clinton for FY1994, George W. Bush for FY2002, and Barack Obama for FY2010).
Before President Barack Obama, the last three incoming Presidents that submitted a budget or revised their predecessor's budget (Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush) did not submit detailed budget proposals during their transitions until early April; however, each of them advised Congress regarding the general contours of their economic and budgetary policies in a special message submitted to Congress in February concurrently with a presentation made to a joint session of Congress.
President Barack Obama followed a comparable approach. He delivered an address on his economic and budget plan to a joint session of Congress on February 24, 2009, and submitted an overview document two days later. He submitted his detailed budget proposal on May 7, 2009, and submitted additional supplemental volumes four days later, on May 11, 2009.
This report will be updated as developments warrant.
