Mark Forman, head of the e-government office at the White House Office of Management and Budget, acknowledged yesterday that the shortfall is an obstacle and that the White House wants to restore the amount it originally requested. But he said the government still must carry out the plan.
"Does it mean we can't do these initiatives? We have to," he said. "Our workaround is basically to tighten up on the financing strategy."
Elena Larsen of the Pew Internet and American Life Project said the e-government office's budget offers too little money to make a big initial difference.
"Five million dollars is a drop in the bucket in many federal budgets. It doesn't cover any staff members, it doesn't cover a whole lot of technology needs, and I would imagine that their progress toward their goal of seamless [government] would be greatly slowed by having their budget cut to one-ninth of what they had originally asked for," she said.
David Marin, a spokesman for the House Committee on Government Reform, was more blunt. "Five million doesn't get the job done," he said.
Ari Schwartz, associate director at the Center for Democracy and Technology, said cutting e-government funding will cost the government more money in the long run.
"It's always easier to cut a new program than an existing program," Schwartz said. "These are projects that would save money in other areas."
The Bush administration's e-government plan includes dozens of goals besides increased information sharing, such as modernizing government technology and ensuring that computer networks are safe from online attacks.
The government already has built several online resources to improve public accessibility, including Web sites that focus on regulations, volunteerism and business law.
Only 8 percent of the American population is familiar with the term "e-government," according to a study released this week by the Council for Excellence in Government.
Half of the American population has used a federal, state or local government Web site to get information or conduct transactions, the study showed.
About 52 percent of Americans are concerned about how the government will use their personal data, the study also found, noting that only 29 percent of Americans polled gave their personal data to a government Web site, while 70 percent gave such data to a commercial Web site.
The report also found that 61 percent of Americans are interested in using the Internet to renew their driver's licenses, and 54 percent oppose online voting.
Related Link
Quelle: Washington Post
