The President’s Budget Request: Overview
and Timing of the Mid-Session Review
Michelle D. Christensen
Analyst in Government Organization and Management
July 16, 2013
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
RL32509
CRS Report for Congress
Pr
epared for Members and Committees of Congress

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The President’s Budget Request: Overview and Timing of the Mid-Session Review

Summary
The Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 established for the first time the requirement that the
President annually submit a budget proposal to Congress. Under current law (31 U.S.C. §
1105(a)), the President is required to submit this budget proposal to Congress on or after the first
Monday in January, but no later than the first Monday in February.
For nearly half a century after the 1921 act took effect, Presidents submitted their annual budgets
to Congress toward the beginning of the session but were not required to update their budget
submissions later in the session. As the federal budget became larger, more complex, and more
dynamic, Congress felt a greater need for more extensive and updated budgetary information
from the President.
Section 221(b) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970 requires the President to submit to
Congress an update of the budget proposal in the middle of the legislative session. The
requirement, which was first effective in 1972, is codified at 31 U.S.C. § 1106. The update
commonly is referred to as the mid-session review (or MSR), but sometimes is referred to as the
supplemental summary of the budget. The most recent MSR for FY2014 is available at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2014/assets/14msr.pdf.
Pursuant to 31 U.S.C. § 1106, the mid-session review must include, in part, (1) any substantial
changes to estimated receipts or expenditures, (2) changes resulting from enacted or pending
appropriations, and (3) estimated end-of-year Treasury figures. Presidents also have some
discretion regarding additional content and overall structure of the mid-session review. For
example, in addition to the required elements, some Presidents have included updates to their
original budget request or discussion of the potential effects that pending legislative proposals
may have on their budgetary estimates.
Since the first year the mid-session review was required (FY1973), each President has submitted
at least one mid-session review on time and at least one late. Controversy has occasionally
surfaced regarding the timing of its submission to Congress. On more than one occasion,
Members of Congress have suggested that the President has timed submission of the mid-session
review in order to gain a political or legislative advantage over Congress.
Delayed Submission of the Mid-Session Review. During the 42 years that the President has been
required to submit a mid-session review, it has been submitted, on average, 8.26 calendar days
late. In 23 of the 42 years, the mid-session review was submitted after the deadline, with delays
ranging from one to 52 days. When the mid-session review was submitted late, it was delayed, on
average, 21 calendar days.
Timely and Accelerated Submission of the Mid-Session Review. In 19 of the 42 years, the mid-
session review was submitted on time. Six of the 19 timely submissions were made on the
deadline. In nine instances, the mid-session review was submitted fewer than 10 days before the
deadline. In the remaining instances, the mid-session review was submitted at least two weeks
before the deadline. For FY1978, FY2000 and FY2001, the mid-session review was submitted in
late June—16, 17, and 19 calendar days ahead of the deadline, respectively. For FY1999, it was
submitted on May 26, 1998—50 calendar days ahead of the deadline.
This report, which provides an overview of the mid-session review and analysis of the timing of
the mid-session review, will be updated annually or as developments warrant.
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The President’s Budget Request: Overview and Timing of the Mid-Session Review

Contents
Background ...................................................................................................................................... 1
Origin of the Mid-Session Review .................................................................................................. 1
Subsequent Modifications................................................................................................................ 2
Content of the Mid-Session Review ................................................................................................ 2
Timing of Submission: FY1973-FY2014 ........................................................................................ 3
Circumstances of Selected Delayed Submissions ..................................................................... 7
President Ronald Reagan: FY1985-FY1988 ....................................................................... 7
President Bill Clinton: FY1994 ........................................................................................... 8
President Bill Clinton: FY1998 ........................................................................................... 9
President George W. Bush: FY2002 .................................................................................... 9
President Barack Obama: FY2010 .................................................................................... 10
President Barack Obama: FY2012 .................................................................................... 10
Circumstances of Selected Accelerated Submissions .............................................................. 11

Figures
Figure 1. Timing of Submission of the Mid-Session Review: FY1973-FY2014 ............................ 6

Tables
Table 1. Dates of Submission of the Mid-Session Review: FY1973-FY2014 ................................ 4

Appendixes
Appendix. Statutory Requirement for a Mid-Session Review of the President’s Budget
(31 U.S.C. § 1106) ...................................................................................................................... 12

Contacts
Author Contact Information........................................................................................................... 13
Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................... 13

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The President’s Budget Request: Overview and Timing of the Mid-Session Review

