Congress

  • The General Accounting Office became the Government Accountability Office in 2004, helping cement an ongoing shift — from strictly financial accounting to broad program evaluations — at the congressional watchdog agency.

    April 09, 2012
  • Federal News Radio set out to find out what it takes to produce a Government Accountability Office report. It turns out, a lot of hard work, a handful of dedicated employees, the patience for hours of painstaking research and maybe even some good old-fashioned detective work.

    April 09, 2012
  • The Government Accountability Office issues hundreds of reports each year detailing billions of dollars in cost-savings. Its role is considered essential to the congressional oversight process. But last year, Congress cut the agency's budget.

    April 09, 2012
  • During a briefing Wednesday with General Services Administration Inspector General Brian Miller, members of Congress learned of a GSA program that awarded employees $200,000 worth of electronics and gift cards. Congressmen Jeff Denham and John Mica have now asked the IG for the internal report.

    April 06, 2012
  • Several advocacy groups have raised major civil-liberties concerns about pending cybersecurity legislation, claiming the language may unfairly expose personal information and punish those who hide it.

    April 05, 2012
  • Asif Khan, the director of financial management and assurance at GAO, and Mike Sullivan, the director of Acquisition and Sourcing Management Issues, joined Pentagon Solutions with Francis Rose to discuss two recent GAO report.

    April 04, 2012
  • Lawmakers should get their rest and relaxation now, because they've got lots to do when they get back from their recess. There will be hearings on federal conferences in the wake of the scandal at the General Services Administration, plus competing Postal Service, budget and cybersecurity bills. Federal News Radio asked Pete Kasperowicz at The Hill newspaper for his predictions.

    April 04, 2012
  • President Barack Obama signed legislation Wednesday prohibiting members of Congress, the President and thousands of federal workers from engaging in insider trading. Under the law, lawmakers and government employees will be required to report certain financial transactions within 45 days of the initial trade. Those reports — which now are typically only available upon request — will be made available on agency websites and, eventually, on searchable databases.

    April 04, 2012
  • Issues related to federal employees and their pay and benefits have played a starring role in the competing budget proposals introduced by the White House and lawmakers alike. Find highlights from how the proposed budgets would affect federal employees as well as how they've fared so far in Congress

    April 04, 2012
  • While Congress debates several new cybersecurity bills, a Congressional Research Service reports shows the government is already involved in regulating cybersecurity.

    April 04, 2012
  • Jim Harper, senior policy analyst at the conservative Cato Institute, says that some of the cybersecurity bills Congress is considering are overreaching and may be unnecessary in the long run.

    April 04, 2012
  • The chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said he will hold a hearing when Congress returns from recess on the scathing IG report and other shortcoming at GSA's Public Building Service. Scott Amey of POGO said the management failures at GSA show a systemic problem.

    April 04, 2012
  • President Obama said the fiscal 2013 passed by the Republican-controlled House will cut into crucial federal services.

    April 03, 2012
  • Twenty senators — all Democrats — have signed on in support of the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act, which would extend health-care benefits to same-sex, domestic partners of federal employees.

    April 03, 2012