Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) sends another letter to another agency on ways to cut spending. This is the Senator's second letter in June; he wrote to the DOJ earlier this month.
News and buzz in the acquisition and IT communities that you may have missed this week.
Furloughs at the Agriculture Department are looking increasingly unlikely following Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's request to shift funding and the department's ongoing efforts to find alternative cost savings. A USDA spokeswoman confirmed last week that the department wouldn't have to furlough employees in either the Farm Service Agency or the department's Rural Development division.
Agriculture Department Secretary Tom Vilsack can move money in-between accounts within the same bureau, but not across the agency under a special provision called Interchange Authority. Vilsack has officially asked Congress for use of that authority in an effort to stunt the negative effects of sequestration at his agency. At at recent House hearing, Republican lawmakers questioned why more agencies haven't movasked Congress for similar permission.
The CIO Council will add 25 more examples of IT project management excellence to its best practice database. DHS CIO Richard Spires said at the Excellence.gov awards Tuesday the goal of all of these success stories is to share what worked and leave a broader legacy across all of Federal IT.
Doug Nash, the Forest Service's CIO, said he sees great promise in using a PC-on-a-stick to let employees securely connect back to the network, save data from the field and do work from anywhere. Forest Service will release a mobile strategy and architecture in the coming weeks. February 21, 2013
This is the Federal Drive show blog. Here you can listen to the interviews, find more information about the guests on the show each day and links to additional resources. Today’s guests: Joe Kull, Thad…
AFGE, AFSCME rally against the potential cuts from sequestration as part of their week-long legislative conference. Union members are meeting with lawmakers to ensure they understand the broader impact cuts due to sequestration would have on the nation and the economy.
Through the Digital Government Strategy, several initiatives are underway to address IT security concerns. DHS created a security baseline architecture and is testing it through five use cases. GSA created a new secure online content platform for agencies to move websites and applications into a mobile environment.
Forrest Morgeson, director of research at the American Customer Satisfaction Index, has some good news for some agencies. Agriculture Department official Kevin Concannon says USDA is claiming victory in its battle against fraud. Jordy Yager of The Hill newspaper explains why some on Capitol Hill are talking about Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) Tom Day, USPS' chief sustainability officer, shares news of the Postal Service's successful conservation efforts.
Mika Cross, the work/life and wellness program manager at the Agriculture Department, In Depth with Francis Rose for a far-reaching discussion flexible and supportive workplace programs, such as telework.
On today's show, the latest on the White House's We the People website, government-owned buildings and finding jobs for wounded warriors.
Khem Sharma discusses the Small Business Administration's plans to raise size standards for companies in two groups. Dr. Murray Lumpkin of the FDA talks about the close coordination between two countries. Stuart Delery explains how the Justice Department recovered $5 billion under the False Claims Act last year.
Multiple current and former Forest Service employees say they've faced sexual harassment and physical assault while on the job, and some have lost their positions for speaking up. Now, they are fighting back by filing a class action EEOC complaint for unfair treatment. The Agriculture Department, the parent agency of the Forest Service, says it is tackling a history of discrimination with more training and accountability as part of a cultural transformation program.
Export-Import Bank President Fred Hochberg explains why his agency had a banner year, with a record number of transactions in fiscal 2012. And a professor at the Wharton School describes how private insurance companies are making money off the National Flood Insurance Program — but taxpayers are likely to pick up the slack when claims surpass premiums.