Background
The Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 (P.L. 67-13, Stat. 20-27) established for the first time the
requirement that the President annually submit a budget proposal to Congress. The President’s
budget proposal, or the Budget of the United States Government as it is referred to in 31 U.S.C. §
1105(a), consists of estimates of spending, revenues, borrowing, and debt; policy and legislative
recommendations; detailed estimates of the financial operations of federal agencies and
programs; and other information supporting the President’s recommendations. Initially, the 1921
act required the President to include budget information for the upcoming fiscal year, as well as
for the most recently completed and current fiscal years.
Under the 1921 act, the deadline for submission was set as “the first day of each regular session”
of Congress. Budgets during the administrations of Presidents Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover
were submitted in December; during the administrations of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and
subsequent Presidents, budgets were submitted in January or February. The deadline was changed
in 1950, 1985, and 1990, but always required that the budget be submitted either in January or
February. Under current law (31 U.S.C. § 1105(a)), the President is required to submit the annual
budget on or after the first Monday in January, but no later than the first Monday in February.1
Origin of the Mid-Session Review
For nearly half a century after the 1921 act took effect, Presidents submitted their annual budgets
to Congress toward the beginning of the session but were not required to update the budget
submissions later in the session. As the federal budget became larger, more complex, and more
dynamic, Congress felt a greater need for more extensive and updated budgetary information
from the President. This view was expressed by the House Rules Committee in its report on the
Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970 (P.L. 91-510, 84 Stat. 1140):
Very often, as the appropriations process moves forward, conditions relating to the
President’s budget change. Frequently, Members are not fully informed about such changes
and what effect they will have on the total Budget. No official Executive pronouncements are
made subsequent to the Budget submission; no supplementary budgetary information is
presented; no firm foundation except the January Budget is available in the Congress. This
inexact, imprecise, and haphazard system must be substantially improved if the Congress is
to analyze effectively the President’s program and, with any degree of accuracy, forecast the
expenditure and revenue levels of the National Government.2
The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970 made several changes in the federal budget process
in response to Congress’s request for more budgetary information from the President, chiefly by
requiring that the President’s budget cover not just the upcoming fiscal year but also the four
ensuing fiscal years.

1 Since the 1990 change to the due date for the submission of the President’s budget, the submission for newly elected
Presidents has often been late. See CRS Report RS20752, Submission of the President’s Budget in Transition Years, by
Michelle D. Christensen.
2 U.S. Congress, House Rules, Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970, report to accompany H.R. 17654, 91st Cong., 2nd
sess., June 17, 1970, H.Rept. 91-1215, p. 12.
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The President’s Budget Request: Overview and Timing of the Mid-Session Review

In addition, Section 221(b) of the act requires the President to submit to Congress an update of
the budget in the middle of the legislative session. The requirement, which was first effective in
1972, is codified at 31 U.S.C. § 1106 (see this report’s Appendix for the current text of the
statutory requirement). The update is commonly referred to as the mid-session review (or MSR),
but sometimes is referred to as the supplemental summary of the budget.3
Subsequent Modifications
Congress and the President have made two changes since 1972 pertinent to the requirement for a
mid-session review. First, in conjunction with a change in the start of the fiscal year from July 1
to October 1, made by the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (CBA, P.L. 93-344, 88 Stat. 299-
300), the deadline for submission of the mid-session review was changed from June 1 to July 15.4
The CBA also provided for a transition quarter “commencing July 1, 1976, and ending on
September 30, 1976” for which the President was required to prepare, as soon as practicable,
budget estimates “in such formal detail as he may determine.”5
The second change pertained to the budget enforcement procedures established on a temporary
basis by the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (BBEDCA).6 Under
Section 241 of BBEDCA, the President was required in the preparation of the annual budget to
adhere to statutory deficit targets that were enforced by sequestration.7 Section 242 of BBEDCA
extended the same constraint to the preparation of the mid-session review. The restriction expired
at the end of FY1995, along with the deficit targets themselves.
Content of the Mid-Session Review
Under 31 U.S.C. § 1106, the mid-session review must include, in part
(A) substantial changes in or reappraisals of estimates of expenditures and receipts; (B)
substantial obligations imposed on the budget after its submission; (C) current information
on matters referred to in section 1105(a)(8) and (9)(B) and (C) of this title; and (D)
additional information the President decides is advisable to provide Congress with complete
and current information about the budget and current estimates of the functions, obligations,
requirements, and financial condition of the United States Government.8
The content and structure of the mid-session review has varied by President. Generally,
Presidents have included both required and optional elements such as (1) technical re-estimates of

