Trump administration asks agencies to ‘reorganize’

Among President Donald Trump's campaign promises was a pledge to eliminate "wasteful" spending in every sector of the federal government.

Specifically, he said he would "ask every department head and government to provide a list of wasteful spending projects that we can eliminate" in his first 100 days.

"The politicians have talked about this for years, but I'm going to do it," Trump said during his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention.

Trump has taken action here. But it appears what he proposed is just a normal part of the job.

Three federal agencies contacted by PolitiFact interpreted the president's words as a reference to the list of budget priorities each agency compiles every year. The White House did not respond to a request for clarification.

The annual federal budget process begins around 17 months prior to the fiscal year when the president and the Office of Management and Budget solicit requests to agencies for each department's budget priorities, including what should be cut or what funding should increase. The office then gives each agency feedback on the proposals.

Agencies are barred from submitting their budget requests directly to Congress, per the 1921 Budget and Accounting Act.

Usually in February, the president submits his budget request to Congress, which may consider the president's request when creating the budget.

The White House publicly released its fiscal year 2018 request in May. Details of the final budget were still being ironed out in Congress at the end of October, behind the budget's Oct. 1 deadline.

In its 2019 budget guidance, which was sent to agencies on July 7, the Office of Management and Budget asked the agencies to submit plans to "reform" their departments in accordance with an executive order signed on March 13.

That order requested agencies to come up with a way to "reorganize the agency, if appropriate, in order to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability of that agency." The Office of Management and Budget's director will then decide whether to "eliminate unnecessary agencies, components of agencies, and agency programs, and to merge functions."

The agency budget proposals along with their plans for restructuring or possibly cutting portions of the agencies were due to the Office of Budget and Management on Sept. 11.

Even though compiling a list of budget priorities and possible areas in which cuts can be made is an annual task for federal agencies, Trump did emphasize his goal to cut down on spending that he deems wasteful in an executive order. Whether cuts are made will be largely left up to Congress. For now we rate this In the Works.