Congress

• White House adds another layer to executive cyber powers

  President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order giving agencies the ability to recommend economic sanctions against cyber attackers and their supporters. As the President signed this latest order, Congress seems closer than ever to passing a cyber information sharing bill.

  Congress

  April 02, 2015
• New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez indicted on corruption charges

  Sen. Bob Menendez, the son of Cuban immigrants who rose to become one of the highest-ranking Hispanic members of Congress, was charged Wednesday with accepting nearly $1 million in gifts and campaign contributions from a longtime friend in exchange for a stream of political favors.

  Congress

  April 02, 2015
• Nabors promoted to VA chief of staff

  The Veterans Affairs secretary has picked a White House veteran to be his new chief of staff, replacing Joe Riojas. Riojas has been with VA since 2009 and is leaving government.

  Congress

  April 01, 2015
• IRS declares enough is enough for hiring freezes

  The Internal Revenue Service has frozen or severely restricted all new hiring for the past several years in response to budget cuts. But IRS Commissioner John Koskinen told senior agency officials to lift the freeze next year.

  Budget

  April 01, 2015
• SES members troubled by prospect of at-will employment

  A new survey shows just how jittery Senior Executive Service members are following a landmark law targeting SES members in the Veterans Affairs Department. When asked about at-will employment, SES members questioned their choice of careers and said they would not recommend it to others.

  Congress

  April 01, 2015
• Congress to feds: Do union work on your own time

  Two Georgia lawmakers have both introduced bills that would bar federal employees from conducting union work while on the clock. OPM data shows official time has been on the rise since fiscal 2008.

  Congress

  March 31, 2015
• Rich Wilkinson, Vice President for Client Services, NeoSystems

  The Defense Contract Audit Agency has a backlog of around five years worth of Incurred Cost Submissions it needs to audit. The Government Accountability Office, the DoD Inspector General and Congress have all been critical of DCAA's inability to address the backlog. Now the agency is taking aggressive, and somewhat unusual, measures to address the problem. A policy memo went out recently with requirements for the agency's auditors; attached was a list exposing around 1,000 delinquent contractors. Rich Wilkinson is vice president for client services for NeoSystems. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to explain how contractors should handle the situation.

  Federal Drive

  March 31, 2015
• Mark Goldstein, Physical Infrastructure Issues Director, GAO

  Federal agencies are continuously adding security upgrades to their buildings to better protect their employees. But some agencies plan their upgrades in ways that can hide how much money they spend. Mark Goldstein is director of physical infrastructure issues at the Government Accountability Office. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he explained ways to better plan those security upgrades to make sure agencies don't spend too much money on them.

  All News

  March 30, 2015
• Congressman Hurd flashes IT oversight muscle at DHS

  In his new two-page bill, the Department of Homeland Security IT Duplication Reduction Act, Congressman Will Hurd is calling on the DHS chief information officer to reduce the number of IT systems used by the agency. This story is part of Federal News Radio's weekly feature, Inside the Reporter's Notebook.

  Congress

  March 30, 2015
• Inside the Reporter’s Notebook: OFPP procurement reform; IT oversight at DHS; longtime execs retire

  In this week's edition of Inside the Reporter's Notebook, Executive Editor Jason Miller examines the unintended consequences of 1990s procurement reform and how OFPP plans to address them. Plus, multiple congressmen crack down on duplication issues at the Department of Homeland Security. Also in this edition, what's behind the retirement of a long-time CIO at Education and a procurement executive at Veterans Affairs?

  Congress

  March 30, 2015
• Pugnacious Reid retiring, wants Schumer as Senate Dem leader

  By CHARLES BABINGTON and ERICA WERNER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, a pugnacious and glamour-averse tactician who united Democrats to help deliver tough victories for President Barack Obama, said Friday…

  Congress

  March 28, 2015
• GOP-controlled Senate ok’s budget plan

  The Republican-controlled Senate has approved a balanced-budget plan that calls for trillions in spending cuts and repeal of the controversial health care law to erase red ink by the end of the coming decade.

  Budget

  March 27, 2015
• Senate pushes conservative budget toward approval

  By DAVID ESPO and ERICA WERNER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans pushed a balanced-budget blueprint toward post-midnight Senate approval early Friday, laying down conservative markers for a likely veto struggle with President Barack Obama…

  Budget

  March 27, 2015
• Pay, pension and TSP ‘take-aways’ you didn’t order

  In England and in some parts of this country, a "take away" is when you order a popular fast food and take it home with you. In Washington "take away" is the legislative-political equivalent of bend-over-and-smile-this-is-going-to-hurt-you-more-than-me, says Senior Correspondent Mike Causey.

  Mike Causey

  March 27, 2015