3 The FY1985 update was referred to as the mid-season review.
4 §501 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (CBA, P.L. 93-344; 88 Stat. 321) changed the start of the fiscal year to
October 1. §602 of the CBA (88 Stat. 324) changed the deadline for submission of the mid-session review to July 15.
5 See §502 of the CBA (P.L. 93-344; 88 Stat. 321).
6 Title II of P.L. 99-177; 99 Stat. 1038.
7 The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) defines sequestration as “the cancellation of budgetary resources.”
Office of Management and Budget, Circular No. A-11, “Preparation, Submission and Execution of the Budget,” August
3, 2012, http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars_default. For information on statutory deficit limits under BBEDCA,
see CRS Report R41901, Statutory Budget Controls in Effect Between 1985 and 2002, by Megan S. Lynch.
8 31 U.S.C. §§ 1106 (a)(1)(A)-(D). Note that § 1105(a)(8) requires estimates of expenditures, receipts, appropriations,
and proposed appropriations, and §§ 1105(9)(B) and (C) require estimates of the condition of the Treasury.
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The President’s Budget Request: Overview and Timing of the Mid-Session Review

expenditures and receipts, (2) updates to economic assumptions and forecasts, (3) changes to the
estimated condition of the Treasury, (4) revised versions of select the summary tables from the
original budget request, and (5) discussion of the potential effects of enacted and proposed
appropriations. It is not uncommon for legislative or economic changes to occur close to the
deadline for submission of the mid-session review. In such cases, the President may be unable to
provide a detailed review of the effects they may have on the estimates included in the President’s
original budget submission.9
The President’s mid-session review may include changes to the amount of budget authority
requested in the original budget submission. Any such changes must be accompanied by a
statement of the potential effects of those changes and “supporting information as practicable.”10
The mid-session review may also include discussion of the potential effects of pending budgetary
reforms or other legislative proposals that have not been enacted.
Finally, the mid-session review may include other legislative proposals or administration
initiatives. For example, President George W. Bush’s FY2003 mid-session review included a
chapter discussing the President’s management agenda and other government-wide management
initiatives, such as the E-Government initiative.11 President Barack Obama’s FY2013 mid-session
review included a section discussing the effects of several enacted and proposed initiatives
intended to create jobs and economic growth, such as the Hiring Incentives to Restore
Employment Act (P.L. 111-147; 124 Stat. 71).12
Timing of Submission: FY1973-FY2014
Since the first year the mid-session review was required (FY1973), each President has submitted
at least one mid-session review on time and at least one late. Controversy has occasionally
surfaced regarding the timing of its submission to Congress. On more than one occasion,
Members of Congress have suggested that the President has timed submission of the mid-session
review in order to gain a political or legislative advantage over Congress.13
Table 1 provides information on the timing of submission of the mid-session review for FY1973-
FY2014. The 42-year period identified in Table 1 covers all or part of the administrations of eight
Presidents, including the last three years of the Nixon Administration; the full terms of the Ford,
Carter, Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Clinton, and George W. Bush Administrations; and the first

9 For example, the mid-session review for FY1986 discussed, but did not fully estimate, the effects of the concurrent
budget resolution (S.Con.Res. 32), which was agreed to less than 30 days prior to President Reagan’s submission of the
mid-session review. See Office of Management and Budget, Mid-Session Review of the 1986 Budget, August 30, 1985
(H.Doc. 99-99).
10 31 U.S.C. § 1106 (b).
11 Office of Management and Budget, Fiscal Year 2003 Mid-Session Review, Budget of the United States Government,
July 15, 2002, pp. 23-40, http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BUDGET-2003-MSR/pdf/BUDGET-2003-MSR.pdf.
12 Office of Management and Budget, Fiscal Year 2013 Mid-Session Review, Budget of the U.S. Government, July 27,
2012, pp. 1-2, http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BUDGET-2013-MSR/pdf/BUDGET-2013-MSR.pdf.
13 See, for example, Steny Hoyer, House Democratic Whip, “Mid-Session Review Brings No Good News,” press
release, July 30, 2004, http://www.democraticwhip.gov/content/hoyer-mid-session-review-brings-no-good-news and
John Boehner, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, “Statement on White House Decision to Delay Mid-year
Budget Review,” press release, July 19, 2009, http://www.speaker.gov/press-release/boehner-statement-white-house-
decision-delay-mid-year-budget-review.
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The President’s Budget Request: Overview and Timing of the Mid-Session Review

