Open Government. A Progress Report to the American People
Abstract
For too long, the American people have experienced a culture of secrecy in Washington, where information is locked up, taxpayer dollars disappear without a trace, and lobbyists wield undue influence. For Americans, business as usual in Washington has reinforced the belief that government benefits the special interests and the well connected at the expense of the American people. But President Obama committed to change the way Washington works. And he has begun to do just that. On his first full day in office, President Obama signed the Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government, ushering in a new era of open and accountable government meant to bridge the gap between the American people and their government: The Administration is reducing the influence of special interests by writing new ethics rules that prevent lobbyists from coming to work in government or sitting on its advisory boards. The Administration is tracking how government uses the money with which the people have entrusted it with easy-to-understand websites like recovery.gov, USASpending.gov, and IT. usaspending.gov The Administration has issued an Open Government Directive, instructing every government agency to open its doors and its data to the American people. The Obama Administration is reshaping government according to three core values: Transparency. Government should provide citizens with information about what their government is doing so that government can be held accountable. Participation. Government should actively solicit expertise from outside Washington so that it makes policies with the benefit of the best information. Collaboration. Government officials should work together with one another and with citizens as part of doing their job of solving national problems.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA511553
Entities
Organizations
- Executive Office of the President of the United States