Program Scrutiny, Some Boosts Proposed

The preliminary budget also seeks to boost the government’s strength in several areas, including better oversight of the financial system and better enforcement of tax laws, although officials said that no decisions have been made yet regarding the mix of federal employees versus contract employees in those efforts. It does specify a funding increase for Social Security claims processing that would translate into more jobs at that agency, along with strengthened oversight of spending on Social Security and other entitlement programs. The document also says the administration will seek to eliminate redundant programs and support functions, "set tough performance targets and hold managers responsible for progress," assess programs in the context of others that are serving the same populations or meeting the same goals, and clarify what work is inherently governmental and not subject to contracting out.