Government News

• US, Philippines agree to larger American military presence

  The United States and the Philippines have announced plans to expand America's military presence in the Southeast Asian nation, with access to four more bases as they seek to deter China’s increasingly aggressive actions toward Taiwan and in the disputed South China Sea. The agreement was reached as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in the country for talks about deploying U.S. forces and weapons in more Philippine military camps. In a joint announcement Thursday by the Philippines and the U.S., the two said they had decided to accelerate the full implementation of their so-called Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which aims to support combined training, exercises and interoperability.

  Defense

  February 01, 2023
• Yellen tells Congress US expected to hit debt limit Thursday

  Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has notified Congress that the U.S. is projected to reach its debt limit on Thursday and will then resort to “extraordinary measures” to avoid default.

  TSP

  January 13, 2023
• UFO reports rise to 510, not aliens but still a threat to US

  The U.S. has now collected 510 reports of unidentified flying objects, many of which are flying in sensitive military airspace. That's according to a declassified intelligence report summary released Thursday.

  Defense

  January 13, 2023
• Computer breakdown sows chaos across US air travel system

  Thousands of flights across the U.S. were canceled or delayed after a system that offers safety information to pilots failed. The government launched an investigation into the breakdown, which grounded some planes for hours. The Federal Aviation Administration said preliminary indications traced the outage to a damaged database file.

  Technology

  January 11, 2023
• Pentagon drops COVID-19 vaccine mandate for troops

  The Pentagon has formally dropped its COVID-19 vaccination mandate, but a new memo signed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also gives commanders some discretion in how or whether to deploy troops who are not vaccinated.

  Defense

  January 10, 2023
• Having elected House speaker, Republicans try governing

  Kevin McCarthy has passed his first tests as House speaker as Republican lawmakers approved their rules package governing House operations. It was approved 220-213, a party-line vote with one Republican opposed.

  Congress

  January 09, 2023
• How does locality pay actually work, and where did it come from?

  Explaining the history of locality pay and how it affects federal employees on the General Schedule.

  Pay

  January 05, 2023
• What Thrift Savings Plan participants can look forward to this year

  No one is looking back fondly on last year when it comes to the Thrift Savings Plan. The markets had a terrible year across the board.

  TSP

  January 05, 2023
• How federal financial people keep their skills up to date

  You might think chief financial officers count beans and leaf through spreadsheets. But their profession needs training, skills development, and innovation as much as anyone else. A project at the Office of Personnel Management sought to ensure financial people stay up to date.

  Technology

  January 04, 2023
• Biden signs $1.7 trillion bill funding government operations

  President Joe Biden has signed a $1.7 trillion bill funding government operations through September 2023, the end of the federal budget year.

  Budget

  December 29, 2022
• Biden signs bill to keep government open through Dec. 23

  President Joe Biden has signed legislation to fund the government for an additional week as lawmakers race to finish work on a full-year spending package before they head home for the holidays and a new Congress is sworn in. Congress in September passed a bill to keep the government running through midnight Friday. The latest extension funds federal agencies through Dec. 23. That will give lawmakers more time to fashion a roughly $1.7 trillion package currently being negotiated that would finance the day-to-day operations of government agencies for the full fiscal year.

  Government Shutdown

  December 16, 2022
• Biden urges veterans to seek health benefits under new law

  President Joe Biden has visited a National Guard facility in Delaware to talk about expanded veterans benefits for exposure to toxins under legislation that he signed in August. The National Guard facility is named after his late son, Beau Biden, who served as a major in Iraq and later died of brain cancer. The president has said he believes his son's fatal illness stemmed from his exposure to “burn pits” in Iraq. The new law, known as the PACT Act, helps veterans get screened and treated for toxins that could include Agent Orange, which was used for deforestation during the Vietnam War, or burn pits, where trash was destroyed on military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.

  Veterans Affairs

  December 16, 2022
• Lawmakers announce ‘framework’ on bill to keep gov’t open

  Lawmakers leading the negotiations on a bill to fund the federal government for the current fiscal year say they’ve reached agreement on a “framework” that should allow them to complete work on the bill over the next week and avoid a government shutdown.

  Government Shutdown

  December 14, 2022
• Congress eyes one week of funding to avoid government shutdown

  Congress will likely have to fund the government for one week to avoid a partial government shutdown. That's according to Sen. Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, who said Monday there are “positive and productive" conversations happening about a longer-term spending package. Congress faces a midnight Friday deadline to fund the government and prevent a partial stoppage. A vote to extend that deadline by one week gives negotiators more time, but also pushes back the deadline to Dec. 23, closer to the holidays. Lawmakers are hoping to attach an array of other priorities to the final spending bill, including $37 billion in Ukraine aid.

  Congress

  December 12, 2022