Abstract:Government performance evaluation in the US dates back to the early twentieth century, in which the performance evaluation of the US federal government S&T budget also follows its pattern and experiences historical evolution. Looking into the historical trajectory of performance evaluation of the US federal government S&T budget, this study divides its transformation into 3 phases, namely exploration stage, formation stage, and development stage. The study first analyzes the major traits and evaluation methods of each individual stage, and further gives out a general conclusion of the whole development trajectory based on a comprehensive analysis. Finally, based on the current status quo, the study puts forward some implications towards the performance evaluation of national S&T budget in China.