White House OMB Board Proposes Elimination of Dozens of Unnecessary and Redundant Accounting Requirements on Federal Contractors

The Office of Management and Budget’s Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) Board proposed eliminating more than 60 outdated and overlapping accounting requirements that have forced federal contractors to maintain two duplicative sets of books for over 50 years.

Key Points:

• The reforms apply to nearly $750 billion in annual government contracts and cover areas like compensated leave, capital asset depreciation, and acquisition costs of material.
• Contractors will now rely on Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), which already ensure accountability and corporate transparency in the private sector.
• The administration argues this will cut costs, reduce waste, and remove barriers that discourage companies from competing for federal work.
• Oversight burdens will be reduced, with greater reliance on existing financial audits for GAAP compliance.
• Rulemaking is expected to be finalized early next year, while related efforts aim to streamline the 2,000-page Federal Acquisition Regulation to its statutory core.

The Trump Administration frames this as part of its broader deregulation agenda, designed to modernize procurement, improve efficiency, and protect taxpayer value.