Staffing at federal agencies inadequate to deliver on Recovery Act funding

OMB Watch says a report from the groups charged with Recover Act oversight reveals that federal agencies are drastically overworked and under pressure to spend stimulus funds rapidly. The report does not touch on how the agencies are doing to make their work transparent, but OMB Watch says the problem of understaffing should be addressed [...]

States responding to federal transparency initiatives with parallel efforts

Since President Barack Obama pledged more openness in government, states have been opening records to the public, of stimulus spending and beyond, using online tools to provide a broad range of data. -DB OMB Watch December 8, 2009 President Barack Obama’s Jan. 21 inaugural promise to lead the most transparent administration in history has had [...]

Open government group launches new database to improve access to stimulus data

OMB Watch has released a beta version of a new data base on FedSpending.org to improve access and searchability of stimulus data. -DB OMB Watch Press Release December 3, 2009 WASHINGTON, D.C. – OMB Watch released a beta version of a new database on FedSpending.org that gives the public improved access to and searchability of [...]

To fight waste and fraud, tech experts call for real-time reporting on stimulus and bailout spending

Likening audits to delayed autopsies, a panel of technology specialists urged the government to make details of bailout money and stimulus spending available to the public without delay. They say so far real-time disclosure would have saved the taxpayers about $14 billion.  -DB NextGov October 20, 2009 By Gutham Nagesh The federal government can save [...]

Watchdog groups say that data from Recovery Board first posting of stimulus data inaccessible

A number of groups are saying that the first online posting of data on stimulus spending was not accessible to the public difficult to search and incomplete. Critics say the site can be improved by making it so that the public can mount a search by recipient. -DB NextGov October 15, 2009 By Aliya Sternstein Government [...]

Groups abound to monitor recovery spending

Besides the government agencies formed to audit recovery spending, there has been a number of other groups set up to help the public track the money and conduct oversight. -DB The Presidential Transition A Weblog of the IBM Center for the Business of Government Commentary August 12, 2009 By John Kamensky The Recovery Act created a [...]

Report finds states lag in providing tracking of stimulus spending

A Washington research firm representing 35 public interest groups has found deficiencies in the Web performances of states as they track stimulus spending. Only four states were found to provide employment data when job creation is one of the chief goals of the recovery plan. -DB NextGov July 29, 2009 By Aliya Sternstein A study released [...]