Sneak Preview: Management Agenda Overview Details Strategy for Financial Assistance
(The following was excerpted from a recent Thompson Grants 360 article.) Although specific details remain to be seen, the accountable administration of federal financial assistance ― particularly as it refers to programs that reduce climate-related risks and promote recipient equity ― is a key strategy in meeting a governmentwide priority listed in a recently released overview of the Biden Administration’s presidential management agenda (PMA).
The PMA defines governmentwide management priorities for all federal agencies to improve how government operates and performs. Unlike the 2018 PMA issued by the Trump Administration, which listed various cross-agency priority (CAP) goals to promote effective government, including one entitled “Results-Oriented Accountability for Grants” (CAP goal 8) that aimed to standardize grant-related data and promote grant programs that focus on performance and results, the current document, called “The Biden-Harris Management Agenda Vision,” discusses the administration’s overall strategy to improve government, but does not include specific CAP goals. It focuses on three priorities: (1) strengthening and empowering the federal workforce; (2) delivering excellent federal services and improved customer experience; and (3) managing the business of government to support the president’s mission to “build back better.”
Under this third priority, the administration includes two strategies ― one addressing federal contracts and another focusing on federal grants and cooperative agreements. Under the latter strategy, the document states that the administration seeks to build capacity in federal financial management and through federal financial assistance “to catalyze American industrial strategy, address climate-related risks and deliver equitable results.” Since taking office, President Biden has emphasized the need to take action to combat climate change, and to promote racial equity and support underserved communities.
“Strategic management and oversight of federal financial resources, including federal financial assistance, can help build capacity and strengthen American industry, maximizing federal funding allocated to U.S. products in critical supply chains and incentivizing strong workplace practices — such as good pay, safe workplaces and freedom for workers to organize, bargain collectively and have their voices heard — among financial assistance recipients,” the document explains.
(The full version of this story has now been made available to all for a limited time here.)
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