five years of the Obama Administration. During this period, the mid-session review was
submitted, on average, 8.26 calendar days late.14
For FY1973, FY1974, and FY1975, the deadline for submission of the mid-session review was
June 1. The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (CBA), enacted on July 12, 1974, changed the
deadline for submission of the mid-session review from June 1 to July 15. In addition, Section
502 of CBA established a transition period “commencing July 1, 1976, and ending on September
30, 1976” for which the President was required to prepare, as soon as practicable, budget
estimates “in such form and detail as he may determine.”15
Table 1. Dates of Submission of the Mid-Session Review: FY1973-FY2014
No. of Days
House Document
Fiscal
Date of
Submitted
Before (-) or
Year
Submission
on Time?
After Deadline
President
Number
Date
1973 06-05-1972 No
4
Nixon 92-306 06-05-1972
1974 06-01-1973 Yes
0
Nixon 93-110 06-04-1973
1975 05-30-1974 Yes
-2
Nixon 93-312 06-03-1974
1976 05-30-1975 Yesa NAa Ford
— —
1977 07-16-1976 No
1
Ford 94-552 07-19-1976
1978 06-29-1977 Yes
-16
Carter 95-180 07-11-1977
1979 07-06-1978 Yes
-9
Carter 95-366 07-10-1978
1980 07-12-1979 Yes
-3
Carter 96-163 07-16-1979
1981 07-21-1980 No
6
Carter 96-344 07-22-1980
1982 07-15-1981 Yes
0
Reagan 97-73 07-15-1981
1983 07-30-1982 No
15
Reagan 97-220 08-02-1982
1984 07-25-1983 No
10
Reagan 98-87 07-26-1983
1985 08-15-1984 No
31
Reagan 98-251 09-05-1984
1986 08-30-1985 No
46
Reagan 99-99 09-04-1985
1987 08-06-1986 No
22
Reagan 99-254 08-06-1986
1988 08-17-1987 No
33
Reagan 100-99 09-09-1987
1989 07-28-1988 No
13
Reagan 100-217 07-28-1988
1990 07-18-1989 No
3
Bush
(41)
101-86 07-21-1989
1991 07-16-1990 Yesb 0
Bush
(41)
101-217
07-18-1990
1992 07-15-1991 Yes
0
Bush
(41)
102-115
07-17-1991
1993 07-24-1992 No
9
Bush
(41)
102-365
07-24-1992
1994 09-01-1993c No
48 Clinton
103-133
09-01-1993

14 The number of calendar days includes weekends and holidays. It is important to note that the deadline for submission
of the mid-session review fell on a Saturday or Sunday on 12 occasions. However, in only one of these cases (FY1991)
was the mid-session review submitted the following Monday. This report considers the mid-session review for FY1991
year to have been submitted by the deadline.
15 §502 of the CBA (P.L. 93-344; 88 Stat. 321).
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The President’s Budget Request: Overview and Timing of the Mid-Session Review

No. of Days
House Document
Fiscal
Date of
Submitted
Before (-) or
Year
Submission
on Time?
After Deadline
President
Number
Date
1995 07-14-1994 Yes
-1
Clinton —
—
1996 07-28-1995d No
13 Clinton —
—
1997 07-16-1996 No
1
Clinton 104-247
07-18-1996
1998 09-05-1997 No
52
Clinton 105-129
09-15-1997
1999 05-26-1998 Yes
-50
Clinton —
—
2000 06-28-1999 Yes
-17
Clinton —
—
2001 06-26-2000 Yes
-19
Clinton —
—
2002 08-22-2001 No
38 Bush
(43) —
—
2003 07-15-2002 Yes
0
Bush
(43)
107-245
07-16-2002
2004 07-15-2003 Yes
0
Bush
(43) —
—
2005 07-30-2004 No
15 Bush
(43) —
—
2006 07-13-2005 Yes
-2
Bush
(43) —
—
2007 07-11-2006 Yes
-4
Bush
(43)
109-122
07-17-2006
2008 07-11-2007 Yes
-4
Bush
(43)
110-46 07-16-2007
2009 07-28-2008 No
13 Bush
(43) —
—
2010 08-25-2009 No
41
Obama —
—
2011 07-23-2010 No
8
Obama 111-143
09-16-2010
2012 09-01-2011 No
48
Obama —
—
2013 07-27-2012 No
12
Obama —
—
2014 07-08-2013 Yes
-7
Obama —
—
Average 8.26

Source: Table prepared by the Congressional Research Service. Mid-session reviews for FY1999-FY2014 were
obtained from the U.S. Government Printing Office, http://www.gpo.gov. The remaining fiscal years were
obtained from the Legislative Information System (LIS), http://www.congress.gov; ProQuest Congressional,
http://congressional.proquest.com; the printed Congressional Record; or the Office of Management and Budget.
Note: “Bush (41)” refers to President George H.W. Bush, the 41st President, and “Bush (43)” refers to
President George W. Bush, the 43rd President.
a. The CBA changed the deadline for submission of the mid-session review from June 1 to July 15 and
established a transition period for which the President was required to prepare budget estimates “as soon
as practicable.” (88 Stat. 321). President Ford submitted transition quarter estimates, revised FY1975
estimates, and tentative FY1976 estimates to Congress on May 30, 1975, two days prior to the original
deadline of June 1. This report, therefore, considers the mid-session review for FY1976 to have been
submitted fewer than 10 days before the deadline, though it is not possible to calculate by exactly how
many days. Office of Management and Budget, Mid-Session Review of the 1976 Budget, May 30, 1975, pp. 1-2.
b. The July 15 deadline for submission of the FY1991 mid-session review fell on a Sunday. This report
considers the mid-session review for this year to have been submitted by the deadline.
c. “Preliminary” materials relating to the mid-session review were submitted on July 15, 1993. Preliminary
materials generally include some, but not all, of the required elements. Though preliminary materials are not
considered timely, they provide Congress with partial data that Members may examine and utilize until the
remaining information is made available.
d. “Preliminary” materials were submitted on July 14, 1995 and printed as H. Doc. 104-98 (July 17, 1995).
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The President’s Budget Request: Overview and Timing of the Mid-Session Review

