	Introduction

Federal government agencies and programs work to accomplish widely varying missions. These agencies and programs use a number of public policy approaches, including federal spending,tax laws, tax expenditures, (1) and regulation. (3) 
Given the scope and complexity of these various efforts, it is understandable that citizens,their elected representatives, civil servants, and the public at large would have an interest in theperformance and results of government activities. (4) 
In spite of these and other challenges, (5) in the last 50 years both Congress and the President haveundertaken numerous efforts -- sometimes referred to as performance management, performancebudgeting, strategic planning, or program evaluation -- to analyze and manage the federalgovernment's performance. Many of those initiatives attempted in varying ways to use performanceinformation to influence budget and management decisions for agencies and programs. (6) The Bush Administration'srelease of PART ratings along with the President's FY2004 and FY2005 budget proposals, and itsplans to continue doing so for FY2006 and subsequent years, represent the latest of these efforts. Development and Use of the PART

		OMB on the PART's Purpose

The PART was created by OMB within the context of the Bush Administration's broaderBudget and Performance Integration (BPI) initiative, one of five government-wide initiatives underthe President's Management Agenda (PMA). (8) In turn, 
[the PART] is designed to help assess the managementand performance of individual programs. In releasing the PART, the Bush Administration asserted that Congress's current statutoryframework for executive branch strategic planning and performance reporting, the GovernmentPerformance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA),
[w]hile well-intentioned ... did not meet its objectives. Programs that do not have acceptable performance measures or have not yet collected performancedata generally receive a rating of Results Not Demonstrated. (45) 
PART and Performance Budgeting. (65)

	Potential Criteria for Evaluating the PART or Other Program Evaluations

		Concepts for Evaluating a Program Evaluation

Previous sections of this report discussed how the PART is structured, how it has been used,and how various actors have assessed its design and implementation. This section discusses potentialcriteria for evaluating the PART or other program evaluations, which might be considered byCongress during the budget process, in oversight of federal agencies and programs, and regardinglegislation that relates to program evaluation. Evaluating the PART

With regard to the PART, the Administration has made numerous assessments regardingprogram effectiveness.
Federal government agencies and programs work to accomplish widely varying missions. These agencies and programs employ a number of public policy approaches, including federalspending, tax laws, tax expenditures, and regulation. Given the scope and complexity of theseefforts, it is understandable that citizens, their elected representatives, civil servants, and the publicat large would have an interest in the performance and results of government agencies and programs.
Evaluating the performance of government agencies and programs has proven difficult andoften controversial. In spite of these challenges, in the last 50 years both Congress and the Presidenthave undertaken numerous efforts -- sometimes referred to as performance management,performance budgeting, strategic planning, or program evaluation -- to analyze and manage thefederal government's performance. Many of those initiatives attempted in varying ways to useperformance information to influence budget and management decisions for agencies and programs. The George W. Bush Administration's release of the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) isthe latest of these efforts.
The PART is a set of questionnaires that the Bush Administration developed to assess theeffectiveness of different types of federal executive branch programs, in order to influence fundingand management decisions. A component of the President's Management Agenda (PMA), the PARTfocuses on four aspects of a program: purpose and design; strategic planning; program management;and program results/accountability. The Administration submitted PART ratings for programs alongwith the President's FY2004 and FY2005 budget proposals, and plans to continue doing so forFY2006 and subsequent years.
This report discusses how the PART is structured, how it has been used, and how variouscommentators have assessed its design and implementation. The report concludes with a discussionof potential criteria for assessing the PART or other program evaluations, which Congress mightconsider during the budget process, in oversight of federal agencies and programs, and inconsideration of legislation that relates to the PART or program evaluation generally.
Proponents have seen the PART as a necessary enhancement to the Government Performanceand Results Act (GPRA), a law that the Administration views as not having met its objectives, inorder to hold agencies accountable for performance and to integrate budgeting with performance. However, critics have seen the PART as overly political and a tool to shift power from Congress tothe President, as well as failing to provide for adequate stakeholder consultation and publicparticipation. Some observers have commented that the PART has provided a needed stimulus toagency program evaluation efforts, but they do not agree on whether the PART validly assessesprogram effectiveness.
This report will be updated as events warrant.