The Foreign Service Journal, April 2016

54 APRIL 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS The American Foreign Service Association closely follows the discussions within the administration that help shape each year’s federal budget request and the subsequent budget process on Capitol Hill. We regularly speak to members of Congress about the importance of maintaining a strong and continuous opera- tions resource base to enable the Foreign Service to effec- tively fulfill its mission, even as U.S. foreign policy priorities shift over time. We aim to keep our members informed of the latest developments and encourage proactive engagement with elected officials and their staffs. This article is the first of several that AFSAwill present on the FY 2017 federal budget proceedings now getting under- way.We include a primer on the process that highlights the critical junctures of which our members should be aware . On Feb. 9, President Barack Obama submitted his Fiscal Year 2017 budget request to Congress. Here are a few ite ms that AFSA is tracking. Foreign Affairs Agencies’ Operating Expenses: The budget includes $5 billion for Diplomatic and Consular Programs—personnel, infrastructure support and operat- ing costs—representing a 6-percent increase over current levels. USAID’s operating expenses are set at $1.4 billion—a 9.5-percent increase. The International Trade Administra- tion is listed at $521 million—a 10.5-percent increase; the Foreign Agricultural Service is at $2,224 million—a 9.9-per- cent decrease; and the Broadcasting Board of Governors is at $777.8 million—a 10.3-percent increase. Security for Diplomatic and Development Facilities: The budget request contains $135 million for security pro- grams and overseas diplomatic and development facili- ties—a 6.1-percent increase over current levels. This figure includes funding for embassy security, construction and maintenance; Diplomatic Security Bureau operations; and ongoing repair and safety of overseas real property assets. Paid Parental Leave: The budget plan calls for six weeks of paid parental leave for federal employees on the birth, adoption or foster placement of a child. The proposal would make explicit the right of new parents to use sick leave to care for a new child. Cybersecurity: In response to last year’s data breaches at the Office of Personnel Management, the budget request includes $37 million to continue upgrading OPM’s com- puter systems. Part of a new cybersecurity action plan, AFSA ON THE HILL President Obama’s FY 2017 Budget Request Background: The Federal Budget Process In 1921, the U.S. Congress passed the Budget and Account- ing Act requiring the president of the United States to submit a budget for consideration by the Congress. Although the president’s budget proposal is not law, it provides a roadmap for executive branch policy priorities. Similarly, the reaction of the Congress to the president’s proposal has substantial implica- tions for the work of the Foreign Service. Eight Months Prior: Agency Budget Requests The budget process is labor-intensive, beginning each spring with discussions at the agency level. Each agency must submit a request to the Office of Management and Budget in late summer or early fall. OMB then reviews, modifies and sends the requests back to the agencies by November. In December, agencies make their final appeals to OMB, and in January OMB resolves appeals and proceeds to assemble the president’s budget proposal for the coming fiscal year. The Government Accountability Office, Congressional Budget Office and U.S. Department of Treasury play important roles in providing data and analysis that help shape and identify priorities that make it into the request. February-March: The President’s Budget Request The president traditionally presents the budget request to Congress in early February. The document offers the presi- dent’s major program proposals and analysis of historical budgetary trends. The administration must also release a “Mid- Session Review” on July 15 that takes into account changes in the overall budget scenario due to congressional action. May: Concurrent Budget Resolution Once the president has put his administration’s budget proposal on the table, the House and Senate Budget Commit- tees focus on drafting, marking-up, voting and reporting their respective budget resolutions with the aim of eventually pass- ing a concurrent budget resolution (i.e., Congress’s own budget plan). The Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, which established the budget process as we know it, requires final adoption of the concurrent budget resolution to be completed by April 15—a deadline that often goes unmet. The budget resolution’s main purpose is to develop a framework—including aggregate budget levels and discre- tionary spending limits—within which appropriations commit-