Delayed Submission of the Mid-Session Review. Since the first year the mid-session review was
required it was submitted, on average, 8.26 calendar days late. In 23 of the 42 years, the mid-
session review was submitted after the deadline, with delays ranging from 1 to 52 calendar days.
When the mid-session review was late, it was delayed, on average, three weeks (20.96 days).
Timely and Accelerated Submission of the Mid-Session Review. In 19 of the 42 years, the mid-
session review was submitted on or before the deadline. Six of the 19 timely submissions were
made on the deadline. In nine instances, the mid-session review was submitted fewer than 10
days before the deadline. In the remaining four instances, the mid-session review was submitted
at least two weeks before the deadline. For FY1978, FY2000 and FY2001, the mid-session
review was submitted in late June—16, 17 and 19 calendar days ahead of the deadline,
respectively. For FY1999, it was submitted on May 26, 1998—50 calendar days before the
deadline.
Figure 1 shows the number of days the mid-session review was submitted before or after the
deadline for each year from FY1973-FY2014.
Figure 1. Timing of Submission of the Mid-Session Review: FY1973-FY2014
Number of Days Before (-) or After Deadline
-60
-40
-20
0
20
40
60
1973
4
1974
0
1975
-2
1976
NA
1977
1
1978
-16
1979
-9
1980
-3
1981
6
1982
0
1983
15
1984
10
1985
31
1986
46
1987
22
1988
33
1989
13
1990
3
1991
0
1992
0
1993
9
1994
48
1995
-1
1996
13
1997
1
1998
52
1999
-50
2000
-17
2001
-19
2002
38
2003
0
2004
0
2005
15
2006
-2
2007
-4
2008
-4
2009
13
2010
41
2011
8
2012
48
2013
12
2014
-7

Source: Prepared by the Congressional Research Service.
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The President’s Budget Request: Overview and Timing of the Mid-Session Review

Circumstances of Selected Delayed Submissions
The submission of the mid-session review was delayed for more than three weeks on nine
occasions:
• FY1985, FY1986, FY1987, and FY1988 under the Reagan Administration;
• FY1994 and FY1998 under the Clinton Administration;
• FY2002 under the George W. Bush Administration; and
• FY2010 and FY2012 under the Obama Administration.
The delays for FY1994, FY2002, and FY2010 occurred in presidential transition years. The
circumstances surrounding the instances where submission was delayed longer than three weeks
are discussed in more detail below.
President Ronald Reagan: FY1985-FY1988
During the first three years of his administration, President Reagan submitted the mid-session
review either on time or no more than 15 days late. During the next four years of his
administration, however, growing and persistent deficits made his relationship with Congress on
budgetary matters especially turbulent, marked by delay and gridlock in all phases of legislative
action on the budget.16 The mid-session reviews for four consecutive years, FY1985-FY1988,
were submitted between 22 and 46 days late.
On September 29, 1987, the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Reaffirmation Act
of 1987 (Title I of P.L. 100-119) was enacted, which in part amended the Balanced Budget and
Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Title II of P.L. 99-177) to modify the sequestration
process. A requirement was added that the President include in the mid-session review
preliminary sequestration estimates as well as the economic and technical assumptions that would
be used in the initial sequestration report for the fiscal year due in August.
The joint explanatory statement accompanying the conference report on the 1987 act noted:
For FY 1989 and beyond, the President’s July 15 mid-session budget report must provide an
estimate of the deficit excess and net deficit reduction computed using the economic and
technical assumptions that he will use in the initial sequestration report for that fiscal year. It
is imperative that the Director of OMB actually deliver this mid-session report by July 15.
When he issues the initial sequestration report, he is required to use those same economic
and technical assumptions.17
The increased significance given to the mid-session review by virtue of this change in the
sequestration process may account, in part, for the improved record of submission beginning with
FY1989. President Reagan’s mid-session review for that year was only 13 days late. The

