Obama's Budget Cuts Fed IT by $586 Million

President Barack Obama has slashed almost $600 million from last year’s federal IT funding in his fiscal year 2013 budget proposal. If enacted, the proposal would put total federal IT spending at just under $78.9 billion, a 0.7 percent reduction from fiscal 2012. More than $1 billion in IT costs would be cut from the Department of Defense (DoD), while major civilian agencies would be given slightly more — a $460 million increase — for their IT expenditures.

The biggest decreases in agency budgets were items Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel attributed to advancements made through technological efficiencies and project completion. The U.S. Department of Commerce has a $111.1 million reduction, primarily due to the development of the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS)...

...In addition, he added that the Department of Veterans Affairs’ $216.1 million bump was for the Blue Button Initiative. Using technology, the program will give veterans easier access to their personal health records and better ways of sharing that information with private medical providers....