A Senate panel plans to examine on May 19 the nomination of Aneesh Chopra as the first-ever federal Chief Technology Officer, a White House Office of Science and Technology Policy official said on Tuesday.
While the nomination is not controversial, the timing is.
Because Chopra was not named to the post until April and has not been confirmed, his hands are somewhat tied in deploying President Obama's so-called "Open Government" initiative. Government watchdogs are growing more frustrated by the day, as they wait for a CTO to issue recommendations, which Obama requested on Jan. 21, for creating a more transparent, participatory and collaborative government. Recommendations are due to Obama two days after Chopra's hearing.
Furthermore, interest groups want a chance to comment on the initiative before the recommendations become policy.
The hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation -- the first step in the confirmation process -- is scheduled for 11 a.m., said OSTP spokesman Rick Weiss.
Senate sources said they were not aware of any debate surrounding his nomination.
More than a month went by between a February hearing to examine the nomination of OSTP Director-designate John Holdren and full Senate confirmation on March 19. While that hearing garnered relatively favorable reviews, multiple senators placed anonymous holds on the nomination reportedly to protest political issues that were unrelated to Holdren.
COMMENTS
Yes, there are many public interest & trade associations hoping to influence Obama's Open Government initiative via Mr. Chopra. My hope is that he will be able to weed out special interest and lobby agenda's that might be contrary to the desired outcome. The problem in government has never been with technology, but the IT Acquisition process as evidenced by several recent reports from IAC and Defense Science Board.
There is some low hanging fruit that Aneesh could capitalize on in the short term however;
- Enforce good policies that have become check lists; Clinger Cohen Act, NTTAA, OMB A119.
- Separate IT infrastructure from major IT programs. This will enable a more SOA approach and faster delivery of IT services
- Don't reinvent the wheel. Dust off prior studies, reports that have already investigated these issues. We have posted several at www.ICHnet.org/sail.htm
- Streamline and better inform the IT Acquisition process. This includes improved collaboration with academia and non-profits who were overlooked over the Bush years.
I hope he gets the kind of authority and empowerment needed to make a difference. We need a tiger with teeth.
John Weiler 05/13/09 08:16 am ET