Bush's e-government budget faces fight in Congress

When the Bush administration issued its fiscal 2002 budget plan in the spring, two things were clear: The administration was touting e-government, for which it had requested $100 million over three years, and no details of its plans on spending the money were available.

Now, as Congress is preparing to return to the nuts-and-bolts task of funding federal agencies before the current fiscal year ends Sept. 30, the e-government plan is in trouble precisely because it lacks those details.

Bush's $100 million proposal seeks allotments of $20 million in fiscal 2002, $45 million in fiscal 2003 and $35 million in fiscal 2004, according to a senior administration official.

But just before the August recess, the House passed a fiscal 2002 spending bill, H.R. 2590, that would provide just $5 million for the president's e-government plan. The funding level, $15 million short of what Bush had sought for the year, was approved despite the stated support for e-government from Rep. Ernest Istook, R-Okla., chairman of the House Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees e-government funding.

"We had a limited amount of resources and had to prioritize," said John Scofield, a spokesman for the House appropriations committee. "[Bush's plan is] a new program, and it's unauthorized." The justifications for the expenditure were lacking, he said, and there was concern about possible duplication with other efforts. "This isn't the only place e-gov is addressed," Scofield said.

There also was some doubt about management of the funds. Bush's proposal calls for oversight by the Office of Management and Budget, but for the e-government funds to be handled by the General Services Administration, a congressional source said. Some lawmakers are concerned about creating too much bureaucracy, as well as by their belief that OMB already is understaffed and overworked, the source said.

The Senate will consider the spending bill when it returns, and administration officials are working to explain why they need the full amount for e-government.

"We're still in negotiations," Mark Forman, OMB's associate director for information technology and e-government, told National Journal's Technology Daily. "The Senate asked for certain information."

Forman said more information would be provided after the National Academy of Public Administration finishes a review of government IT needs in the coming weeks.

If Congress fails to approve the full request, it will slow progress on the development of e-government, Forman said. "The lower the funding, the slower we have to go."

If the Senate version of the spending bill contains the same e-government amount as the House version--$5 million--OMB's window to get more for the program will close, a source said. If the Senate amount is different, the two chambers will decide on an amount through joint meetings, which could lead to a higher appropriation for the program next year.

Forman is optimistic about the prospects. "I think there's bipartisan support," he said.