Office of Management and Budget Blog

Over the last few years, Federal agencies have been implementing the President’s call for a government-wide review of existing regulations, identifying rules to be changed or removed because they are out-of-date, unnecessary, or overly burdensome. As part of this retrospective review, or “regulatory lookback,” agencies across the Federal government have identified hundreds of initiatives to reduce burdens and save taxpayer dollars. In fact, the retrospective review effort to date includes actions that will save more than $13 billion dollars in the near term, with more savings on the way.

Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its fourth annual report identifying opportunities for Congress and the Executive Branch to reduce fragmentation, duplication, and overlap, and achieve cost savings across the Federal government. In addition, GAO provided a progress report on its previous recommendations.

The President’s 2015 Budget provides a roadmap for accelerating economic growth and expanding opportunity for all while continuing to improve the nation’s long-term fiscal outlook.

The computer, tablet, or smartphone you are using to read this blog is comprised of parts and components that were developed, manufactured, and assembled in different locations around the United States and the globe, yet was carefully designed to ensure that your device is safe and interoperable with other devices.

Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, discusses the passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act.

Over the last four years, this Administration has made reducing the government-wide improper payment rate a priority. Improper payments – those Federal payments made to the wrong entity, in the wrong amount, or for the wrong reason – represent a waste of taxpayer resources and undermine the integrity of critical government programs.

Since its creation in 2009, the President’s SAVE Award [Securing Americans Value and Efficiency] has tapped the knowledge and expertise of frontline Federal workers to help improve government performance and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely.

As the President has said, the shutdown that occurred last month inflicted completely unnecessary damage on our economy and took a toll on families and businesses across the country. Today, OMB is releasing a report that catalogs the breadth and depth of this damage, and details the various impacts and costs of the October 2013 Federal government shutdown.

The Office of Management and Budget and the Department of the Treasury today released the fiscal year (FY) 2013 budget results, which show that we are continuing to make significant progress in reducing the deficit. The final 2013 deficit was $680 billion, $409 billion less than the 2012 deficit and $293 billion less than forecast in President Obama’s April Budget. As a percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the deficit fell to 4.1 percent, representing a reduction of more than half from the deficit that the Administration inherited when the President took office in 2009. The deficit reduction since that point represents the fastest decline in the deficit over a sustained period since the end of World War II.

In May, the President signed an Executive Order to make government-held data more accessible to the public and to entrepreneurs and others as fuel for innovation, economic growth, and government efficiency. Today, we are building on this effort by releasing additional resources to help Federal agencies make data open and available in machine-readable form.

Yesterday in Phoenix, President Obama laid out his plan to create a better bargain for responsible, middle-class homeowners. And today, the President will answer questionssubmitted by homeowners, renters, and prospective buyers during a live conversation with the real estate site Zillow.

The Administration strongly supports voluntary efforts by the private sector to reduce infringement and we welcome the initiative brought forward by the companies to establish industry-wide standards to combat online piracy and counterfeiting by reducing financial incentives associated with infringement. We believe that this is a positive step and that such efforts can have a significant impact on reducing online piracy and counterfeiting.

OMB today released the Mid-Session Review (MSR), which updates the Administration’s estimates for outlays, receipts, and the deficit in light of economic, legislative, and other developments since release of the President’s 2014 Budget.

Intellectual property is a key driver of our economy. So it matters that we have the right approach to intellectual property enforcement; one that is thoughtful, dedicated and effective, and that makes good and efficient use of our resources. The release of the Administration’s 2013 Joint Strategic Plan for Intellectual Property Enforcement builds on our efforts to protect intellectual property to date, and provides a roadmap for our work over the next three years.