Agency Oversight
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Open government and press organizations are fighting back against the new communications policy the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee recently set between his committee and the Treasury Department. The new policy says any communication between the committee and the department will be considered a "congressional record" and therefore isn't subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
May 15, 2017 -
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told federal employees he won't seek workforce cuts as part of the agency-by-agency government reorganization called for by President Donald Trump.
May 15, 2017 -
The Defense Department has acquired a few hundred copies of its F-35 joint strike fighter and there's more in the 2017 budget. But the development phase of the expensive aircraft actually has not ended. In fact, this phase hasn't stopped slipping further into the future — 17 years after it started. The latest look-see from the Government Accountability Office details the implications. Michael Sullivan, director of acquisition and sourcing issues at GAO, shares the details on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.
May 12, 2017 -
A survey finds inspectors general worried about the hiring freeze and budget cuts that could cost more money than they would save.
May 11, 2017 -
In today's Federal Newscast, DoD's inspector general found the department complied with only one of the six requirements of the act by reporting improper payment rates of less than 10 percent.
May 11, 2017 -
In part two of Federal News Radio's special report on the DATA Act, experts say the common spending standards can help agencies with their missions, and are trying to understand what it will take to reach full compliance by 2022.
May 11, 2017 -
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) laid the weight of DoD's first audit squarely on the shoulders of David Norquist, President Trump's pick for DoD comptroller. The department hasn't been audited in 17 years, and has spent the past seven engaged in audit-readiness preparations.
May 10, 2017 -
Promises to reorganize and streamline organizations nearly always produce the factor of FUD — fear, uncertainty, doubt. The Partnership for Public Service surveyed federal managers who had participated in its leadership development programs. Sure enough, they reported plenty of FUD. But not many say they plan to leave their agencies. Tom Fox, vice president of leadership and innovation at the Partnership, shares the details on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.
May 10, 2017 -
In part one of Federal News Radio's special report on the DATA Act, Treasury Department and Office of Management and Budget officials say the three-year implementation is going well, while agency managers breathe a sigh of relief even as they prepare for the next step in standardized federal spending reports.
May 10, 2017 -
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld an appeal from Sharon Helman, the former director of the beleaguered Veterans Affairs medical center in Phoenix, Arizona, who was fired in 2014. The court said a key provision that lets VA more quickly fire and discipline senior executives is unconstitutional. The Merit Systems Protection Board will review the original decision an administrative judge made regarding Helman's removal.
May 09, 2017 -
Census Bureau Director John Thompson will step down from his role at the end of June after serving nearly four years on the job. The bureau's next leader will take over the operations of the 2020 Census, which has already received considerable budget scrutiny from government watchdogs.
May 09, 2017 -
The Homeland Security Department's inspector general found Immigration and Customs Enforcement doesn't do a good job managing how it supervises and deports so-called non-detained aliens. John Shiffer, chief inspector in the Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, shares the details on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.
May 09, 2017 -
In today's Federal Newscast, the General Services Administration 's Inspector General says the agency missed one of its major goals for reducing improper payments.
May 08, 2017 -
With a legal deadline looming, the Government Accountability Office took a look at how agencies are meeting the financial reporting requirements of the Data Act. Paula Rascona, the director of financial management and assurance issues at the GAO, fills in the details on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.
May 04, 2017 -
As the 2020 census approaches, lawmakers and the Government Accountability Office are concerned about the Census Bureau's cost estimation practices, lack of transparency and cybersecurity. No one currently has a clear picture of what the 2020 census will cost, although best estimates put it around $12.5 billion.
May 04, 2017