ABSTRACT
The budget seems to be on "automatic pilot," with a direction and drive all its own, independent of the president's immediate objectives and priorities. For the chief executive, as for other budget makers, the federal budget can be a political burden—one of the things that has to be done—rather than an opportunity to shape the course of events. The budget appears, disappears, reappears; modifications made after the budget is issued often outweigh the decisions made in budget preparation. The president's budget role was also challenged by a reassertion of congressional power. The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 established a rival budget process along with a legislative budget staff. Budgeting has become a process in which presidential decisions are but one set of possibilities to be reconsidered and subverted by later events and decisions. In this type of process, keeping the president's options open is regarded as sage politics, although it is destructive of budget routines.
