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For those working deep within the beltway, today marks more than a return to the office after the welcomed Thanksgiving break. It also is “Passback Day” – a key date in the federal budget process.  This is when the White House and the Office of Management and Budget (where I began my DC career) tell the executive branch agencies exactly what is going to be in the budget. After listening to each cabinet secretary and their staff make a case for various policies, campaigns, and proposals, OMB lets them know which ones made the cut and how much budget authority (money in DC-speak) will be requested by the President on their behalf. This is the almost final word on funding levels and initiatives. There is still time for final negotiations and wordsmithing but most of the numbers are getting lock down.

The Post’s Ed O’Keefe offers a bit more —including how current budget director, Jack Lew, has humanely broken with precedent and moved Passback Day. When I was at OMB, there were often  a few chuckles as we passed back on the eve of Thanksgiving, knowing this meant some of our agency colleagues would spend their holidays working away on appeals while we relaxed.  

Of course, the public will wait weeks before finding out what’s in the President’s budget. Usually, the major themes and initiatives are highlighted in the State of the Union address and then the details and fine print are released soon after. Perhaps there will be less suspense this year as a divided Congress will make it difficult for the administration to pass its agenda. Still, the budget is an important marker of the President’s priorities, and will likely give shape to next year’s election issues. In that respect, the terms of the coming debate are quietly being set in motion today.