In partnership, researchers from PolicyLink and the Urban Institute offered public comment on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs’ (OIRA) recent proposed revisions to Circulars A-4 and A-94. As the author and enforcer of large-scale policy change, and as one of the largest procurers in the American economy, the federal government is strongly positioned to ensure that the impact of federal investments is fiscally beneficial to all. To do so, the federal government must embrace both its legal authority and fiscal responsibility to advance people-centered, race- and class- conscious approaches to impact analysis alongside current cost-benefit analyses. The authors of the letter encourage and urge OIRA and federal agencies to consider additional revisions and/or accompanying guidance and tools that might center the well-being of people (and particularly low-income people and people of color who have experienced persistent discrimination), acknowledge systemic inequities, and proactively use federal funds to repair those inequities so all people can thrive.
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