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Tag Archives: Office of Management and Budget
The Critical Role of Federal Partnerships with States & Local Governments During COVID-19
Partnerships between federal and local entities are key to achieving national goals for education, health care, transportation, and homeland security, as well as responding to emergencies such as hurricanes or—more recently— the coronavirus pandemic. Today’s WatchBlog looks at our recent … Continue reading
FedRAMP—Ensuring Safe Use of Cloud Computing by Federal Agencies
Federal agencies increasingly use internet-based (cloud) services to fulfill their missions. However, those services pose cybersecurity risks when agencies don’t effectively implement related security controls. The 2011 Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (or FedRAMP) aims to standardize the approach … Continue reading
Improper Payments on the Rise
Increasingly, the federal government is making payments it shouldn’t. Improper payments are when the federal government overpays, underpays, or makes payments to ineligible recipients. In FY 2019, federal agencies reported about $175 billion in estimated improper payments—up from $151 billion … Continue reading
Federal Information Security: There’s Work to Do
Just about every federal government operation—from processing taxes and protecting national parks to coordinating military operations and delivering foreign aid—relies in some way on computers. Protecting government computer systems and the information stored in them is vital, and a 2014 … Continue reading
Posted in Government Operations, Information Security
Tagged cybersecurity, Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Education, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Justice, Department of Labor, Department of State, Department of the Treasury, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, Greg Wilshusen, High Risk List, High-risk issues, information security, Information security management, Information security regulations, information systems, information technology, Information technology and cybersecurity, Merit Systems Protection Board, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Office of Management and Budget, Presidio Trust, Small Business Administration, Social Security Administration
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The DATA Act: Checking in on Spending Transparency
Federal agencies spend over $4 trillion a year. But how that money is spent isn’t always easy to track. That’s one reason why Congress passed the DATA Act—requiring agencies not only to publicly report spending data on USAspending.gov, but also … Continue reading
Posted in Auditing and Financial Management, Budget and Spending, Government Operations
Tagged Budget data, Data elements, Data integrity, data quality, Defense procurement, Federal funding accountability, Federal procurement, federal spending, Federal spending transparency, Financial accountability, Financial Management and Assurance, FMA, Medicare spending, Michelle Sager, Office of Management and Budget, Paula Rascona, SI, strategic issues
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Is the Cloud Saving the Government Money?
Have you ever wondered how the federal government provides important public services—like helping secure major sporting events or providing public access to weather data? Or how the Treasury manages supplies for printing currency, or the military transports cargo around the … Continue reading
Posted in Information Technology
Tagged Carol Harris, cloud computing, cloud services, DOD, IT, IT investments, IT services, ITC, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Management and Budget, OMB, Social Security Administration, SSA, State Department, Treasury Department
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An Ongoing Risk: Cybersecurity Attacks at Federal Agencies
Similar to how new flu shots come out each year to combat new strains of the virus, agencies must routinely adapt their cybersecurity efforts to address evolving threats. In today’s WatchBlog, we look at the federal government’s approach to and … Continue reading
Posted in Information Security, Podcast
Tagged Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, cyber incident, cyberattacks, cybersecurity, Department of Homeland Security, Greg Wilshusen, information security, Internal Revenue Service, ITC, Office of Management and Budget, phishing, sensitive information
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Did You Know the Government Gets Audited, Too?
Tax season has many people diligently filing their returns to avoid being audited. While the federal government is not a tax-paying entity, it actually undergoes an audit of its financial statements every year. How do we know? Because we perform … Continue reading
Posted in Auditing and Financial Management, Budget and Spending, Video
Tagged annual audit, consolidated financial statements, Dawn Simpson, Department of Defense, Department of the Treasury, financial audits, financial reports, fiscal outlook, FMA, improper payments, information security, loans receivable, Office of Management and Budget
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The DATA Act – Working Towards Federal Spending Transparency
The Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 requires federal agencies to prepare and submit standardized, accurate information about the roughly $3.7 trillion they spend each year. The Office of Management and Budget and the Department of the Treasury are … Continue reading
Sorting Out the Federal Government: Creating an Inventory of Programs Using Information Architecture
Have you ever bought shoes online? Did you search for hiking boots? In mud brown? Size 10? The database you used likely allowed you to search for a specific color, size, style, and other features. It may have given you … Continue reading