OMB requests staff increases as part of FY26 budget; members press for full budget details

WASHINGTON — Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vogt told the House Appropriations Subcommittee that OMB's fiscal year 2026 budget request includes a 13.3% increase over FY25 and a request for additional staff to handle a growing workload.

Vogt said OMB requested $146,100,000 for FY26 — a figure he described as a 13.3% increase over its FY25 enacted level — and asked Congress to approve roughly 20 new full-time equivalents to raise OMB’s staffing from about 500 to 520 employees. "We've held constant for many, many years at the 500 level even though the size of government has increased," he said, arguing the agency needs more analysts to cover growing program complexity.

Members questioned why the White House had not provided a full 10-year budget and why some detailed documents were being held until reconciliation was complete. Rep. Womack and others pressed Vogt for a complete set of budget materials to support upcoming appropriations markups; Vogt replied that the administration had prioritized reconciliation and would provide supplementary materials after that process moves forward.

The hearing also included broader budget claims from the administration: Vogt described the president’s fiscal strategy as reducing nondefense discretionary spending and pursuing mandatory-savings proposals in pending legislation. He said the president’s FY26 request pairs agency-level adjustments with the administration’s larger fiscal proposals.

No committee action was taken on the OMB request; the testimony was part of the subcommittee’s oversight and review before markups. Members said they expect additional budget justifications, appendices and agency-level documentation to be transmitted to appropriations staff in the coming weeks.