Presidents seem to understand the crucial importance of the budget. One analysis of presidential budgetmaking from Dwight D. Eisenhower through George Bush concluded that all the six presidents
" except Bush seized upon the lame- duck federal budget as their principal instrument redirecting
the nation's fiscal policy". Congress understands the centrality of the budget as well: "60 percent of all roll call votes in Congress are on budget-related issues. However striking, this figure should not
surprise us. If, after all, Washington is a quintessentially political town, budgeting is a quintessentially political process."