Let's get this out of the way: this is so in-the-weeds that down-up-under-the-dirt is probably a better descriptor. But let's see if we can't make this a little bit gripping, because it's actually rather important when it comes to the role of technology and science in Washington. (That adorable puppy to the right is there solely as cover in the very likely event that I don't succeed.) So, let's begin. There exists a teeny-weeny but enormously powerful office in the executive branch charged with imbuing all that the federal government does with, as Congress has phrased it, "the President's voice." You might, if you were being uncharitable, call the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs "the President's enforcer."

President George W. Bush, said critics, used OIRA to override the public interest in science, technology, and other public policymaking with political and business considerations. President Barack Obama has, supporters say, taken steps to ensure that OIRA never gets in the way of policymaking driven by science and the best possible technical research. The current controversy, though, is that some in Congress think that the Obama-era OIRA has thus far failed when it comes to an EPA database and tracking system known as IRIS for short (and the Integrated Risk Information System for long). President Obama and others in his Administration -- notably CIO Vivek Kundra -- have pledged to run technology projects in the spirit of efficiency and effectiveness. But OIRA, say some, is still letting politics trump research, despite what President Obama and his appointees might want to see happen.

On the off chance that you're not curled up under a table wishing you'd never started reading this item, go check out Aliya Sternstein's excellent reporting on the topic. (Puppy photo by J. Star)