OMB has issued guidance to agencies looking ahead to their fiscal 2016 budget submissions, saying it will work with agencies to delivery on priorities outlined in their fiscal 2015 budget submissions throughout the appropriations process. However, it added that their fiscal 2016 budget submission should reflect a 2 percent reduction below their net discretionary total provided in the fiscal 2015 budget.
According to OMB memo M-14-07, submissions should not include any of the following in order to achieve that goal: across-the-board reductions; reductions to mandatory spending in appropriations bills; shifts of costs to other parts of the federal budget; reclassifications of existing discretionary spending to mandatory; and, the enactment of new user fees to offset existing spending.
Submissions should include a separate section that identifies recommendations in to reduce fragmentation, overlap, and duplication, addressing GAO recommendations in this area as well.
