Ken Forsberg, InterAction's Senior Manager for Legislative Affairs, presented and moderated the panel, focusing on the congressional budgetary process. He downplayed the clout of the president’s budget, explaining that though the budget request is politically important, it is often dead on its first arrival to Congress. Ultimately, Congress writes the budget and the President has the power to veto. The congressional budgetary process is lengthy and complex, often resulting in missed deadlines and the creation of deeming resolutions and continuing resolutions which push into the next fiscal year while the budget process continues.
Laurie Mignone, Program Examiner in the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB), talked about OMB's role in budgets. She again stressed the complex process, noting the combination of career and political workers in the Executive Office of the President who have different views and ideas for each budget. Mignone also mentioned that while OMB is happy to meet with NGOs to discuss the president's budget request, OMB is able to be more receptive to NGO recommendations if they are already reflected in the budget proposal that OMB has received from the agency in question.
Justin Pressfield, Advisor to the Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance at the U.S. State Department, mentioned that both State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are receiving smaller budgets from Congress and increased earmarks. This means a squeeze on the amount of discretionary money available for appropriations. Pressfield said that State’s budget process is very field-driven, so he recommends that organizations speak directly to the post on the ground in their country of concern.
Wade Warren, Acting Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. State Department's Office of U.S. Foreign Assistance, again noted the complexities of the federal budget environment. He explained that they work simultaneously on the budgets for four fiscal years. This process is so time consuming that a post will be appropriated money two and a half years after it requests money, when situations and needs may have changed.
