3.C: Priority Policy Issues
Complete objective and high-quality analyses on priority policy issues, and disseminate the results to the President and/or
other appropriate policy officials in the Executive Office of the President.
Other Information:
Relationship to Annual Performance Goals: Neutral, dispassionate analysis of programs is among the most fundamental functions
of OMB. Perhaps more than any other function, this is, and has been, the way OMB can best serve the President. While final
recommendations will and must consider other factors as well, OMB has historically performed this type of analysis. Analysis
can be essentially of two types: (1) analysis of programs in preparation for events (appropriating or authorizing legislation)
that can be readily identified well in advance, or (2) analysis of fast breaking issues or problems (such as the desired response
to a natural disaster). Providing judgments informed by analysis unfettered by biases others may bring to the matter is a
goal to be sought consistently by OMB. Means and Strategies: During annual planning processes and throughout each year, OMB
identifies policy issues appropriate for analysis. Some of those issues will be for purely internal OMB consumption; some
of those issues will be for consumption outside OMB, up to and including the President. Some of the those issues will be prepared
by individual OMB staff, and some will be prepared by OMB teams, possibly in combination with other agency staff or in consultation
with other EXOP agencies. OMB involvement in policy analysis and advice may include participation in interagency meetings
on Administration policy development, both short- and long-range, or other discussions among policy officials. In most cases,
OMB analysis of issues will include discussions of the advantages and disadvantages of a variety of policy choices, and the
implications and tradeoffs among policy choices. External Factors: External factors that could affect achievement of this
objective, in part, include: the need for cooperation of other participating agencies; and the extent to which other key actors
can provide the primary data and analyses necessary as inputs to OMB analyses. Also, longer range analysis of programs can
be interrupted by shorter range, more immediate fiscal crises and/or "firefighting" assignments.
Indicator(s):
|
