PRESIDENT CLINTON:
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS Y2K READY

"Today, the facts are clear: we have done our job, we have met the deadline, and we have done it well below cost projections."

President Bill Clinton
Tuesday, December 14, 1999

Today, at the White House, President Clinton announced the findings of a report by the Office of Management and Budget showing that the federal government is ready for the year 2000. The report indicates that as of today, 99.9 percent of the government's mission-critical computer systems are Y2K compliant. The President thanked the thousands of federal employees and contractors who dedicated themselves to resolving the Y2K problem, and urged small businesses and local governments to make every effort to become Y2K compliant before the end of the year.

Ready for Y2K. In May 1997, when discussions began about the Y2K compliancy of federal government systems, only 21 percent of the government's more than 6,000 mission-critical systems were ready for the date change. Over the past 3 years, in what has probably been the single largest technology management challenge in history, thousands of federal workers and contractors dedicated themselves to readying the federal government for Y2K. Today, President Clinton announced the findings of OMB's last official quarterly report of the year, showing that the federal government is ready for the year 2000. According to the report:

• 99.9 percent of the federal government's mission-critical systems are fixed, tested, and certified for the date change. The eight remaining systems primarily provide internal administrative support in federal offices, and are scheduled to be completed in December.

• Over 97 percent of non-mission-critical systems are compliant, and the remaining systems are expected to be completed in December.

• 30 of the 43 state and local government programs (such as student aid, disaster relief, and Medicare) that directly affect people are Y2K ready.

• 99.6 percent of data exchanges between the federal government and state governments have been fixed. In addition, the vast majority of data exchanges between the federal government and the private sector are now Y2K compliant.

• The air traffic control system is ready. The Federal Aviation Administration finished work on the majority of its systems in June 1999, and has since undergone additional testing in order to provide further assurance.

• All biomedical devices and laboratory equipment used by federal agencies are ready.

• The majority of federally owned or managed buildings and government-leased buildings are Y2K compliant

• The vast majority of telecommunications systems and networks used by the federal government are ready.

Continuing to Enhance Our Readiness. Even if all federal systems are compliant, the possibility of glitches or problems with external parties still exists. As an additional safeguard, federal agencies will use the remainder of 1999 to refine and test continuity, contingency, and day one plans. In addition, President Clinton urged the private sector and state and local governments to make every effort to prepare their systems for the date change.

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