Preparing annual budgets is a vitally important activity for local, state, national, and foreign governments and agencies within these governments.  Once such budgets are approved into law they must be administered by various agencies and oversight provided by legislative or parliamentary organizations responsible for funding these budgets and individual budget items.  Determining how to handle budget deficits or surpluses is an important part of this process, as is determining the effect of prevailing economic conditions on governmental budget and tax priorities.  Purdue libraries have many publications on governmental budgeting. Most of these are located in the HSSE or MEL Libraries. Examples of Library Catalog  subject headings you can use to search for such materials includes:

Budget Indiana Statistics Periodicals
Budget United States
Government Spending Policy United States
United States Appropriations and Expenditures
United States Appropriations and Expenditures, 2001

The principal index for U.S. Government publications is the Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications HSSE REF & Periodicals 016.353 Un36 and is available online from 1994-present.  The GPO Index covers this material from 1976-present.   Another similiar index is Congressional Information Service (CIS) Index HSSE REF 328.73005 C76.  Useful indexes for additional historical U.S. Government budget information include the CIS U.S. Serial Set Index HSSE REF 328.73 C761c and CIS Index to U.S. Executive Branch Documents 1789-1909 HSSE REF 351.73 C497 1990.


The principal U.S. government agency responsible for preparing the federal budget is the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Located within the Executive Office of the President, OMB issues a number of publications pertaining to the federal budget.  Examples include:

Congressional Budget Resources

The U.S. Congress must approve all federal budgetary expenditures before they become law.  Congressional committees and support agencies issue numerous publications on various aspects of the federal budget.  Examples of such materials include:

Indiana State Publications

Internet Resources

Increasing amounts of government information on the Internet.  The Purdue Libraries Government Documents Department homepage www.lib.purdue.edu/govdocs/  Another useful source is GPO Access www.gpoaccess.gov/ containing the full text of major U.S. Government legal, legislative, and regulatory information sources such as Budget of the U.S. Government, Congressional Record, congressional bills and committee reports, and the Code of Federal Regulations.

Other U.S. Government websites with budget information:

Indiana State Agencies

Selected Foreign Governments