When coordinating activities, OMB often depends mainly on individuals in other government agencies. Many departments, such as Health and Human Services, no longer possess the highly capable analytic skills they once had. For better or worse, no department is better prepared than Treasury to handle significant economic reform. In a lot of cases, it simply has more analytic capability than other government agencies. Preparing for tax or social security or other major economic reforms, however, requires a lot of prior planning.
Some economic models take months or even years to build.
They must be capable of displaying in simple terms some of the likely effects of many proposals, including reform possibilities not even on the table today. Often methods of presentation must be revised so as to better display important elements. Staff must be developed, enhanced, encouraged, and nurtured. The way that information flows within the Treasury Department, and from the Treasury to the White House, also cannot be taken for granted. Nothing is more harmful to that stream than too many political appointees with little knowledge throwing useless tasks and information into the system.