Obama names chief tech officer

President Barack Obama on Saturday chose two Indian-Americans to help to streamline the federal government and cut costs.

Obama named Aneesh Chopra, the Harvard-educated secretary of technology for the state of Virginia, as the federal government's first chief technology officer. Chopra, 36, will help reduce health care costs and foster cybersecurity.

"In this role, Aneesh will promote technological innovation to help achieve our most urgent priorities - from creating jobs and reducing health care costs to keeping our nation secure," Obama said in his Saturday radio and Internet address.

Chopra's corporate experience included working as managing director of the Advisory Board Company, a Washington-based health research company.

Another Indian-American, Vivek Kundra, will serve as chief information officer. Kundra is responsible for "responsible for setting technology policy across the government, and using technology to improve security, ensure transparency, and lower costs," Obama said.

Obama also named Jeffrey Zients, a longtime management consultant, as chief performance officer. His selection comes after Obama's first choice for the newly created position, Nancy Killefer, withdrew in February over tax problems. Zients, a founder and managing partner of the investment firm Portfolio Logic, will also serve as a deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget.

"With the leadership of these individuals, I am confident that we can break our bad habits, put an end to the mismanagement that has plagued our government and start living within our means again," Obama said. "That is how we will get our deficits under control and move from recovery to prosperity."

On Feb. 3, Killefer, a senior partner at McKinsey & Co., withdrew her candidacy to be chief performance officer, saying she didn't want her mishandling of payroll taxes on her household help to become a distraction

but what can Indians do to prevent themselves from enjoying an opportunity to contribute, that America is providing? Surely it is the latter, and specifically, Americans, who need to control this.

I don’t Own a Congressman......I wish I did. The Unions Bought themselves a President, and BHO has been Visiting Europe, and Now South America, etc.... No telling who is going to OWN OBAMA when he returns.

Enforce the Laws on the Books, Illegal immigrants crossing the Border in Texas, Arizona, California are all examples of laws not being enforced. If you find them, you deport them.

H1B Visa laws have no Teeth, and everyone is ignoring the Letter of the law, or pushing up the TOTAL H1B’s each year, and NEVER lowering it.

It is bad enough that the Corporations go offshore, but we should set some Limit of who can come in and Immigrate...11% of the Mexican Citizens by Birth, LIVE in the USA. DUHHH...and guess where they send their American Dollars ?

Indians from India send some of their money home also.....It is not a Good Business Model for American workers, it is a better model for Foreign workers, and it is out of Control.

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