New technological advancements have the potential to make the government more efficient and save substantial amounts of money for taxpayers -- but only if government red tape doesn’t get in the way. Unfortunately, efforts to modernize information technology at the Pentagon via the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) project could be imperiled by bureaucratic delays, unless the right balance between oversight and nimble decision-making can be maintained.
This isn’t a new problem. Earlier this year, NTU sent a letter to Congress urging an “open, fair, and competitive” process that would implement cutting-edge, cloud-based computing at the Department of Defense. Accelerating the glacial pace of change in this area of government has been a serious challenge.
The latest delay comes courtesy of the House version of the Defense appropriations bill. H.R. 6157 includes a provision that would “fence off” funding for the JEDI contract. This would block resources for at least 90 days and require additional reporting before the process can continue. While some claim this hurdle is necessary to provide additional oversight, the White House certainly disagrees.
In its Statement of Administrative Policy, the Trump Administration, “recognizes the importance of proper congressional oversight and appreciates the Committee’s interest in and support for these efforts, but is concerned that language in section 8130 of the bill is overly prescriptive and creates a burdensome reporting requirement.”
In short, the White House believes this is an unwarranted delay tactic. If they’re indeed right, taxpayers will suffer, ironically defeating the purpose of genuine oversight. The federal government has a notorious and unacceptable history of bureaucratic red tape and wasteful spending that should not be allowed to continue. It’s time to move forward with a transparent, open, prudently monitored, and competitive JEDI process -- and take a significant step toward a modernized government IT structure.