Obama Calls for Tech Expertise in Government

President Barack Obama today (July 8) described efforts to use technology to make the government smarter and more efficient. These efforts include making government data available online to the public, bringing people with tech expertise into government, and eliminating bureaucracy. Obama said these initiatives will make government smarter and more accountable.

"We've made some good progress on all fronts, but now we need to do more," Obama said in a statement today at the White House.

Now, people can visit the site Whitehouse.gov to see their taxpayer receipt, he said. Or they can search through tens of thousands of datasets on Data.gov, on anything from the cost of hospital procedures to climate information. The president mentioned hiring new cabinet members and "presidential innovation fellows" — Americans with private sector technology expertise. Obama discussed efforts to update government websites and forms to make them more user-friendly. He called on innovators and entrepreneurs to serve the government, saying, "We've got to have the brightest minds to solve our [nation's] challenges." 

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