Agency Oversight

The threats to the U.S. are rapidly evolving. That’s prompted think tank The Atlantic Council to launch a big review called The Future of DHS project.

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) said that before the COVID-19 pandemic, USPS and Treasury had negotiated lifting the Postal Service’s borrowing cap. But in return, he said Treasury asked for greater oversight of USPS.

President Donald Trump is suggesting that he fired the inspector general for the intelligence community in retaliation for impeachment, saying the official was wrong to provide an anonymous whistleblower complaint to Congress as the law requires

With USPS now keeping tracking the deaths of its employees from the coronavirus pandemic, the agency is doing everything it can to continue normal operations,

The National Academy of Public Administration is beginning to administratively staff up for a congressionally-mandated, highly anticipated study of the Office of Personnel Management and its functions.

The American Federation of Government Employees and the Kalijarvi, Chuzi, Newman & Fitch law firm say employees working through the coronavirus pandemic without the proper protective gear are entitled to hazardous duty pay.

At least 40% of employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs could be absent at any one time during a severe coronavirus outbreak, the agency estimated. VA’s inspector general and employee unions have also expressed concerns with staffing and supply shortages.

Given its current financial situation, only set to worsen under the pandemic, USPS and its unions fear the agency may not have the cash on hand to continue operations past this summer. 

Even as the coronavirus threat widened, the administrative law judges of the Social Security Administration were told they had to work in their offices until the end of this week.

The president has signed the $2 trillion stimulus and emergency supplemental appropriations package into law. It will have implications for federal employees and their agencies, retirees and contractors.

The National Science Foundation has appointed someone to deal with maintaining security of research without spoiling international collaboration.

The congressionally-mandated National Commission on Military, National and Public Service offered up 124 recommendations Wednesday, which address everything from veterans preference rules to adding women to the Selective Service System.

For more, Federal Drive with Tom Temin turned to the director of GAO’s Natural Resources and Environment team, Anne-Marie Fennell.

Amid all the confusion and mixed messages. agencies like Voice of America, the Securities and Exchange Commission and NASA are sending regular, reassuring updates to their employees during the coronavirus pandemic.