Congress

Four years ago, the IBM Center for The Business of Government released a book to guide new government executives, especially new political appointees. The goal of the book was to quickly acclimate new government executives to the world of public service as practiced in Washington, D.C.

In only four cases since 1975 has Congress passed all appropriation bills before the beginning of the fiscal year.  In some years, like 1996, inaction led to agencies suspending operations.  This year, Congress adopted a six-month Continuing Resolutionfor all fiscal year 2013 appropriation bills, delaying final decisions until March 31st.  What do these kinds of delays mean for how agencies manage their monies and op

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) works for Congress and is a big proponent of performance-informed decision making.  So they’ve written a practical report on how Congress can effectively use performance information produced by federal agencies to make better decisions.  And they’ve illustrated the report with three examples of where congressional committees, over a period of years, used performance information to guide key decisions in diverse areas such as immigration, HIV/AIDs, and improper payments.

Michael Astrue, Commissioner of the U.S. Social Security Administration joined me on The Business of Government Hour to explore these questions and so much more.

accountability to the American people? Last month, Comptroller General Gene Dodaro joined me on The Business of Government Hour to explore these questions and so much more. Here are some insights from this discussion:

For over 75 years the U.S.

The original GPRA requires OMB to develop a governmentwide annual performance plan.  OMB chose to designate the President’s budget as meeting that requirement.   Separately, GAO’s 2004 report recommended a governmentwide strategic plan, but OMB saw that as infeasible.  The new law attempts another approach.