Congress

  • The spending bill for the rest of fiscal 2015 -- except for the Homeland Security Department -- is on President Obama's desk, waiting for his signature. Congress was supposed to be gone by now; but, the Senate is still in session, and they may not leave for a while. David Hawkings is Senior Editor at Roll Call and writes the Hawkings Here blog. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he described the confirmation parade the Senate is on.

    December 15, 2014
  • 17 federal contractors each claim to know the best way to modernize the retirement system at the Office of Personnel Management. Those vendors pitched their ideas to OPM at an Industry Day earlier this year, and now the agency's gearing up for its fifth attempt to modernize its system. Valerie Melvin is Director of Information Management and Technology Resources Issues at the Government Accountability Office. On In Depth with Francis Rose, she said OPM needs to weigh its options carefully so the fifth try is the one that finally sticks.

    December 15, 2014
  • Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) says "bipartisanship is not extinct" in his farewell speech to Congress. Wastebook author Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) says oversight is a duty that many senators continue to ignore.

    December 15, 2014
  • By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama’s pick to head the Social Security Administration has run into more trouble after Senate Democrats canceled a procedural vote on her nomination. Obama nominated…

    December 15, 2014
  • The passage of five cybersecurity bills by Congress in the past week signals a long-coming and much needed change to how agencies defend their computer networks and hire the people to do that critical work.

    December 15, 2014
  • NASA's launch and re-entry of its Orion space capsule proved the vehicle might safely carry people into deep space. Someday. But when? That's the question NASA faces as it tries to meet ambitious deadlines with limited funds. A big challenge is developing the vehicle, the rocket necessary to launch it past the moon and the ground station support so they're all ready at the same time. The Government Accountability Office has been on top of this. Christina Chaplain, the director of acquisition and sourcing management issues at GAO joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to examine the agency's findings.

    December 15, 2014
  • An interesting bid protest decision flew under the radar that signals yet another challenge to FedBid, the reverse auction contractor.

    December 15, 2014
  • By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Advocates for greater openness in government were frustrated after Congress failed to update the Freedom of Information Act despite bipartisan support in the House and Senate. Without…

    December 13, 2014
  • By DONNA CASSATA Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress on Friday sent President Barack Obama a massive defense policy bill that endorses his stepped-up military campaign of air strikes and training of Iraqis and moderate…

    December 13, 2014
  • About $490 billion go to defense spending in 2015, that's just under the $500 billion cap congressional budget leaders Pat Murray and Paul Ryan set last year. Overseas Contingency Operations get $64 billion in fiscal 2015. Gordon Adams, distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center and a professor of international relations at American University, writes about the deal in Foreign Policy magazine. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose that the defense spending deal and the OCO budget is more of a "shell game" that Congress can tap into to buy what it wants.

    December 12, 2014
  • The goal of S. 1691, or the 2014 Border Patrol Agent Pay Reform Act, is to address and streamline Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime (AUO), the extra pay agents receive when their work demands they remain on the job beyond scheduled hours.

    December 12, 2014
  • Congress has passed a bill that will automatically enroll new federal employees in the Thrift Savings Plan's Lifecycle Funds (L Funds), rather than the Government Securities Investment Fund (G Fund).

    December 12, 2014
  • By DAVID ESPO and ANDREW TAYLOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Swapping crisis for compromise, the House narrowly approved $1.1 trillion in government-wide spending Thursday night after President Barack Obama and Republicans joined forces to…

    December 12, 2014
  • As a matter of "caution," the Office of Management and Budget discussed shutdown contingencies with agencies today as Congress continues to debate a bipartisan budget deal. Federal funding runs out at 12:01 a.m. Friday.

    December 11, 2014