The Chief Information Officers (CIO) Council was established by Executive Order 13011, Federal Information Technology, on July 16, 1996. A charter for the Council was adopted on February 20, 1997. The CIO Council serves as the principal interagency forum for improving practices in the design, modernization, use, sharing, and performance of federal government agency information resources. The Council's role includes developing recommendations for information technology management policies, procedures, and standards; identifying opportunities to share information resources; and assessing and addressing the needs of the federal government's IT workforce.

The Chair of the CIO Council is the Deputy Director for Management for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Vice Chair is elected by the CIO Council from its membership.