16 See Allen Schick, Federal Budget: Politics, Policy, Process, 3rd ed. (Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press,
2007), pp. 109-113.
17 U.S. Congress, House Committee on Ways and Means, Increasing the Statutory Limit on the Public Debt, 100th
Cong., 1st sess., September 21, 1987, H.Rept. 100-313, p. 53.
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The President’s Budget Request: Overview and Timing of the Mid-Session Review

improved record of submission continued for all four years of the George H. W. Bush
Administration, covering FY1990-FY1993.
The requirement under the 1985 Balanced Budget Act was effective for three years (FY1989-
FY1991), but was terminated under revisions made by the Budget Enforcement Act (BEA) of
1990.18
President Bill Clinton: FY1994
On July 15, 1993, the Clinton Administration notified Congress that it would delay the
submission of the mid-session review for FY1994 so that it would reflect the impact of the
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1993, which was then pending before the House
and Senate.19 On that date, the Administration provided preliminary mid-session estimates of the
deficit. President Clinton signed OBRA of 1993 into law on August 10 (as P.L. 103-66) and
transmitted the mid-session review for FY1994 to Congress on September 1, 48 days late.
President Clinton’s action stirred controversy in Congress because some Members wanted an
updated assessment of the budgetary situation before voting on the conference report on OBRA of
1993. On July 20, 1993, the Senate tabled an amendment (by a vote of 56 to 43) offered by
Senator Pete Domenici to H.R. 20, the Hatch Act Reform Amendments.20 Senator Domenici’s
amendment stated:
It is the sense of the Senate that the President should submit the supplementary budget as
required by law no later than July 16 and the requisite information therein required, but in no
event later than July 26, 1993.
Senator Larry Craig discussed various patterns in the timing of submission of the mid-session
review during years in which the House and Senate considered reconciliation legislation.21
President Clinton used the mid-session review for FY1994 in part to recount the actions that led
to the enactment of OBRA of 1993 and to discuss the features of that act.22

18 The BEA of 1990 is Title XIII of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-508, signed into law on
November 5, 1990). President George H.W. Bush used the mid-session review for FY1992 and FY1993, at his own
initiative, as a vehicle for apprising Congress of the status of legislation under two new enforcement tools established
by the BEA of 1990—discretionary spending limits and a pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) requirement covering revenues and
mandatory spending. See Office of Management and Budget, Mid-Session Review of the Budget [FY1992], July 15,
1991, pp. 11-13, and Office of Management and Budget, Mid-Session Review: The President’s Budget and Economic
Growth Agenda [FY1992], July 24, 1992, pp. 11-17.
19 The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, “Press Briefing by Dee Dee Myers,” July 15, 1992, transcript
reproduced by The American Presidency Project, http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=60087.
20 The final disposition of Domenici Modified Amendment No. 597 is found in the Congressional Record, July 20,
1993, pp. S8920-S8924. Senator Domenici offered and then modified the amendment on July 15 (see the
Congressional Record of that date at pages S8795 and S8808, respectively).
21 See his remarks in the Congressional Record, August 5, 1993, pp. S10523-S10529.
22 Office of Management and Budget, Mid-Session Review of the Budget [FY1994], September 1, 1993, pp. 23-26.
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President Bill Clinton: FY1998
As had been the case for FY1994, the submission of the mid-session review for FY1998 was
delayed until after Congress completed action on reconciliation legislation. The delay in this case,
until September 5, 1997, was the longest incurred in the more than 25-year history of the mid-
session review—52 days. Unlike the experience for FY1994, however, the delay was not
accompanied by controversy.
In May 1997, the Clinton Administration and congressional leaders reached agreement on a plan
to balance the budget by FY2002. On August 5, President Clinton signed into law the two
reconciliation acts that implemented most of the balanced-budget policies.23 The delayed issuance
of the mid-session review for FY1998 allowed President Clinton to render a final accounting with
respect to the budgetary impact of the two measures, which amounted to $247 billion in savings
over five years (yielding an estimated surplus of $63 billion for FY2002).24
President George W. Bush: FY2002
The issuance of the mid-session review again was associated with controversy in 2001, although
possibly more for its contents than the timing of its release. President George W. Bush submitted
his transition budget for FY2002 to Congress on April 9 (reflecting the delay that typically occurs
in a presidential transition year). His budget recommended, among other things, that Congress
enact a 10-year tax cut of about $1.6 trillion while at the same time preserving the entire surplus
in the Social Security trust funds.25
In May, Congress adopted the budget resolution for FY2002 (H.Con.Res. 83), affirming its
commitment to a somewhat smaller tax cut (about $1.35 billion) and to preserving the Social
Security surplus. The on-budget surplus, which excludes the transactions of the Social Security
trust funds, was estimated at that time to be about $30 billion for FY2001 and $48 billion for
FY2002. These amounts represented the resources that could be allocated during the remainder of
the session for additional defense spending and other budget priorities (principally under “reserve
fund” procedures) without violating the pledge to preserve the Social Security surplus.
Following the adoption of the budget resolution, the House and Senate agreed to a revenue
reconciliation measure providing the recommended level of tax cuts; President Bush signed it into
law on June 7.26 During the remainder of June and into July, the House and Senate focused on the
consideration of the regular appropriations bills.
The FY2002 mid-session review was issued on August 22 (38 days late), while the House and
Senate were in recess. It indicated that, owing largely to unexpected weakness in the economy,
the estimates of the on-budget surpluses for FY2001 and FY2002 had dropped to $1 billion for

