In his State of the Union address on Tuesday evening, President Obama made a pledge to reorganize the federal government and make it more efficient, competent and affordable, a goal that will undoubtedly require a major focus on information technology.
"We can't win the future with a government of the past," Obama said. "We live and do business in the Information Age, but the last major reorganization of the government happened in the age of black-and-white TV."
At the same time, Obama paid tribute to the strides federal agencies have made in using technology to reform government and eliminate waste, such as enabling veterans to access their medical records electronically. "In the coming months, my administration will develop a proposal to merge, consolidate and reorganize the federal government in a way that best serves the goal of a more competitive America," he said. "I will submit that proposal to Congress for a vote, and we will push to get it passed."
How would you reorganize the government to make it more efficient, competent and affordable? And how might such a goal change or refocus your job as a federal IT worker?
Brittany Ballenstedt
Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
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