OMB

November 3, 2009 -- NEW YORK, N.Y.—Today, Office of Management and Budget Director Peter R. Orszag delivered a speech at New York University entitled "Rescue, Recovery, and Reining in the Deficit." Director Orszag’s appearance is sponsored by New York University and the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at NYU. His prepared remarks are below.

Thank you for that kind introduction; thank you, President Sexton, for the invitation to come speak here today, and thank you all for your warm welcome.    » read more »

October 27, 2009 -- Washington, DC — The Obama Administration is moving quickly to crack down on mismanaged and wasteful federal contracting practices while strengthening oversight and accountability capacity across the government.

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued guidance today that requires federal agencies to increase the capability and capacity of the civilian agency acquisition workforce to ensure sufficient management and oversight of acquisition dollars. The guidance also provides specific instructions for agencies to avoid high-risk contracts that can result in excessive costs being passed on to taxpayers.    » read more »

June 9, 2009 -- James S. Brady Press Briefing Room -- MR. GIBBS: It's my never-ending pursuit to try to bring maybe a special guest once every day this week. (Laughter.) So just once a day.

Q What are you paying them?

MR. GIBBS: Top dollar.

Before we get started, if you have PAYGO questions or want to talk about that, obviously Peter Orszag, OMB Director, will talk a little bit about PAYGO and take a few of your questions on that.

Peter.

DIRECTOR ORSZAG: Thank you, Robert. Glad to be here.    » read more »

New Rule Requires that Applications for Competitive Spending Projects be Submitted Exclusively in Writing and That All Earmark Requests be Posted on Internet

May 29, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Public Citizen applauds the Obama Administration’s decision to require all requests for competitive spending grants from the stimulus package by non-governmental persons, including registered lobbyists, be made exclusively in writing and then posted on the Internet within three days.

Requests for non-competitive grants, such as those made to governmental agencies, may be made orally, but these requests must also be posted on the Internet. Until today’s executive order, the requirement that requests be submitted exclusively in writing applied only to registered lobbyists.    » read more »

Launch of Site Holds Promise for Greater Transparency, Accountability, Analysis

May 21, 2009 -- Washington, DC — The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) today unveiled Data.gov – a site designed to provide unfiltered access to government data streams in machine-readable formats.    » read more »

May 13, 2009 -- Dear Madam Speaker:

Last month, I asked the Congress to consider changes to the level of borrowing authority for the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Today, I formally transmit this request in the accompanying supplemental budget request. I urge that the Congress expand the resources available to the IMF through its New Arrangements to Borrow (NAB) and approve a set of other proposals to strengthen the IMF, including an increase of about $8 billion in the U.S. quota subscription to the IMF.    » read more »

Updated Guidance Helps States Better Meet Accountability and Transparency Requirements in Recovery Act

May 13, 2009 -- The Office of Management and Budget has issued updated administrative costs guidance for states, improving the process by which they may obtain funds needed to meet the accountability and transparency requirements in the Recovery Act.

Memorandum M-09-18 (May 11, 2009) allows states to submit to the Federal Department of Health and Human Services either:

* estimated or budgeted costs for ARRA administrative costs to be included in its indirect cost rates for ARRA programs or

* a methodology to develop a billing rate for ARRA administrative costs used to charge the ARRA programs directly.    » read more »

May 8, 2009 -- The President’s 2010 Budget seeks to usher in a new era of responsibility – an era in which we not only do what we must to save and create new jobs and lift our economy out of recession, but in which we also lay a new foundation for long-term growth and prosperity.    » read more »

April 20, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama nominated Cass R. Sunstein to be Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget.

President Obama said, "As one of America’s leading constitutional scholars, Cass Sunstein has distinguished himself in a range of fields, including administrative law and policy, environmental law, and behavioral economics. He is uniquely qualified to lead my Administration’s regulatory reform agenda at this crucial stage in our history. Cass is not only a valued advisor, he is a dear friend and I am proud to have him on my team."

The following nomination has been sent to the United States Senate:    » read more »

March 20, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. -- The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) today released a report summarizing the recent Fiscal Responsibility Summit. Held at the White House on February 23, 2009, the Summit’s participants focused on ways to address the inherited $1.3 trillion deficit and the long-term fiscal challenges that the nation faces.

To read the full Summit report, follow this link:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/blog/Fiscal_Responsibility_Summit_Repor...

Source: OMB

March 20, 2009 -- Washington, DC — The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) today responded to a second inquiry from South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. The Governor is seeking to shift Recovery Act funds from job-creation activities to retiring other state debts.

To view the March 20, 2009, letter from OMB Director Peter Orszag, follow this link. www.whitehouse.gov/omb/press_release_docs/Sanford_317.pdf or read below:

March 20, 2009
The Honorable Mark Sanford
Governor of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29211
Dear Governor Sanford:

Thank you for your letter to the President dated March 17, 2009. The President has asked me to respond on his behalf concerning your proposed use of State Fiscal Stabilization Fund monies to pay down your State’s debt.    » read more »

March 16, 2009 -- Washington, DC – The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) today responded to an inquiry from South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. The Governor requested to use funds from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act to reduce that state’s deficit instead of for the programs specified in the law.

The letter from OMB Director Peter Orszag is reproduced below (pdf):

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503
THE DIRECTOR

March 16, 2009

The Honorable Mark Sanford
Governor of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29211

Dear Governor Sanford:    » read more »

Peter Orszag, OMB Director

February 26th, 2009 -- "One of the questions I received throughout the day today, as we released the Fiscal Year 2010 budget, is why we are proposing to raise taxes on high-income taxpayers during a recession. And the answer is simple: we’re not.

First, the Recovery Act that was enacted earlier this month included $288 billion in tax reductions, as part of an overall effort to bolster the economy and help to fill in the "GDP gap" (the gap between how much the economy could produce and how much it is current producing). During a recession, we’re cutting taxes.    » read more »

The Office of Management and Budget should use Obama directive as an opportunity to seek input from diverse interests with regulatory expertise.

(WASHINGTON) February 3, 2009 — President Barack Obama today announced his administration will reform the way the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) reviews federal regulations. Obama has asked OMB Director Peter Orszag to consult with regulatory agency representatives and recommend a new executive order addressing regulatory review.

The following is a statement by Dr. Francesca Grifo, senior scientist and director of the Scientific Integrity Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists:    » read more »

Air Traffic Control: GAO Report

July 18, 2008 -- In fiscal year 2008, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plans to spend over $2 billion on information technology (IT) investments--many of which support FAA's air traffic control modernization. To more effectively manage such investments, in 2005 the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) required agencies to use earned value management (EVM). EVM is a project management approach that, if implemented appropriately, provides objective reports of project status, produces early warning signs of impending schedule delays and cost overruns, and provides unbiased estimates of a program's total costs.    » read more »