31 U.S.C. § 1101: Definitions

“agency” includes the District of Columbia government but does not include the legislative branch or the Supreme Court. funds; authority to make obligations by contract before appropriations; and other authority making amounts available for obligation or expenditure. creating any right, privilege, benefit, or entitlement for any person who is not an officer or employee of the United States acting in such capacity, and no person who is not an officer or employee of the United States acting in such capacity shall have standing to file any civil action in a court of the United States to enforce any provision or amendment made by this Act; or superseding any statutory requirement, including any requirement under section 553 of title 5 , United States Code.” waste and inefficiency in Federal programs undermine the confidence of the American people in the Government and reduces the Federal Government’s ability to address adequately vital public needs; Federal managers are seriously disadvantaged in their efforts to improve program efficiency and effectiveness, because of insufficient articulation of program goals and inadequate information on program performance; and congressional policymaking, spending decisions and program oversight are seriously handicapped by insufficient attention to program performance and results. improve the confidence of the American people in the capability of the Federal Government, by systematically holding Federal agencies accountable for achieving program results; initiate program performance reform with a series of pilot projects in setting program goals, measuring program performance against those goals, and reporting publicly on their progress; improve Federal program effectiveness and public accountability by promoting a new focus on results, service quality, and customer satisfaction; help Federal managers improve service delivery, by requiring that they plan for meeting program objectives and by providing them with information about program results and service quality; improve congressional decisionmaking by providing more objective information on achieving statutory objectives, and on the relative effectiveness and efficiency of Federal programs and spending; and improve internal management of the Federal Government.”