Watchdog group: Four IG offices now leaderless for years
April 11th, 2012 | Interior Labor State White House | Posted by Sean Reilly
Hard to believe, but the State Department’s Office of Inspector General has been without a permanent head for more than four years.
That fact, highlighted this week by the Project on Government Oversight, puts the office in an unlucky class of four IG agencies that have had vacancies at the top for at least 1,000 days.
The others are the Interior and Labor departments and the Corporation for National and Community Service. While the Obama administration last fall nominated attorney Deborah Jeffrey for the inspector general’s job at the national service corporation, the Senate has yet to confirm her.
But the White House has named no one for the top positions at the other three offices. Although there are undoubtedly plenty of competent career folks to carry on in the meantime, ‘”a permanent IG has the ability to set a long-term strategic plan, . . . including setting investigative and audit priorities,” POGO said on its web site, adding that the administration has “no good excuse” for failing to nominate someone for a post that has been vacant for years.
The White House press office did not respond to a request for comment today.
Tags: Corporation for National and Community Service, inspector general
White House names former HHS exec federal CTO
March 12th, 2012 | Information Technology White House | Posted by Nicole Johnson
President Obama last week appointed Health and Human Services Chief Technology Officer Todd Park to oversee technology innovation across the federal government.
Park will fill the position of federal CTO, left vacant by Aneesh Chopra in January. In his new role, Park will work with federal Deputy CTO for Telecommunications Tom Power to ensure the adoption of innovative technologies that support job creation, access to affordable healthcare, open government and other administration priorities.
“Todd Park has demonstrated a remarkable talent for enlisting innovative technologies to modernize government, reduce waste, and make government information more accessible to the public,” Obama said in a statement. “In his new position he will bring those skills to the entire federal enterprise, ensuring that government will serve all Americans fairly, effectively, and efficiently.”
Over the past two years, Park’s work at HHS has included the creation of healthcare.gov, a consumer website that lists public and private health insurance plans by zip code and efforts to make HHS health data accessible to the public and app developers.
Park worked on health care strategy, technology and operations as a management consultant at Booz Allen & Hamilton before he co-founded the health IT company Athenahealth in 1997. He was hired as an entrepreneur-in-residence at HHS in August 2009.
Tags: Aneesh Chopra, chief technology officer, HHS, Todd Park
Obama, BB King sing ‘Sweet Home Chicago’ at White House blues night
February 22nd, 2012 | White House | Posted by Stephen Losey
BB King performs at the White House, Feb. 21, 2012 (Win McNamee / Getty Images)
Barack Obama may be angling for a second career in rhythm and blues (if this whole “leader-of-the-free-world” thing doesn’t pan out). Last night, he took the mic at the White House’s all-star blues tribute night and sang a chorus of “Sweet Home Chicago” with BB King.
The AP said that during the finale, Mick Jagger held the mic out “almost by way of command,” and Obama evidently couldn’t resist. Blues guitarist Buddy Guy also pushed Obama by pointing out that he sang a line from “Let’s Stay Together” last month at an Apollo Theater fundraiser, and said, “You gotta keep it up.”
Besides King, Guy and Jagger, the White House hosted New Orleans musician Trombone Shorty, singers Shemekia Copeland and Susan Tedeschi, and guitarists Jeff Beck, Keb Mo, Gary Clark Jr., Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes. Booker T. Jones of Booker T. and the MGs was the bandleader.
Check out some clips — including Obama’s turn in the spotlight — below. The entire concert will be aired on PBS Feb. 27.
Tags: Barack Obama, fun, music
White House launches BusinessUSA.gov
February 17th, 2012 | Commerce Information Technology Small Business Administration White House | Posted by Nicole Johnson
The administration on Friday launched a new beta website called BusinessUSA.gov to simplify online interaction between businesses and the government.
BusinessUSA.gov matches “businesses with the services relevant to them, regardless of where the information is located or which agency’s website, call center, or office they go to for help,” federal Chief Information Officer Steven VanRoekel said in a blog post Friday.
The website is currently in a beta version but will evolve to incorporate user feedback.
Business owners can browse the site and customize their search results to receive information about topics of interest, such as federal contracting, grants, or opportunities that meet their specific needs. For example, if a veteran- or minority-owned business is interested in loans or exporting, the website provides information about those topics.
President Obama first announced plans to launch BusinessUSA.gov in January and also said he would ask Congress for authority to merge agencies that handle business and trade functions into a single department. Sens. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Mark Warner, D-Va., plan to sponsor a bill that would give the president “fast track” authority to consolidate government agencies, pending Congress’ approval.
“We shouldn’t be an inhibitor through the complexity that we present people,” VanRoekel said.
Tags: BusinessUSA.gov
Twitter talk: The FY13 Budget
February 13th, 2012 | 2013 Budget Agencies NASA White House | Posted by Blair Tomlinson
Obama campaign playlist has classic soul, indie rock and … Hootie?
