If you are a federal worker, you are certainly aware of the Washington-based series, Sequestration: The Soap Opera. Normally such a drama would have little audience outside the Washington Beltway, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. But it is being noticed in other places because so many contractors are being hit by furloughs too.
If somebody said they could save you nearly $1,800 but that it would cost you $61,000, you probably wouldn't take the deal, right? Unfortunately, the White House and Congress have signed off on it in the form of furloughs, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
Federal workers have figured out that this is not a drill. But for many feds, it is getting hard to keep track of what is happening, which threats are real and who their political adversaries are, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. So, what's next?
Senior Correspondent Mike Causey wants to know: Would the new plan to revise future cost-of-living adjustments put federal and Social Security retirees on a more realistic (and healthy) steak-to-beans diet? Or would each non-raise get a little worse?
Getting furloughed is a very personal thing, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. For some feds, it will amount to no more than a series of three-day weekends. Others say even losing a couple of days pay will break their bank. Still more think it is a political stunt and a heckuva way to run a government. So what's your take?
Financial Planner Art Stein and Federal Times Senior Staff Writer Stephen Losey join host Mike Causey to talk about a number of issues affecting federal workers. April 24, 2013
Senior Correspondent Mike Causey wants to know: If I chopped a couple of bucks off each of the future cost-of-living adjustments made to your federal retirement or Social Security benefits would you even notice? Or, would you pick up the fact that over time that is a lot of money that you will never see.
A week after the bombings in Boston and the catastrophic explosion in Texas, key federal agencies have unveiled or are refining their plans to furlough tens of thousands of workers, including those who protect the country and those who collect the money to pay the bills, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. And this makes sense because...
Politicians first said it couldn't happen, then that it shouldn't happen and, finally, we were assured it would never happen. One problem, it -- sequestration-triggered furloughs -- did happen. Not as quickly as some predicted. But they are with us, as federal agencies juggle their finances, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
Some of your finest hours come at a very low point. The Boston bombings have brought out the best in the federal government, which is on the front line in this case. So maybe it's time, at least for a little while, for a moratorium on fed-bashing, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
Furloughs are still on the radar, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. But are they getting any closer? What are your odds of working four-day weeks this summer?
Financial Planner Art Stein and Federal Times Senior Staff Writer Stephen Losey join host Mike Causey to talk about a number of issues affecting federal workers. April 17, 2013
Federal, military and Social Security retirees would receive smaller benefits in the future if the government switches to a new yardstick to measure inflation. How much would it cost you? Maybe more than you think, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
Elected and appointed officials are exempt from sequestration-related furloughs. But now that President Barack Obama has voluntarily taken a 5 percent pay cut, odds are many of the people he appointed to their jobs will also follow suit. So what do rank-and-file federal employees think? Check out Senior Correspondent Mike Causey's column for more.
When sequestration was proposed, politicians said it would never happen. It did. When it triggered furlough warnings, some said they would never take place. Except they are happening right now, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.