23 Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-33; 111 Stat. 251) and Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-34; 111 Stat.
788).
24 Office of Management and Budget, Mid-Session Review of the 1998 Budget, September 5, 1997, pp. 1-4,
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BUDGET-1998-MSR/pdf/BUDGET-1998-MSR.pdf.
25 Office of Management and Budget, Fiscal Year 2002: Budget of the United States Government, April 9, 2001, pp. 7-
8, http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BUDGET-2002-BUD/pdf/BUDGET-2002-BUD.pdf.
26 Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-16; 115 Stat. 38).
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each year.27 Accordingly, the amount available for allocation to defense spending and other
priorities had been reduced significantly. The returning House and Senate faced the prospect of
completing action on the regular appropriations measures for FY2002 with less than a month
before the beginning of the fiscal year (on October 1) and under much tighter budgetary
constraints than had previously been assumed.
President Barack Obama: FY2010
The timing of budget submissions by President Obama in 2009 for FY2010 was affected by
several factors. First, 2009 was a presidential transition year, which led to the President
submitting his budget proposal on May 7. In addition, it is possible that rapidly changing
economic conditions made it difficult to develop stable economic assumptions or reliable
budgetary estimates.28 Further, President Obama initiated an ambitious legislative agenda to deal
with the economic turmoil, as well as to reform policies in the areas of health care, education, and
energy.
The FY2010 mid-session review was issued on August 25 (41 days late), while the House and
Senate were in recess. It showed a reduction in the FY2009 deficit estimate in the May budget
submission of $262 billion (from $1.841 trillion to $1.580 trillion), owing largely to a $250
billion reduction in the placeholder for a financial stabilization reserve, but an increase of $243
billion in the FY2010 deficit estimate (to $1.502 trillion, an amount equal to 10.4% of the Gross
Domestic Product).29 Some Members expressed the view that an announced delay in the
submission of the mid-session review until the August recess reflected an effort to withhold
unfavorable news about economic and budgetary developments that could impede the
consideration of priority legislation.30
President Barack Obama: FY2012
Many of the economic and fiscal conditions that existed during President Obama’s first year in
office had persisted, to varying degrees, until the submission of the FY2012 mid-session review.
In addition, the submission deadline for the FY2012 mid-session review coincided with the

27 Office of Management and Budget, Fiscal Year 2002 Mid-Session Review, August 22, 2001, p. 4,
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BUDGET-2002-MSR/pdf/BUDGET-2002-MSR.pdf. On August 28, 2001, the
Congressional Budget Office issued The Budget and Economic Outlook: An Update, indicating that the on-budget
surplus for FY2002 had fallen to $2 billion (and had become an on-budget deficit of $9 billion for FY2001).
28 For example, see Office of Management and Budget, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2010,
Mid-Session Review, August 25, 2009, pp. 9-11 for the Administration’s explanation of the challenges OMB
encountered when preparing the economic assumptions for FY2010.
29 Ibid, p. 7. The FY2009 reduction of $250 billion for the financial stabilization reserve was estimated to be largely
offset by increases over the ensuing decade (see p. 19).
30 For example, then House Minority Leader John A. Boehner said in a statement, “Let’s be honest about what this is:
an attempt to hide a record-breaking deficit as Democratic leaders break arms to rush through a government takeover of
health care.” John Boehner, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, “Statement on White House Decision to
Delay Mid-year Budget Review,” press release, July 19, 2009, http://www.speaker.gov/press-release/boehner-
statement-white-house-decision-delay-mid-year-budget-review. The President’s Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs,
however, noted that the timing of the submission merely adhered to past practice of other President’s in their first years
in office, and stated “I think the notion that this is somehow motivated by anything other than a transition from one
administration to the next is a little on the silly side.” The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, “Press Briefing
by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs,” July 20, 2009, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/briefing-white-house-
press-secretary-robert-gibbs-7-20-09.
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negotiations between the President and Congress over the debt ceiling,31 which culminated in the
enactment of the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA, P.L. 112-25) on August 2, 2011. The FY2012
mid-session review was submitted on September 1, 2012, one month after the enactment of the
BCA, and reflected, in part, the changes resulting from that legislation.32
The FY2012 mid-session review projected a lower deficit for FY2012 and each of the following
nine years covered by the 10-year budget window than the President’s budget had estimated in
February. 33 According to the mid-session review, the reductions in projected deficits were due
primarily to the terms of the BCA.34
Circumstances of Selected Accelerated Submissions
The mid-session review was submitted more than three weeks before the deadline on only one
occasion: FY1999 under the Clinton Administration.
In 1998, President Clinton submitted the mid-session review for FY1999 nearly two months (50
days) early—on May 26. In February 1998, the President’s budget for FY1999 estimated a $10
billion deficit for the current year, FY1998. The mid-session review revised this estimate to a
surplus of $39 billion, which the Administration referred to as “an historic achievement” in a
press statement announcing the release of the FY1998 mid-session review.35
The prospect of the first surplus in nearly three decades, and growing surpluses in the following
years, sparked congressional interest in acting on sizeable tax-cut legislation during the session.
President Clinton argued instead that the budget surpluses should be “reserved” until changes
could be made in the Social Security program to strengthen its long-term financial soundness, and
some have suggested that, by releasing the mid-session review early, President Clinton was able
to use the favorable budgetary news to improve his position during policy negotiations with
Congress.36

