The earmarks article by Dave Nyczepir analyzes the debate that took place in Capitol Hill on who was best at the allocation of federal funds. In light to criminal abuses such as less transparency of the unelected bureaucrats, the Democrats were attempting to make the process more transparent by requesting for justifications of the earmarks (Nyczepir, 2018) . The earmarks should be reinstated to prioritize the projects of states and localities because they would bring the Democrats and Republicans together to do something better for their districts. They both lamented over the erosion of Congressional authority and allocation of federal funds. Most of the members were on board with earmarks except a few Republicans who did not support it.
In his article, Eric Katz (2018) argued that the Federal agencies were failing to catch bad supervisors early enough. He argues that the agencies are not taking advantage of their authorities to eliminate managers and supervisors who do not have necessary skills; instead, they allow them to continue with their jobs. The quasi-judicial executive agency, which was tasked to enforce civil service laws, did not accurately reflect the number of managers who don’t have the abilities (Katz, 2018). Approximately six out of every 1000 new supervisors were failing to advance out of probation. Most of the agencies often fear to make the supervisors uncomfortable and discomfort in taking negative actions have been a problem in the government. Other factors that made the agencies fail to take action include lack of time for top management to work with those in probation, limited performance evaluation and misunderstandings about the available tools.
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Charles Clark argues that agency employees are frustrated on why the Freedom of Information Act (FIOA) does not apply to the Congress itself. In the past year, the reform bills clearing the Congress do not clearly show the disclosure on the demands of the lawmakers. FIOA applies that, they are either obtained or created by an agency and under agency control (Clark, 2016). The government, however, argues that Congress is a subject to FIOA because it increases public interests and the functionality of organizations. Another reason is the format of FIOA which was enacted as an amendment of Administrative procedure act in 1946 so that it could go before the right congressional committees. For a longer period, the Congress has been open with the committee hearing reports and the only exception promoting transparency group’s activism is the CRS reports.
Feldman and Harris postulate that for the government to have high performance, its deputy secretaries need to act as chief operating officers. Legislation has been pending in the Congress giving the Federal department a reason to have chief data officer and chief evaluation officer. Data-driven decision making would also be advanced by the bill which is based on recommendations from the commission on evidence policy. The new legislation cannot be enough if it stands alone (Fieldman & Harris, 2017) . There is a need for a stronger COO to play quarterback for them to corral the various chiefs within the department into a coordinated approach. By taking the four steps of the multipronged approach, the Congress and Executive branch should encourage the deputy secretaries to fill the roles of COO for better taxpayer values and outcomes for the people of America.
References
Clark, C. (2016). Why FOIA Obligations Don't Apply to Congress. Retrieved from http://www.govexec.com/management/2016/03/why-foia-obligations-dont-apply-congress/126982/
Fieldman, A., & Harris, S. (2017). For High-Performance Government, Deputy Secretaries Need to Act Like Chief Operating Officers. Retrieved from http://www.govexec.com/excellence/management-matters/2017/12/high-performance-government-deputy-secretaries-need-act-chief-operating-officers/144671/?oref=govexec_today_nl
Katz, E. (2018). Agencies Aren't Catching Bad Supervisors Early Enough. Retrieved from http://www.govexec.com/management/2018/01/agencies-arent-catching-bad-supervisors-early-enough/145101/?oref=govexec_today_pm_nl
Nyczepir, D. (2018). Do Congressional Earmarks Better Prioritize the Projects States and Localities Need?. Retrieved from http://www.routefifty.com/infrastructure/2018/01/congress-earmarks-states-localities/145258/
