At the Center of the Government Shutdown, the Little-Known Office Calling the Shots

White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought is using the government shutdown as a smoke-screen for the Trump Administration's illegal cuts to government programs and staff.

Most operations of the federal government ceased Wednesday when Congress failed to pass funding for agencies for fiscal year 2026. Without an enacted appropriations law, agencies have no constitutional authority to spend money.

In the background of congressional negotiations over the FY2026 appropriations looms the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Charged with producing the President’s annual budget proposal and overseeing management of executive branch agencies, OMB also oversees federal funds in a process called apportionment. Apportionment unlocks funds over the course of the fiscal year to agencies that then allocate money to their programs, projects, and activities.

While OMB typically releases appropriated funds over the course of the fiscal year, because that’s what the law requires, Trump’s OMB has taken a different approach.