Issue Position: Government Performance

Issue Position

Issue Position: Government Performance

Government Performance
In October 2009, Senator Warner was selected by the Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad to lead a bipartisan Task Force on Governmental Performance. The group will look at how the government measures the cost-effectiveness of federal agencies and programs. The goal is to boost efficiency and find cost savings for taxpayers. Chairman Conrad said he selected Senator Warner to serve as chairman of the task force based on his experience as a business leader and as the former governor of Virginia.

Senator Warner's Progress:

* In December 2010, the U.S. House unanimously passed Sen. Warner's legislation requiring federal agencies to identify their top priorities, publicly report results, and identify ineffective and overlapping programs for possible consolidation or elimination. The legislation [pdf] had previously passed the Senate unanimously, and was signed into law in January 2011.

* In April 2010, Senator Warner successfully amended the FY2011 Budget Resolution to require performance measurements for stimulus spending and health care reform, and cut funding for programs identified for elimination by the Office of Management and Budget.

* In March 2010, the Senate approved a major jobs bill that included a bipartisan amendment submitted by Senator Warner that would fix gaps in how the federal government is tracking stimulus spending.

* In October 2009, Senator Warner held the first meeting of the Task Force and questioned President Obama's Chief Performance Office, Jeff Zients, on how the administration is tracking government performance.

* Since the panel's first meeting, Senator Warner invited the public to submit their ideas on how to improve government performance.

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