OMB releases updated budget guidance

The White House Office of Management and Budget has released its final budget guidance on preparing the fiscal year 2019 spending request.

OMB's "Circular No. A-11 provides guidance on preparing the FY 2019 Budget and instructions on budget execution," states an Aug. 1 memo from OMB Director Mick Mulvaney.

The various departments' budget submissions "should build on the President's commitment to reprioritize spending, redefine the proper role of the Federal Government, and include bold reform and reorganization proposals to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of government operations," Mulvaney's memo reads, adding: "OMB looks forward to working closely with you in the coming months to develop a budget request that supports the President's vision."

In an earlier memo issued July 7, Mulvaney called on federal agencies to submit initial discretionary FY-19 budgets that do not exceed the total allotted for that year in the FY-18 budget.

This week's memo makes it clear that "most of the changes in this update are technical revisions and clarifications, and the policy requirements are largely unchanged," Mulvaney writes.

Read Circular No. A-11 here.