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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Bush: IT will help health care

President Bush, in his Jan. 23 State of the Union address, said better information technology can make health care more affordable and reduce medial errors.

Bush challenged Congress to use IT to improve insurance nationwide and to save small businesses money through association health plans and reforming medical liability lawsuits.

He proposed two new initiatives on affordable health care: a standard tax deduction for health insurance and federal funding to help states using innovative health care programs.

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