White House Could Face Bipartisan Scorn If It Bucks IT Reform

If White House officials don’t get behind a House-passed bill that overhauls how the government buys information technology, they’re likely to face wrath from congressional Republicans and Democrats alike, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., said Thursday.

Connolly co-sponsored the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act with Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The bill, which passed the House as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act in June, would mark the most significant update to government technology buying since the 1990s.

If agreed to by the Senate and signed by President Obama, the legislation would ensure every agency has a single chief information officer with broad authority over all IT spending. It would also put the power of law behind several existing administration initiatives, including a three-year-old program to consolidate federal data centers.