When a presidential transition occurs, the incoming President usually submits the budget for the upcoming fiscal year (under current practices) or revises the budget submitted by his predecessor (under past practices). Under either circumstance, the details of the President's budgetary proposals typically are provided to Congress about two months later than would be the case in a non-transition year. Consequently, concerns arise over the potential impact of delayed budget submission on the timetable for budgetary actions taken by the House and Senate. This report examines the timing of presidential budget submissions during the past five transition years—including submissions by Presidents Jimmy Carter in 1977, Ronald Reagan in 1981, George H.W. Bush in 1989, Bill Clinton in 1993, and George W. Bush in 2001—and the timeliness of House and Senate actions in those years regarding the consideration of budgetary measures. As Table 1 shows, Congress and the President successfully completed action on key budgetary legislation during each presidential transition year, with many, but not all, actions completed in a timely manner:
in each instance, the House and Senate reached final agreement on the annual budget resolution, and did so no later than May 21; the optional budget reconciliation process was invoked in four of five years, leading to the enactment of four budget reconciliation acts; regular, supplemental, and continuing appropriations acts were enacted in each year, although few (or none) of the regular appropriations acts were enacted by October 1 (the first day of the fiscal year) in four instances; in each instance, a major revenue bill was enacted (three of the five bills were reconciliation measures); and between one and three debt-limit measures were enacted each year, except during the George W. Bush Administration (when no such measures were needed). Congressional Action on Major Budgetary Legislation

The budgetary legislation typically considered by the House and Senate during a session may be divided into several categories: budget resolutions, budget reconciliation acts, annual appropriations and other spending acts, and revenue and debt-limit acts.
When a presidential transition occurs, the incoming President usually submits the budget for the upcoming fiscal year (under current practices) or revises the budget submitted by his predecessor (under past practices). Under either circumstance, the details of the President's budgetary proposals typically are provided to Congress about two months later than would be the case in a non-transition year. Consequently, concerns arise over the potential impact of delayed budget submission on the timetable for budgetary actions taken by the House and Senate.
This report examines the timing of presidential budget submissions during the past five transition years—including submissions by Presidents Jimmy Carter in 1977, Ronald Reagan in 1981, George H.W. Bush in 1989, Bill Clinton in 1993, and George W. Bush in 2001—and the timeliness of House and Senate actions in those years regarding the consideration of budgetary measures.
The budgetary legislation typically considered by the House and Senate during a session may be divided into several categories: budget resolutions, budget reconciliation acts, annual appropriations and other spending acts, and revenue and debt-limit acts.
Congress and the President successfully completed action on key budgetary legislation during each presidential transition year, with many, but not all, actions completed in a timely manner:
in each instance, the House and Senate reached final agreement on the annual budget resolution, and did so no later than May 21; the optional budget reconciliation process was invoked in four of five years, leading to the enactment of four budget reconciliation acts; regular, supplemental, and continuing appropriations acts were enacted in each year, although few (or none) of the regular appropriations acts were enacted by October 1 (the first day of the fiscal year) in four instances; in each instance, a major revenue bill was enacted (three of the five bills were reconciliation measures); and between one and three debt-limit measures were enacted each year, except during the George W. Bush Administration (when no such measures were needed).