Congress

  • The chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee sent three letters-- one to OPM, one to DHS and one to one of OPM's main technology contractors, Imperatis Corp., seeking answers to a variety of questions.

    August 19, 2015
  • Just when Congress is considering tougher penalties for Veterans Affairs employees engaged in misconduct, the Senior Executives Association and the Federal Managers Association have asked lawmakers to investigate a "hit list" created by the American Federation of Government Employees, VA's largest labor union.

    August 19, 2015
  • Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Congress should starting working now on a budget deal for the beginning of fiscal 2016. A deal is likely to be at the top of the list of priorities when Congress comes back Sept.8. Jessica Klement, legislative director of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees association, tells In Depth with Francis Rose, she's already anticipating the challenges when Congress comes back.

    August 18, 2015
  • Senate Democrats want to launch bipartisan budget talks now. Wait any longer, they say, and it could be too late to stave off cuts or even a government shutdown.

    August 18, 2015
  • The Presidential Innovation Fellows Program is now a permanent fixture in the federal government. President Barack Obama issued an executive order Monday grouping the PIF program under the General Services Administration with an advisory board to oversee…

    August 18, 2015
  • Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has promised that Congress will not shut down the government or threaten to default on the national debt. To do that, they'll need to pass a spending bill after the August recess and then address the debt ceiling. The Bipartisan Policy Center predicts a deadline for raising the borrowing cap will fall in November or December. Steve Bell is senior director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with more on the budget outlook.

    August 17, 2015
  • The list of items likely to spark major fights — or at least some distraction - once Congress returns is growing. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) promises no more government shutdowns. Democrats called for budget negotiations to start last month. But Roll Call reports Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said no debates have started yet. Tom Shoop is editor in chief at Government Executive magazine. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose that McConnell is making a promise that he doesn't have the power to keep.

    August 14, 2015
  • The house has passed a bill that makes it easier and quicker to fire Veterans Affairs employees. Some see Congress’ latest drive to hold government accountable as noble. Others see it as an impending civil rights violation. Susan Tsui Grundmann is chairman of the Merit Systems Protection Board. As Federal News Radio’s Emily Kopp report, she falls into the latter category.

    August 13, 2015
  • Exclusive: The Veterans Affairs Department Secretary’s idea to create “Veterans.gov” is so good, the Labor Department already did it.

    August 12, 2015
  • Michael Horowitz, inspector general at the Justice Department, says a recent decision by his agency's Office of Legal Counsel threatens the independent oversight of all IGs.

    August 12, 2015
  • Agencies are under an Aug. 15 deadline to describe how they’ll implement the a key part of the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act. As part of a forthcoming FITARA dashboard, OMB wants to broadcast those plans as widely as possible.

    August 12, 2015
  • A recent decision from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel says inspectors general must get permission from their agencies before gaining access to certain documents like grand jury, wiretap and credit information. The inspector general community says it's another attack against the independent oversight at the center of their responsibilities. The Senate Judiciary Committee largely agrees. Michael Horowitz is the inspector general at the Justice Department and director of the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. He's leading the charge against the OLC's latest decision and tells In Depth with Francis Rose why it would make his job more difficult.

    August 11, 2015
  • A cyber breach at the Food and Drug Administration back in 2013 -- and hacks against other Health and Human Services Department components -- could have been stopped if the department's chief information officer and chief information security officer function separately. That's according to a new report from the House Energy and Commerce Committee. It says CISOs would do a better job protecting their agencies from cyber threats from the department's legal office rather than the CIO office. John Teeter is a former deputy chief information officer and acting CIO for HHS and is now a health IT consultant. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose about the different responsibilities for CIOs and CISOs and how they work together.

    August 11, 2015
  • The House Energy and Commerce Committee proposes moving the Chief Information Security Officer's job at the Department of Health and Human Services. A report from Republicans on the committee suggests moving the CISO job from the IT shop to the legal counsel's office. Federal News Radio's Emily Kopp explains why the legislators believe the agency would be better off with the CISO reporting to lawyers instead of IT experts.

    August 10, 2015