Message on the
Management of the
I
am proud to report on the continued success of my Administration's efforts to
better manage the Federal Government. Keeping the machinery of government well oiled
and up-to-date is a difficult and often frustrating task, but it is absolutely
essential if the American people are to have the quality of Federal services
they deserve.
Historians
and scholars often speak of ``the American experiment.'' They are dead right:
that is exactly what we are. We are an experiment to prove that men and women
are not only capable of governing themselves, but that free, democratic
institutions are superior to any other. Our people have every right to expect
that their National Government perform its appointed tasks in a timely,
efficient, and courteous fashion.
When
I assumed office, I realized there were many tasks the Federal Government was
not performing as well as it might. I saw too many examples of government
inefficiency that tended to produce excessive costs, inadequate service, or
both. To correct these defects, I initiated a governmentwide
management improvement strategy that I called ``Reform '88.''
Our
first step was to ask one of the classic questions of good management: Should
we be performing a particular task at all? One of the root causes of waste and
inefficiency at the Federal level is that the Federal Government has taken on
responsibilities that lie outside its proper sphere of action. Accordingly,
wherever appropriate, we eliminated Federal regulatory programs and tried to
terminate other programs that are unnecessary or duplicative of private sector
activities. In other cases we returned Federal programs to the States or to the
private sector to operate. Administrative overhead was reduced and
cost-effectiveness enhanced by consolidating many Federal programs into block
grants and turning them over to the States. Similar gains were realized by
selling Government-owned enterprises like Conrail to private bidders. Further
gains can be made by increased use of private sector ancillary and support
services for activities where government plays a continuing role. In other
areas, the Federal Government can scale back operations and reduce barriers to
competition, in order to encourage private alternatives.
Second,
we launched an all-out campaign against fraud, waste, and abuse at the Federal
level. We expanded the role of our agency Inspectors General and made greater
use of oversight mechanisms such as internal controls. Over the past 7 years,
we have gone after the unscrupulous contractors who bilk the Pentagon, the
doctors who overcharge the Medicaid program, the welfare chiselers who collect
benefits to which they have no right, the embezzlers who line their pockets
with the taxpayers' money, and the deadbeats who evade taxes or will not repay
Federal loans. Individuals and corporations have been prosecuted to the fullest
extent of the law for cheating the government, and the number of abuses has
been substantially curtailed. As a result, billions of dollars have either been
saved or put to better use by Federal agencies.
Third,
we have worked to improve individual agency operations by managing the agencies
better and making their resources go further. Through intensive management
review of agency programs, implementation of the recommendations made by the
President's Private Sector Survey on Cost Control, and the budget review, we
homed in on unique agency problems and assisted their managers in solving them.
No major agency was exempt from this effort.
Fourth,
for the first time in history, we developed and are implementing governmentwide management systems to collect and analyze
information concerning finances, personnel, and other administrative
responsibilities. The Federal Government now has uniform accounting systems
that will soon be used by every Executive branch agency. The government's
credit policies and loan programs are likewise being carried out in a uniform
manner -- with the result that these credit programs are now being operated in
a manner comparable with practices in the private sector. In the same way, our
practices for handling cash receipts and disbursements have been improved, and
new technology has been applied to improve the timeliness of transactions and
reduce the potential for abuse. Information on the work performed by government
employees is now standardized and collected uniformly, as are details on
government property and procurement.
Lastly,
and most importantly, we are making Federal agencies more productive. I realize
that productivity, efficiency, and quality control are terms more often
associated with private, profit-making enterprises than with government. Yet, I
have long believed that they should apply to government as well. We owe our
``customers'' -- the American people -- the highest standards of service. Major
strides have been made in improving the timeliness and efficiency of Federal
Government operations. For example, a new automated passport system has enabled
the State Department to issue passports in about half the time it used to take
-- and the Department has done this at a time when passport applications have
increased by 20 percent. The Commerce Department is using a similar system to
speed the issuance of export licenses. The Food and Drug Administration has
reduced the time it takes to test and approve new medical devices by about
one-third -- without cutting corners on safety. The Federal Aviation
Administration is implementing new ways to speed passenger planes in and out of
airports. The Internal Revenue Service is accelerating the processing of tax
returns. And these are just a few of our many accomplishments.
Although
we have achieved much already, not every initiative we have begun will be
completed before the end of this Administration. Some additional implementing
work will remain, especially in completing systems for managing government
operations and in planning for the 21st century. Nevertheless, our work to date
will leave a firm foundation on which future Administrations can build. This is
the ``management legacy'' that my Administration will leave behind for our
successors.
The
record recounted here in this report to the Congress is one of solid
accomplishment -- a record that speaks for itself. This report is organized in
six parts:
First, this message to you on
what the management agenda for this Administration has been, and how far we
have gone toward implementing that agenda over the past 7 years.
Second, an overview of
government in the year 2000 and our plans to be prepared for the changes it
will require.
Third, a summary of
accomplishments and our goals for the coming year in our priority areas of
credit, financial management, productivity, improved services through
technology, procurement, and privatization.
Fourth, a description of the
roles played by key agencies such as the General Services Administration, the
Office of Personnel Management, and the Department of the Treasury, as well as
special organizations such as the President's Council on Management
Improvement, and the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency -- both of
which have been invaluable in their support and assistance. This section also
includes detailed plans, agency by agency, for the implementation of our goals
in each of our priority areas, and our legislative agenda.
Fifth, official reports to the
Congress, required each year, recording and analyzing our progress to date.
And
Sixth, a collection of additional data on
selected aspects of the management program.
I
have been deeply gratified by the professionalism and spirit of cooperation
with which Federal executives and employees have assisted in realizing the
management goals of this Administration. We can be very proud of our joint
effort to date, but on no account can we be content with what has been done so
far. Genuine reform will require continuing dedication and a devotion to stated
management goals that endures long after my time in office has expired.
If
we know anything about the future, we know that the pace of change -- already
swift -- will be even faster. It is no idle question to ask how democratic
institutions will manage to keep up. Americans in the 21st century will have additional,
and perhaps different, needs and expectations of their government. To meet
those needs and expectations, we must prepare now by overhauling, modernizing,
and streamlining the machinery of our Federal system.
Accordingly,
I have asked the President's Council on Management Improvement, working with my
Office of Domestic Affairs and the Office of Management and Budget, to review
these issues, and report to me in August of this year with recommendations for
actions to be taken.
The
result of their effort should be a blueprint for government in the 21st
century: better governance over those things that are truly Federal in nature,
increased responsiveness to the needs and demands of the American people, and
less taxpayer dollars spent on the administration of government.
A
more productive, better managed government, with a workforce that delivers
excellence -- this is an important part of the legacy I plan to leave to future
Presidents and the
Ronald
Reagan
Note: The message was
not issued as a White House press release.