Congress
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The Internal Revenue Service has been operating on a shrinking budget for the last five years. Congress has taken it down a total $1.2 billion, or 17 percent. That means fewer and fewer workers are getting the job done. Larry Gibbs is a member of the Miller and Chevalier law firm and an IRS commissioner under the Reagan administration. He tells Federal Drive with Tom Temin about his experience as one of seven former commissioners who signed a letter to Congress this month saying enough is enough.
November 24, 2015 -
For the first time, nearly all of the Defense Department’s budget is under professional audit, the Pentagon told Congress in a report last week, making 2015 a “pivotal year” in getting the entire department’s books in audit-ready condition by the end of fiscal 2017.
November 23, 2015 -
As agencies demand more funding from Congress in the fiscal 2016 budget, many members want the National Institutes of Health to receive what the Senate Appropriations Committee has already approved.
November 18, 2015 -
There are at least two schools of thought about repeated congressional efforts to privatize the IRS, says Senior Correspondent Mike Causey. The government could save a lot of money if it could get rid of 90,000 IRS workers and let the private sector do it, for a fee, or squeeze it enough so it falls further behind in collections, and complete the self-fulfilling prophecy.
November 09, 2015 -
The Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency is urging lawmakers to pass legislation restoring access to records and information for federal inspectors general.
November 06, 2015 -
The two-year budget deal is inspiring some lawmakers to push for making a biennial budget cycle permanent, with one year focused on appropriations and the second on oversight.
November 05, 2015 -
A pre-Christmas government shutdown could hurt Oklahoma, West Virginia and North Carolina more than Washington, D.C. Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says that's where feds really live, work and spend.
November 05, 2015 -
The two-year budget and debt deal President Barack Obama signed may bring some certainty to the government business and contracting space, especially if Congress passes an omnibus spending bill for the rest of this fiscal year. But shutdowns, continuing resolutions and other budget problems have left a lot of clutter on the contracting landscape. Michael Fischetti, a fellow and executive director of the National Contract Management Association, wrote about clearing out that clutter.
November 04, 2015 -
Senior Correspondent Mike Causey asks, do partisan D.C. parents really keep kids in line by threatening to send them to summer camps run by the NRA or the ACLU?
November 03, 2015 -
Today is another signature day at the White House. President Barack Obama will likely sign the two-year budget deal OMB Director Shaun Donovan negotiated with leaders from the House and Senate. That doesn't mean though that agencies are out of the woods yet. David Hawkings, senior editor at CQ Roll Call, fills in the details for In Depth with Francis Rose.
November 02, 2015 -
By the end of this week, Republicans should elect their next choice for House Speaker: Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). That will set off a ripple-effect, as Ryan vacates his job as chair of the powerful Ways and Means committee. David Hawkings, senior editor of CQ Roll Call, tells In Depth with Francis Rose how the chips will fall.
October 26, 2015 Would you rather be attacked and eaten by a great white shark, a saltwater crocodile or a hungry tiger? It's your call. The you-must-choose game is one my kids played with me when they were younger, and now federal workers get to play — or rather be pawns in — a version of that no-win game every couple of years when shutdowns are on the table.
October 20, 2015-
Federal retirement benefits don't have legislation in place to protect against fraud. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) tells Francis Rose he plans to address that.
October 16, 2015 -
The federal government will reach its borrowing cap on Nov. 3, two days earlier than the Treasury Department first anticipated, according to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew.
October 15, 2015 -
Your federal retirement benefits would be safer if the Representative Payee Fraud Prevention Act of 2015 becomes law. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) is one of the sponsors along with Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.). Lankford is also chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management. He explained to In Depth at Francis Rose what the bill will do.
October 13, 2015