WASHINGTON, Nov. 28, 2011—OMB Watch praises President Obama for pushing federal agencies to create new records management systems that take advantage of digital technologies while protecting the public’s right to information about the actions and decisions of federal agencies. A Presidential Memorandum issued today directs agencies to report on their efforts to make better use of digital technologies and to bring government recordkeeping into the 21st century.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2011—The Regulatory Accountability Act (RAA) (S. 1606/H.R. 3010) is a radical measure that would severely weaken laws that protect our health, safety and the environment. A new paper from the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards, Impacts of the Regulatory Accountability Act: Overturning 65 Years of Law and Leaving Americans Less Protected, reveals how the proposed bill would cripple the federal regulatory process, placing the public in harm’s way.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2011—President Barack Obama today announced the United States’ Open Government Partnership (OGP) plan to further strengthen the transparency and accountability of the federal government. OMB Watch praised the plan as an important step, not just for U.S. transparency, but also for raising the international profile of open government issues.

After the debt-ceiling deal was struck, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner remarked, “It was a terrible process but a good result.” Many people will question the result, but no one will disagree with his assessment of the process. It has left Americans disgusted with Washington and more cynical about government. That may be the worst legacy of the debt-ceiling negotiations.