February 9th, 2012 | White House | Posted by Stephen Losey
Maybe they're just jonesing for Burger King's Tender Crisp Bacon Cheddar Ranch.
Politico’s Mike Allen scores a scoop today on the Obama campaign’s playlist — music to be played at rallies and other reelection events. Most of it would make a really good Spotify playlist*, and it contains a mix of classic soul music (including, of course, “Let’s Stay Together”) and indie-ish rock such as Arcade Fire, Wilco and Florence + the Machine.
But I heard a record scratch sound in my head when I came across not one, but two songs by Darius Rucker. Really? Hootie? (We’ll see if Obama blames that one on Axelrod.)
After the jump, you can find the full list and a few of the choicer cuts.
* EDIT: I’ll be danged, it is a Spotify playlist.
POGO tracks federal watchdog vacancies
February 8th, 2012 | Agency Management White House | Posted by Sarah Chacko
The Project On Government Oversight launched a new web page today to track how long agencies have been left without inspectors general, hoping to spur government officials to appoint leadership to the watchdog roles as soon as possible.
“Congress and the public rely on [Offices of Inspectors General] reports to hold agencies and individuals accountable for wrongdoing, identify a need for legislation, and evaluate the effectiveness of government programs and policies,” POGO says on the site.
The longest vacancy has been at the State Department, which has operated more than four years without a permanent inspector general, the website shows. This is at a time when the department has taken on the responsibility of managing private security contractors in war zones, POGO said in a news release.
Currently, 12 agencies operate without an appointed IG. Six agencies have IG positions that have been vacant for more than a year.
Acting IGs are generally less effective than appointed IGs because they are considered to be temporary, so they are less likely to take a strong leadership role and set long-term priorities, POGO says. Appointed IGs have to undergo significant vetting — especially those that require Senate confirmation — which helps instill confidence that the position is truly independent, the group says.
Tags: accountability, audit, Inspectors General, investigation, vacancies
Federal chief technology officer to step down
January 27th, 2012 | Information Technology White House | Posted by Nicole Johnson
The nation’s first federal chief technology officer is leaving his post, the White House announced Friday.
“As the federal government’s first Chief Technology Officer, Aneesh Chopra did groundbreaking work to bring our government into the 21st century,” President Obama said in a statement. “Aneesh found countless ways to engage the American people using technology, from electronic health records for veterans, to expanding access to broadband for rural communities, to modernizing government records.”
Chopra is considering running for lieutenant governor of Virginia, and he has been in conversations with influential political figures and donors, said a democratic official familiar with the situation, who asked not to be named.
“The move he made today sends a pretty clear message,” the official said about Chopra’s decision to run as lieutenant governor.
Chopra was named federal CTO in May 2009 and also served as an assistant to the president and associate director for technology in the Office of Science and Technology Policy. He worked closely with private and public sector officials, such as Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and HHS CTO Todd Park to make data open and accessible to information consumers and application developers.
The White House has not said who will fill his position.
Tags: Aneesh Chopra, chief technology officer, open government
Fed issues warrant little attention in State of the Union speech (phew!)
January 24th, 2012 | White House | Posted by Sean Reilly
Perhaps to their relief, federal employees didn’t hear much that would directly affect them in tonight’s State of the Union speech.
Last year, after all, President Obama used the prime-time address to call for a government reorganization and a five-year freeze on domestic discretionary spending, besides reminding Congress that he had already imposed a two-year freeze on base federal salaries.
This year? Hardly a mention of overarching management and budget initiatives. The closest that Obama came was almost an hour into the speech when he brought up his recent bid to get “fast-track” authority from Congress to restructure and consolidate federal agencies.
“The executive branch also needs to change,” Obama said. “Too often, it’s inefficient, outdated and remote. That’s why I’ve asked this Congress to grant me the authority to consolidate the federal bureaucracy so that our Government is leaner, quicker, and more responsive to the needs of the American people.”
So far, however, the White House has not said when it will send any such legislation to the Hill.
Tags: government reorganization, President Obama, State of the Union
Barack Obama: Live at the Apollo
January 20th, 2012 | White House | Posted by Stephen Losey
(Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images)
President Obama last night delivered an unexpected surprise during a fundraiser at Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theater: A short rendition of the soul classic “Let’s Stay Together.” The Rev. Al Green, who originally recorded the song in 1971, was in the crowd, and Obama clearly relished the chance to tease him. “Don’t worry, Rev.,” he said. “I cannot sing like you. I just wanted to show my appreciation.”
Obama also noted that “The Sandman did not come out” and sweep him off the stage, the way the late Howard “Sandman” Sims disposed of Apollo acts that bombed. But even if the Sandman were still alive, I doubt he’d want to cross the Secret Service agents to give Obama the hook.
That one line he sang wasn’t bad, and the crowd of 1,400 clearly loved it. But if Obama really wanted to bring the house down, he’d have pulled out James Brown’s cape routine during “Please, Please, Please,” the way the Godfather of Soul did while recording 1968′s “Live at the Apollo: Vol. II.”
Tags: Friday Fun, music, President Obama