OMB deputy says White House doesn't want federal CIO

The number two official at the Office of Management and Budget said Thursday that the Bush administration does not want to create a separate office or new position of chief information officer, although there are congressional proposals that would do just that.

Speaking before the luncheon forum of the Congressional Internet Caucus, OMB Deputy Director Sean O'Keefe said creating a federal CIO would provide "absolution" and take the heat off of existing agency CIOs. "It would focus the agenda on an individual that would [lead] others to view their responsibility as dismissed," he said.

O'Keefe also said that Bush would be opposed to appointing a privacy counselor or a single person responsible for computer security for the same reason. But he said that the administration was recruiting a deputy director of management that would be directly tasked with supervising agency CIOs and coordinating the government's information technology programs, including those pertaining to e-government.

O'Keefe's remarks followed those of Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., who said that he was in the final stages of drafting a bill with Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., that would establish a CIO and that office "some autonomy for driving the changes in existing laws, information technology budgets and in promoting new e-government initiatives."

"OMB has a tiny information branch that has been buried in layers of bureaucracy for a long time," Lieberman said, adding that the CIO he wants to create would "need to think about not answering to the administration that is in office, but to the broader public. The CIO in my bill will have that clear mandate and the tools to bring about that change."

Lieberman's bill is expected to earmark $200 million for such a project. While O'Keefe said the Bush administration had agreed to create a three-year, $100 million fund for interagency technology projects and to spend $20 million of it within the next year, he stressed that the money needed to be seen in the context of helping the federal government better allocate its $40 billion in information technology expenditures.

Also on hand were caucus co-chairmen Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., who spoke about the promise and possible pitfalls of e-government. Noting that March 16 was the 35th anniversary of the Freedom of Information Act, Leahy said he wanted to make Congressional Research Reports, lobbying reports, and gift disclosure reports available on the Internet as a means to help citizens better understand their government.

While also expressing enthusiasm for e-government, Goodlatte raised concerns about proposals to put court records on the Internet, which currently is being considered by the Judiciary Conference. He also said that the government should not duplicate efforts being undertaken by the private sector, and he particularly criticized the General Services Administration for spending taxpayer money to advertise against an e-commerce company that, like GSA, offers electronic procurement services.