31 See CRS Report R41633, Reaching the Debt Limit: Background and Potential Effects on Government Operations,
coordinated by Mindy R. Levit.
32 Information on deficits and funding levels for certain program categories were revised based on the terms of the
BCA. Some estimates, such as select figures in Table 2 (Economic Assumptions), were based on information that was
available in June or July of 2011. Office of Management and Budget, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal
Year 2010, Mid-Session Review, September 1, 2011. See, for example, pp. 5-7 and 52-54.
33 Ibid, Table 1 (Changes in Deficits from the February Budget), p. 6.
34 Ibid, p. 1.
35 The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, “From an Era of Deficits to an Era of Surpluses: An Estimated
Budget Surplus of $39 Billion in 1998,” press release, May 26, 1998, http://clinton6.nara.gov/1998/05/1998-05-26-
president-and-vice-president-announce-budget-surplus-for-1998.html.
36 For example, see Allen Schick, Federal Budget: Politics, Policy, Process, 3rd ed. (Washington, DC: Brookings
Institution Press, 2007), pp. 111-112.
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Appendix. Statutory Requirement for a Mid-Session
Review of the President’s Budget (31 U.S.C. § 1106)
Section 1106. Supplemental budget estimates and changes.—
(a) Before July 16 of each year, the President shall submit to Congress a supplemental summary
of the budget for the fiscal year for which the budget is submitted under section 1105(a) of this
title. The summary shall include—
(1) for that fiscal year—
(A) substantial changes in or reappraisals of estimates of expenditures and receipts;
(B) substantial obligations imposed on the budget after its submission;
(C) current information on matters referred to in section 1105(a)(8) and (9)(B) and (C) of this
title;
and (D) additional information the President decides is advisable to provide Congress with
complete and current information about the budget and current estimates of the functions,
obligations, requirements, and financial condition of the United States Government;
(2) for the 4 fiscal years following the fiscal year for which the budget is submitted, information
on estimated expenditures for programs authorized to continue in future years, or that are
considered mandatory, under law; and
(3) for future fiscal years, information on estimated expenditures of balances carried over from
the fiscal year for which the budget is submitted.
(b) Before July 16 of each year, the President shall submit to Congress a statement of changes in
budget authority requested, estimated budget outlays, and estimated receipts for the fiscal year for
which the budget is submitted (including prior changes proposed for the executive branch of the
Government) that the President decides are necessary and appropriate based on current
information. The statement shall include the effect of those changes on the information submitted
under section 1105(a)(1)-(14) and (b) of this title and shall include supporting information as
practicable. The statement submitted before July 16 may be included in the information submitted
under subsection (a)(1) of this section.
(c) Subsection (f) of section 1105 shall apply to revisions and supplemental summaries submitted
under this section to the same extent that such subsection applies to the budget submitted under
section 1105(a) to which such revisions and summaries relate.
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Author Contact Information

Michelle D. Christensen

Analyst in Government Organization and
Management
mchristensen@crs.loc.gov, 7-0764

Acknowledgments
This report was originally written by Robert Keith, formerly a Specialist in American National Government
at CRS. The analyst listed on the cover has updated this report and is available to answer questions
concerning the report’s subject matter.

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