Congress

  • Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) joins in the questioning of how OPM made the decision to award a contract to Winvale for credit monitoring services. The senator and AFGE are hearing from current and former federal employees complaining about the services provided under the $20.7 million deal.

    June 19, 2015
  • House Oversight and Government Reform Committee members grilled Office of Personnel Management Chief Information Officer Donna Seymour about the cyber breaches that agency suffered. She\'ll face the Senate June 25. But every federal CIO could easily be in that position next week, next month or next year. Federal News Radio\'s Executive Editor Jason Miller tells In Depth with Francis Rose what CIOs and other federal technology managers should be doing to stay out of the hot seat.

    June 18, 2015
  • The IRS would face its smallest budget since 2004 under a plan approved by the House Appropriations Committee yesterday. Members also endorsed steep cuts in federal construction and repairs proposed by the General Services Administration. In all, the committee approved $20.2 billion for financial services and general government funding in 2016. That\'s a 6 percent reduction from 2015 — and what\'s required under sequestration. Emily Kopp joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with more on the cuts.

    June 18, 2015
  • While the number of people in Congress calling for the OPM director to resign grows, the White House is voicing support for Katherine Archuleta. NTEU and NARFE have sent letters to OPM asking for more details on the second breach.

    June 18, 2015
  • More than 11 million Americans live with severe schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression. You\'ll often find these individuals on the streets. Many end up behind bars; then there\'s violence — from Sandy Hook to the Navy Yard. Now the federal government may be gearing up to do something about it. The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act was reintroduced by psychologist and Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.). He joined the federal Drive with Tom Temin with an update from the hearing.

    June 17, 2015
  • The Obama administration admits the government doesn\'t need all of the 2.8 billion square feet of property it owns and leases worldwide. But it\'s struggled to identify the property it can safely shed. New tools out this summer could provide a breakthrough.

    June 16, 2015
  • The Senate is back at work for the third week now on its version of the National Defense Authorization Act. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) wants to get the bill moving, but more debate over a few key amendments could slow things down. David Hawkings, senior editor of Roll Call, writes the In Depth with Francis Rose about the status of the NDAA right now, and what is likely to happen this week.

    June 15, 2015
  • Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) will introduce the Representative Payee Fraud Prevention Act of 2015 Monday. Under the bill, attorneys would have authority to prosecute representatives and caretakers who steal funds from retirees.

    June 15, 2015
  • The Maryland Democrat hosts his third town hall with federal employees since March answering questions on a series of hot-button issues.

    June 15, 2015
  • Hackers linked to China appear to have gained access to the sensitive background information submitted by intelligence and military personnel for security clearances, several U.S. officials said Friday, describing a second cyberbreach of federal records that could dramatically compound the potential damage.

    June 12, 2015
  • Some people see parallels between what goes on here in political Washington with poop hurling battles that allegedly take place among the apes in the wild. Or with bored residents at the zoo, says Senior Correspondent Mike Causey.

    June 12, 2015
  • Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Committee on Veterans\' Affairs says problems engulfing the Department of Veterans Affairs will outlive his tenure, but laying the groundwork for change is a job he\'s looking to take on with Secretary Bob McDonald.

    June 11, 2015
  • In the final policy to implement Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA), federal CIO Tony Scott detailed several steps to ensure agencies meet the spirit and intent of the law. Meanwhile, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee members promise not to make FITARA Clinger-Cohen Act 2.0 when it comes to implementation.

    June 11, 2015
  • The Department of Veterans Affairs is proposing a plan to pay for the hospital project in Denver that\'s over its original budget now by more than $1 billion. The Denver hospital problem is one of several the agency struggles with. Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, tells In Depth with Francis Rose what the string of problems says about the direction of the agency.

    June 09, 2015