Budgeting for Federal Responsibilities

The budget is one of the government's most important documents. It presents the President's recom mendations for the programs and financial plans of the federal government for the coming year. Above all, the budget re flects a series of difficult choices. It is the Congress' respon sibility to take these recommendations, to consider them, and to accept, reject, or modify them. For the Congress to do its job, the budget document must be understandable and must contribute to the public dialogue necessary for making intel ligent policy. The new budget format introduced this year should lead to clearer understanding of the President's financial plans. As it matures, the Planning-Programming-Budgeting System (PPBS) should help to achieve a more systematic approach to the decision-making involved in putting together and evaluating the President's financial plans. The executive branch in the last few years has taken important steps in an effort to improve its performance in budget-formulation. Congress, by employing budgetary ceilings, has demonstrated that it, too, is searching for new means to exercise its respon sibilities. But recent practice has diluted the congressional role. It seems inevitable, therefore, that Congress will evolve new ways to consider the President's budget recommendations.