State of the union

摘要

It took five years, about $2 billion, and threats about firing its main contractors over delays and cost overruns before the Internal Revenue Service's modernized IT system started handling its first —and only a few—taxpayer files last tax season. The FBI burned $170 million on a system critical to managing and sharing files, only to bury the effort and start over. Well-known fiascos like these leave taxpayers wondering: Is government IT doomed to fail? Do problems like lower salaries and inflexible budget cycles mean we'll see more of these blowups? It's a $65 billion question.