Congress

  • The federal government is supposed to be four years into an effort to inventory all the programs it runs. But that effort hasn't made it very far. The inventory is a requirement of the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010. Chris Mihm is managing director of Strategic Issues at GAO. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he shared recommendations to help OMB find duplicative programs to cut.

    November 10, 2014
  • To predict the future, sometimes you have to alter the past. That's one of the lessons Mike Causey learned in a recent column about the mid-term elections.

    November 10, 2014
  • In a letter to the Congressional Budget Office director, Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) expressed their interest to revamp the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). NTEU president Colleen Kelley said the reforms would simply raise costs for federal workers.

    November 07, 2014
  • Now that the final votes have been counted in the 2014 midterm elections, Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, said she's hoping that some new members will fight for the interests of government workers.

    November 06, 2014
  • Contracting officers have a lot of authority when it comes to deciding who wins federal contracts, but they don't have unlimited discretion. That's what the contracting officer who awarded a deal to USIS found out. In a sustaining protest, the Government Accountability Office says the contracting officer should have paid more attention to allegations of fraud against the company. In this week's Legal Loop segment, Procurement Attorney Joe Petrillo joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to discuss this case.

    November 06, 2014
  • The campaigning is done and the votes are in. Republicans will soon gain control of the Senate for the first time since 2007, and they've widened their lead in the House. So what can feds expect from their newly elected officials? Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to share her perspective.

    November 06, 2014
  • Experts from both sides of the aisle expect the Senate and House to coordinate investigations and hearings on executive branch programs. The budget and the confirmation processes also will become more difficult.

    November 06, 2014
  • If you're consistently right 50 percent of the time, maybe there's a career for you in political punditry, says Senior Correspondent Mike Causey.

    November 06, 2014
  • Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has said he wants to increase security at federal buildings. But the FPS, the agency responsible for doing so, may not be up to the task. GAO's Mark Goldstein said the FPS has a number of long-standing problems to solve before it can adequately protect anyone.

    November 05, 2014
  • Federal workforce issues could face challenges as a result of yesterday's elections. Republicans beginning in January will regain a majority in Senate while adding 14 seats to their lead in the House. What will this all mean to federal employees and agencies? Dan Blair is president and CEO of the National Academy of Public Administration. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with analysis.

    November 05, 2014
  • House Oversight and Government Reform and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees agree on trimmed down version of the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA). Now it's up to the armed services committees to keep FITARA in the Defense Authorization bill.

    November 05, 2014
  • Federal News Radio examines what the winners of the midterm elections in Maryland, DC and Virginia could do for federal employees.

    November 04, 2014
  • After a gunman opened fire at Canada's National War Memorial and Parliament, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said he wants to beef up security at federal buildings. But as Mark Goldstein, GAO's director of physical infrastructure issues, explained on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin, more security means a greater workload for the Federal Protective Service. Reports from the Government Accountability Office show the small agency isn't always prepared for new threats.

    November 04, 2014
  • The good news, for federal and postal workers, military personnel and retirees, is that they can vote for their "board of directors" today at the polls, says Senior Correspondent Mike Causey.

    November 04, 2014