I once asked a friend, who works for a lesser known government agency, what his agency does. He said that like any good bureaucracy, its first job was to perpetuate itself. I found that statement both amusing and insightful.
Among the tricks of the trade is for government management to always ensure each year's allotment of money is fully spent. That way, the budget will remain at least the same and probably more the next year. (Too bad for the taxpayers.)