OMB News 
Top News
- OMB reworking financial systems to focus on outcomes, not inputs
- Lew taps government retiree pension fund to avoid default
- OMB taps VanRoekel to lead management team
- PHOTOS: Meet the 2013 Service to America Medal Finalists
- Hagel: Accountability breakdown was leading factor in sexual assaults
- Former IRS commissioner faces questions about Tea Party
- SBA starting new lending program for veterans
- New Apple devices cleared to join DoD IT networks
- Army prioritizes access to data in fight over intelligence IT system
- DoD upends slow approval process for mobile devices
- Senior execs' bonuses under fire at agencies
- Gould moves the needle on many of VA's toughest challenges
- Tuesday federal headlines - May 21, 2013
Agency cybersecurity deficiencies remain as attacks reach all-time high
Federal agencies reported more than 48,000 cyber attacks in 2012 and continue to struggle to defend their networks, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. Senators are now renewing their push for comprehensive cyber legislation, which would include an update to FISMA.
Obama nominates next heads of EPA, Energy
President Barack Obama signaled his willingness to tackle climate change with his pick of Gina McCarthy to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, one of three major appointments he announced Monday.
Obama nominates Wal-Mart's Burwell as budget chief
Obama nominates Wal-Mart's Sylvia Burwell as next budget chief in midst of fiscal battles
Obama to tap Walmart's Burwell for OMB chief
Obama to nominate Walmart Foundation head Sylvia Burwell for budget chief
Sequestration gives federal IT a crisis of confidence
Steven VanRoekel, the federal CIO, said the PortfolioStat approach will help agencies manage through these tough budget times. He said agency technology investments could take a hit as the automatic spending cuts become real.
OMB directs agencies to stop most discretionary bonuses under sequestration
The administration issued new guidance late Wednesday detailing specific steps agencies should take as sequestration now is one-day away. Danny Werfel, OMB's controller, told agency leaders to place "increased scrutiny" around several personnel issues, including new hires, training, travel and conferences.
Sequestration treadmill picking up steam across DoD
The automatic budget cuts set to occur under sequestration will go into effect as a matter of law on Friday. But their full impact won't be felt until late this spring, long after lawmakers encounter the next budget showdown.
Coburn calls for partial federal job freeze as sequestration nears
The Republican senator from Oklahoma is asking the Office of Management and Budget to require agencies to stop hiring for certain positions. Instead, he would like that funding put towards mission critical jobs that could be affected by sequestration cuts. Coburn, the ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, found 10 jobs listed on USAJobs.gov that he believes could be frozen. He says this would give agencies $1.4 million to spend on positions like border security officers and TSA screeners.
OMB, agencies still crunching sequestration-related furlough numbers for non-DoD civilians
The White House released its estimate on the impact of cuts from sequestration would have on each state and the District of Columbia. OMB's Danny Werfel said they still are obtaining clarity on the impact $85 billion in cuts would have on each agency.
OMB to test agency readiness to move to financial shared services
Danny Werfel, the OMB controller, will issue a new policy in the coming weeks that will mandate agencies simplify their requirements before upgrading their general ledger systems. The policy also will require agencies to strongly consider one of the four federal shared service providers. OMB said it has learned lessons from the previous attempts to move agencies into these common financial management infrastructures.
New metrics to help agencies determine value of social media
GSA led a 12-member interagency working group to create a set of measures specifically aimed at defining the usefulness of social media for agencies. The agency also released an API that lets users create tools to bring together government social media feeds in one place. Both tools are called for in the Digital Government Strategy.
OMB to Congress: Sequestration impact 'real,' but furloughs not immediate
Obama administration officials are painting a bleak picture of how federal agencies would fare under sequestration, the automatic budget cuts slated to go into effect in two weeks. The Senate Appropriations Committee heard testimony from several Obama administration officials about the consequences of the cuts, which are set to take effect March 1. However, Danny Werfel, controller of the Office of Management and Budget, emphasized to the committee that employee furloughs would not be immediate.
Sequestration, furloughs, federal pay raise, and more
Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, and Federal Times reporter Stephen Losey will discuss sequestration and other issues affecting federal workers.
February 13, 2013
White House issues cyber order, giving NIST, DHS lead roles
Senior administration officials say the Executive Order is not a replacement for comprehensive cybersecurity legislation, but the start of a new conversation for how best to protect the nation's critical infrastructure. NIST released an RFI Tuesday as part of its effort to create a voluntary, flexible framework. And DHS will expand the number of companies the government shares classified and unclassified cyber threat information with through the Defense Industrial Base pilot.
Inside the Reporter's Notebook: 2014 IT budget passback is much ado about nothing
News and buzz from the last two weeks includes a new legislative proposal from Rep. Darrell Issa on suspension and debarment and round two of the Presidential Innovation Fellows program.
White House outlines deep cuts it may have to make
Ramping up pressure on Congress, White House details looming 'self-inflicted' spending cuts
OMB details widespread furloughs, cuts to agency programs under sequestration
OMB details hundreds of thousands of furloughs and cuts to nearly every agency program. Danny Werfel, OMB controller, said the effective percentage cut to each civilian agency would be about 9 percent and 13 percent for DoD over the next seven months.
More diversity likely in next Obama job selections
President Obama is said to be looking at diverse candidates for top slots at the departments of Commerce, Labor and Interior, and for his own White House budget office.
OMB offers first major rewrite of grant-making, oversight processes
New proposed guidance from the Office of Management and Budget would streamline and consolidate grant regulations for every agency. Comments on the recommendations are due May 2.
Obama seeks closed loopholes, 'smart' reductions
President Barack Obama says the U.S can reduce its budget deficit by closing tax loopholes and making "smart" reductions in spending.
