Congress

  • The new Congress has lots of new committee and subcomittee chairs. That's especially true of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Its subcommittee on government operations has a new chairman with new priorities. On the Federal Drive, Rep. Mark Meadows (R, N.C.) spoke with Tom Temin and outlined what the subcommittee wants to achieve this session and where it plans to start.

    January 08, 2015
  • The retirement claims backlog reached its lowest level in more than a year. The Office of Personnel Management said it received 1,600 fewer claims last month than expected. But it's predicting 19,000 new claims for the month of January. John Salamone is vice president of FMP Consulting and former executive director of the Chief Human Capital Officers Council. He shared his Top 3 for 2015 on In Depth with Francis Rose. He says more federal employees will retire this year than in the last -- but there's a whole group of people leaving government that isn't getting enough attention.

    January 07, 2015
  • Christmas is over, but a new Congress starts this week. So now is really the perfect time to offer Capitol Hill a federal IT wish list. Roger Baker is chief strategy officer of Agilex, and former chief information officer of the Department of Veterans Affairs. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he shared a wish list of his own.

    January 07, 2015
  • As the 114th Congress convenes this week, leaders on both sides of the Hill say budget issues will be priorities. Leaders at the Defense Department are already campaigning against sequestration, and the budget will likely be a big part of the discussion at Ashton Carter's confirmation hearing next month. Dov Zakheim is a Senior Advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and former Comptroller of the Department of Defense. He's also a member of the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said DoD getting in front of the sequester problem is the right strategy.

    January 07, 2015
  • By DAVID ESPO AP Special Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — In a blend of pageantry and politics, Republicans took complete control of Congress for the first time in eight years Tuesday, then ran straight into a…

    January 07, 2015
  • Tom Davis, director of Federal Government Affairs for Deloitte, discusses his new book, and what can be done to end the partisan divide in Congress. January 6, 2014

    January 06, 2015
  • By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The new 114th Congress counts more minorities and women than ever, although lawmakers remain overwhelmingly white and male in the Republican-controlled House and Senate. A record 104…

    January 06, 2015
  • The budget will be one of the first things the new Congress takes up, according to leadership on both sides of Capitol Hill. The Defense Department is already starting its push to end -- or at least cut back on -- sequestration. James Jay Carafano is director of the Davis Institute for International Studies at the Heritage Foundation. He shared his Top 3 for 2015 on In Depth with Francis Rose. He says he thinks Congress will do a real defense budget in 2015, but that doesn't mean sequestration will go away.

    January 06, 2015
  • Today is officially day number one of the 114th Congress. David Hawkings of Roll Call calls it the first day of school. And the education process gets under way today for people who represent federal employees before members of Congress. Jessica Klement is legislative director at the National Active and Retired Federal Employees association. On In Depth with Francis Rose, she explained why it's so important to start today telling members about federal employee issues.

    January 06, 2015
  • "Hope" is a critical word for the senior executive service going into 2015, according to Senior Executives Association President Carol Bonosaro. That hope stems from President Barack Obama's recent address to the SES and his management agenda. But reality might stand in the way of financial and management progress at your agency. She shared her Top 3 for 2015 on In Depth with Francis Rose. Carol expects low morale to continue because of a not-so-new Congress.

    January 06, 2015
  • Tuesday marks the first day of the 114th Congress, which mostly serves as a day of ceremony for freshman members. But once the fanfare is over, experts on the Hill say Republicans and Democrats will get right back to settling some old scores left over from 2014.

    January 06, 2015
  • By ERICA WERNER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress’ approval rating hovers around 15 percent, but there’s one group of people excited about the institution: the newly elected lawmakers who are about to join its…

    January 06, 2015
  • Embassy security, the Secret Service and the Postal Service are on the fix-it list for the new chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah). His first move is reorganizing the subcommittees. Erik Wasson, Capitol Hill reporter for Bloomberg Government, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to discuss the road ahead for Oversight and Government Reform in the 114th Congress.

    January 06, 2015
  • Today is the opening day of the 114th Congress. It's got a lot to consider, and a lot to accomplish. But what can federal employees expect from this new Washington? Especially with all the new faces joining the floor later this morning. Don Kettl, a professor at the University of Maryland's School of Public Policy, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with some analysis and predictions.

    January 06, 2015