Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Office of Management and Budget prepares the president's budget proposal for Congress and supervises how executive branch agencies carry out that budget. It evaluates agency programs, sets funding priorities, and oversees procurement, financial management, and regulatory policy across the government.
The Office of Management and Budget traces back to the Bureau of the Budget, created under the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 and signed into law by President Warren G. Harding. It became the Office of Management and Budget in 1970, when President Richard Nixon reorganized it to report directly to the president.
Russell Vought is the current director of the Office of Management and Budget, appointed by Donald Trump in February 2025.
Congress enacted legislation in 1974 to form the Congressional Budget Office as a direct counterpart to the Office of Management and Budget, alongside other laws limiting presidential impoundment. This followed the 1970 restructuring that turned the OMB from a politically neutral office into one of the most powerful institutions under direct presidential control.
Developing the federal budget within the executive branch takes nearly a year, running from an initial economic briefing through the Spring Guidance, Circular A-11 in July, agency submissions in September, and a final deadline of the first Monday in February.
Federal employees go unpaid and federal buildings cannot open when the Office of Management and Budget and Congress fail to secure an approved budget, halting federal programs entirely. This shutdown scenario occurs whenever Congress refuses to pass a budget.