Congress

  • Frank Kendall, the undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, told the House Armed Services Committee that a bunch of incremental changes could help DoD find success with its acquisitions more often. The seven legislative proposals address redundant documents and processes that the military needs help from Congress to get rid of and give program managers more time.

    January 29, 2015
  • Confronting skeptical Republicans, attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch pledged a new start with Congress and independence from President Barack Obama Wednesday, even as she defended the president's unilateral protections for millions of immigrants in the country illegally.

    January 29, 2015
  • Bonuses went to some employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs who later got caught up in the wait time scandal, and other incidents at the agency. The congressman who sponsored the bill that makes it easier to fire SESers at VA wants to go after those bonuses now. Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) is chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said seeing results from the VA Management Accountability Act of 2014 (the firing bill that President Barack Obama signed late last year) won't happen overnight.

    January 28, 2015
  • By ANDREW TAYLOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will ask Congress for a hefty, almost 8 percent boost for the Pentagon, including $5.3 billion to equip and train Iraqi soldiers and moderate…

    January 28, 2015
  • The Obama Administration has two years to go — two years with a Republican-led Congress. Some might assume not a lot will be done in these two years. "Oh contrare," says John Palguta, vice president for policy at the Partnership for Public Service. He joined Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to explain further.

    January 27, 2015
  • Both the House and Senate Armed Services committees are setting their hearing agendas for the 114th Congress. Both have new leaders, but many of the problems they'll deal with have been around for a long time. On In Depth with Francis Rose, Chairman Randy Forbes (R-Va.) of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces says carrying momentum into future Congresses could be one of the most important achievements of this Congress.

    January 26, 2015
  • Mandiant issued a report finding the Veterans Affairs Department network domain controllers had no evidence of data theft, such as the loss of credentials, personal information or personal health information or VA sensitive information. But some congressional sources are skeptical of Mandiant's findings, calling it too narrow to be sure the network and veterans data is safe.

    January 26, 2015
  • A new report from OMB stated the discretionary spending budget caps for defense and non-defense categories matched or came in less than what's called for in the Budget Control Act.

    January 23, 2015
  • VA will seek at least $1.1 billion from Congress to rescue a Denver hospital project that was supposed to cost $600 million. The final price tag won't be known for several more months. VA also asked the Army Corps to conduct a complete examination of its major construction programs across the country.

    January 23, 2015
  • Is congressional gridlock really a bad thing? Maybe not if you're a federal employee or retiree, says Senior Correspondent Mike Causey.

    January 23, 2015
  • NARFE Legislative Director Jessica Klement and Federal Times Senior Writer Andy Medici will predict what's ahead for federal workers and retirees in 2015. January 21, 2015

    January 21, 2015
  • A collection of new House bills aim to slash the federal workforce, let go of 120,000 civilian employees at the Pentagon and take back top secret security clearances for contractors in the intelligence community.

    January 21, 2015
  • Despite bipartisan support and years of experience in the Defense Department, Ash Carter's confirmation hearing to be Defense secretary might not be smooth sailing.

    January 21, 2015
  • By DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Anyone who has closely followed President Barack Obama since 2015 opened might wonder what he has left to say Tuesday night when he delivers the annual State…

    January 21, 2015
  • President Barack Obama focused little on improving government management in his annual speech to Congress. Obama called on Congress to pass cyber legislation and said the administration will release a new report on surveillance and privacy safeguards.

    January 21, 2015