Each year, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) prepares the President's proposed Federal Government budget for the upcoming Federal fiscal year, which runs from October 1 through September 30 of the following year.
OMB is responsible for Federal budget development and execution, a significant government-wide process managed from the Executive Office of the President and a mechanism by which a President implements decisions, policies, priorities, and actions in all areas of the Federal Government (from economic recovery to health care to energy policy to national security).
The Federal Budget typically consists of four volumes, including:
- the main "Budget" document with the Budget Message of the President, information on the President's priorities and budget overviews by agency, and summary tables;
- "Analytical Perspectives" that contains analyses that are designed to highlight specified subject areas;
- "Historical Tables" that provides data on budget receipts, outlays, surpluses or deficits, Federal debt over a time period
- an "Appendix" with detailed information on individual Federal agency programs and appropriation accounts that constitute the budget.
A CD-ROM version of the Budget also is produced which contains all the budget documents in electronic format, typically in PDF form as well as some spreadsheets.