Appropriations bills in limbo

Departments operating under a continuing resolution in fiscal 2007 will likely continue to do so in fiscal 2008, as a fight between Congress and the White House over spending limits intensifies. The Senate has approved only one appropriations bill, and its Appropriations Committee has not yet approved the Defense Appropriations Bill. The House passed all 12 appropriations bills before the August congressional recess.

Meanwhile, White House officials have issued another veto threat. Officials threatened to veto the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs bill if it exceeds President Bush’s $933 billion funding request for VA without offsetting cuts elsewhere.

White House officials previously threatened to send other spending bills back to Congress without a signature if they exceeded the president’s spending caps.

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OMB's budget theme continues: Do more with less

The Bush administration will push to improve existing information technology programs, but it has proposed few major new IT investments in its fiscal 2008 budget request.

Industry officials immediately criticized the budget, saying it will force federal contractors to adjust to a spending climate in which agencies must do more with the IT they have. The budget attributes the decrease in new investments to better capital planning and reduced duplication.

President Bush proposed greater spending increases for defense, energy, health IT and information security, which are administration priorities.

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Bush asks for 3 percent increase in IT spending

The Bush administration’s fiscal 2008 budget proposal asks for a 3 percent increase to $65.5 billion in information technology funding as departments set priorities and seek to offer better results from their services, according to the document released today.

The number of major IT investments has decreased 2 percent, from 857 in fiscal 2007 to 840 in fiscal 2008. In fiscal 2006, there were 1,084 major IT investments.

The budget chalks up the decrease to better capital planning and investments aligning with enterprise architectures.

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GSA sets conservative revenue increase for 2008

On the heels of a turbulent period for the agency, General Services Administration officials predict a conservative 4 percent increase in revenue, or $348 million, over fiscal 2007.

The Federal Acquisition Service forecasts stable revenues for fiscal 2007 and 2008. The budget justification “is based on a frank assessment of past business performance and realistic assumptions about the future,” according to a budget briefing document provided by GSA.

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Evans: IT budget numbers reflect priorities

The fiscal 2008 budget proposal increases total spending on information technology to $65.5 billion, or 2.6 percent over fiscal 2007’s $63.8 billion funding request, said Karen Evans, the Office of Management and Budget’s administrator for e-government and IT.

The budget proposal seeks an average overall IT funding increase for civilian agencies of 3 percent, according to budget documents from OMB. The administration has requested IT increases for slightly more than half of agencies.

Notably, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission had a 45.5 percent increase, an increase of $43 million more than the fiscal 2007 request. All of the NRC’s 14 project business cases are on the Management Watch List for fiscal 2008, which OMB officials will supervise carefully, Evans said in a briefing with reporters.

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GSA, IG told to work together on contract oversight

The Bush administration’s fiscal 2008 budget tells Lurita Doan, administrator of the General Services Administration, and GSA Inspector General Brian Miller, to work together on reviewing contractors.

Calling the directive a "pilot effort," the budget document states that it will help determine the best combination of management practices for the IG and GSA's Federal Acquisition Service to use in ensuring agencies are getting good prices and the best value from contractors.

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2008 budget would boost IRS modernization by $85M

The Bush administration is seeking $282 million to modernize the Internal Revenue Service in his fiscal 2008 proposed budget, an $85 million increase over the fiscal 2007 request.

Modernization is one piece of a three-part strategy for closing the gap between taxes owed and taxes paid. Congressional leaders have discussed how to bring in the taxes owed. Through modernization, the Treasury Department intends to emphasize the other two parts: better taxpayer services and enforcement to eliminate the gap, according to the budget proposal, which was released today.

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