OMB Circular A-11 (2025), Section 22 - Communications with the Congress and the Public & Clearance RequirementsStratML rendition of Section 22. Captures confidentiality of budget deliberations; rules for testimony and communications; clearance of materials and changes to the President’s Budget; FOIA/Sunshine Act considerations; and congressional budget justification (CJ) requirements, including the instruction to structure CJs as performance plan submissions and related public posting requirements.[Submitter's Note: This StratML rendition was compiled from the source content by ChatGPT, which also inferred the mission, vision, and values statements. It was lightly edited in the XForm at https://stratml.us/forms2/Part1Form.xml]Office of Management and BudgetOMBOMB-A11-22-2025Executive Office of the President; issues government-wide guidance on budget preparation, submission, communications, and public reporting.Executive Branch AgenciesAgencies preparing budget submissions, congressional justifications, and public reports.CongressRecipient of the President’s Budget, amendments, supplementals, and agency congressional justifications.PublicBeneficiaries of transparency under FOIA, Sunshine Act, and CJ posting requirements.Consistent, lawful, and transparent budget communications_51d045d0-98dd-11f0-9183-824a2783ea00To set and enforce government-wide rules for confidentiality, congressional and media clearance, changes to the President’s Budget, and public availability_51d048a0-98dd-11f0-9183-824a2783ea00ConfidentialityProtect pre-decisional budget information and handle materials per law and CUI policy.IntegrityEnsure accuracy and completeness in testimony, submissions, and public materials.TransparencyProvide timely, lawful public access to congressional justifications and related data.ConsistencyAlign agency communications and documents with the President’s Budget and OMB guidance.TimelinessMeet clearance, transmittal, and posting deadlines to support congressional reviewAccessibilityPublish CJ materials at a /CJ vanity URL in machine-readable formats for public use.ConfidentialitySafeguard the President’s decisions and underlying materials; prohibit release outside the agency before Budget transmittal; treat outyear discretionary data as pre-decisional; mark and handle materials per CUI guidance; do not release agency justifications provided to OMB or future-year plans outside the Executive Branch except as allowed here.22-1-confidentiality22.1Pre-Decisional InformationApply confidentiality requirements to current/budget year decisions becoming proposed appropriations; confirm applicability to Inspectors General information (see §51.16).22-1-a22.1.1Testimony & CommunicationsProtect Executive Branch deliberations; avoid furnishing internal justifications or long-range estimates outside the Executive Branch except as allowed; observe statutory limits on unsolicited appropriations communications (31 U.S.C. 1108(e)) and anti-lobbying restrictions (18 U.S.C. 1913).22-2-testimony-communications22.2Post-Transmittal TestimonyProvide frank, complete answers; avoid personal opinions inconsistent with the President’s program; when direct submissions to Congress are authorized by statute, transmit OMB-supported materials; do not provide requests above the President’s Budget; route opinion statements via the agency head; seek adjustments only through established procedures.22-2-a22.2.1CongressMaterialsEnsure policy consistency by submitting budget-related materials to OMB for clearance before transmittal to Congress or the media; provide at least five working days for review (ten days for PARs unless shortened by OMB); allow expedited/oral clearance in exceptional cases; keep OMB apprised of anticipated hearings and changes.22-3-clearance-materials22.3CongressThe MediaClearanceClear budget justifications; oversight materials; testimony/letters; written responses and materials for the record; statutory/requested reports with budget implications; capability statements; appeals letters; reprogrammings and congressional notifications; administrative actions affecting mandatory spending; related cost information; financial management documents with budget/policy issues; proposed budget-related press releases.22-3-a22.3.1ChangesSubmit for clearance proposed changes to the President’s Budget (e.g., appropriations language, limitations, GCCA balance sheets, or dollar amounts) per confidentiality and §110.3 procedures; notify OMB promptly of potential reductions before Appropriations Committee action and consider restoration requests carefully.22-4-budget-changes22.4_51d0497c-98dd-11f0-9183-824a2783ea00Public InformationApply FOIA exemptions, notably 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(5), and consider institutional interests before discretionary disclosure; consult OMB as needed; for collegial bodies, apply Government in the Sunshine Act (5 U.S.C. 552b) to meeting openness/closures regarding budgetary information.22-5-public-info22.5The Public_51d049d6-98dd-11f0-9183-824a2783ea00Budget JustificationsRequire CJ materials to include -- or be structured as -- a performance plan submission (see §240); include specified statutory content; obtain OMB clearance prior to transmittal; and make materials publicly available per transparency requirements.22-6-cj22.6Performance PlansConsult with congressional representatives to agree on performance plan format for the CJ; include applicable public posting and notification requirements; include OMB in consultations and provide draft CJ to OMB with sufficient review time.22-6-a22.6.1Congressional RepresentativesStatutory RequirementsInclude: (1) acquisition workforce education/training funding levels (41 U.S.C. 1703(h)); (2) energy conservation measure funds (42 U.S.C. 8255); (3) list of outdated/duplicative reporting requirements per the Eliminate Useless Reports Act of 2024 (P.L. 118-172; see §210); (4) use definitions in §§20.3 and 200 when preparing APP/APR/CJ materials; (5) Good Accounting Obligation in Government Act (P.L. 115-414) GAO/OIG recommendation statuses; (6) capital project planning/budgeting/acquisition/management information consistent with Administration proposals; (7) OMB clearance of all CJ materials before transmittal.22-6-b22.6.2Availability & TransparencyPost full CJ materials, including the performance plan submission, at an agency vanity URL ending in “/CJ” within two weeks of transmittal; ensure releases comply with law and exemptions; provide machine-readable files (CSV/XML/TSV/JSON) for budget summary tables (with footnotes); report to OMB the date first sent to Congress, the date first posted publicly, and the URL; OMB collects this within one week after Budget release and publishes a list on USAspending.gov; do not report classified CJs.22-6-c22.6.32025-09-18https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/a11.pdfOwen AmburOwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net