Remarks Following a Meeting With the President's Management Council

It's been my pleasure to meet with members of my administration on a very important topic, and that is, how do we make sure that the taxpayers' money we're spending is getting the results we want. And I appreciate Clay Johnson of the OMB staff. And I appreciate the Director for spearheading this project, which says to our agencies, it's important to set clear goals and to set priorities for the dollars we spend. And once a goal is set, a goal that everybody can understand, it's important to make sure we measure to determine whether or not we're achieving the results.

See, the people expect—when they send their money up there—expect us to achieve certain results. And so we've been through a rigorous process in this administration of judging agencies' ability to get results, and I will tell you our agencies are responding well. It's important to measure results so that we know we're doing our job. It's also important to measure results to determine whether or not the taxpayers' money is being spent wisely.

We've all dedicated ourselves to rallying around this model. We are results-oriented people, and we work on behalf of the taxpayers. And when we find wasteful spending, we work to eliminate it. When we find a program that is making a significant difference, we work to enhance it. And we are getting results for the people. And I want to thank everybody around this table for being public servants, people who are willing to serve the public and bring dignity to the process.

I want you to go back to your agencies and thank those who are working hard on behalf of the American people as well. Thank you.