Congress
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Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) says congressional appropriators are making steady progress on an omnibus bill to fund your agency next year. Or at least keep it running past Dec. 11, when the continuing resolution expires. David Hawkings is Senior Editor of Roll Call. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he gave a breakdown of the appropriators' progress.
November 24, 2014 -
Incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) promises to avoid another government shutdown. Lawmakers have until mid-December to turn that promise into reality. Or not. It's a good idea to be prepared. The Government Accountability Office reviewed how agencies handled last year's lapse in appropriations. Yvonne Jones, the agency's director of Strategic Issues, explained the findings on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin.
November 24, 2014 -
Everyone with a stake in the federal budget is looking toward Dec. 11. That's when the continuing resolution runs out, and Congress will have to decide what to do next. Beyond that, federal agencies are looking at two long years of a Republican Congress and Democratic White House. Will it be the immoveable rock facing the irresistible force? Or can good things still happen? Don Kettl, professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy and long-time watcher of all things federal, offered some insight on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin.
November 24, 2014 -
The government should be smaller, the Postal Service's finances need to be addressed once and for all, and it may be time to rethink the civil service system. This is all according to Senator Ron Johnson. The Wisconsin Republican will replace Delaware Democrat Tom Carper as chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in December. On the Federal Drive with Tom Temin, Senator Johnson discussed his priorities.
November 21, 2014 -
Under President Obama's executive order on immigration, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson released a slew of memos outlining the agency's push to reform its personnel structure, review premium pay, and better secure the U.S.-Mexico border.
November 21, 2014 -
Administrator Marilyn Tavenner told House Oversight and Government Reform Committee members on Nov. 14 that CMS fixed 22 technical recommendations before open enrollment began. The letter came on the cusp of yet another contentious hearing on the role of former White House CTO Todd Park in overseeing and developing the initially troubled portal.
November 20, 2014 -
MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of federal patent workers are allowed to work from home with little supervision and face almost no discipline even if they lie about the hours they put…
November 18, 2014 -
The Veterans Affairs Department has reduced wait times for tens of thousands of veterans seeking health care. Part of the progress comes from the congressionally-mandated Veterans Choice program. It requires the VA to issue choice cards to vets so they can seek medical care from private providers with VA footing the bill. VA issued the first batch of cards this month. James Tuchschmidt, acting principal deputy undersecretary for health at the VA, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to discuss the rollout and the program.
November 18, 2014 -
The USPS' ability to carry our its duties and remain financially self-sustaining continues to be at risk, according to a recently released GAO performance audit. Conducted over the past year, GAO's report found that the agency is projecting "unsustainable" losses through 2020.
November 14, 2014 -
In its new report, the Government Accountability Office found that agency managers aren't using performance data to objectively determine the success of programs before making changes to their policies or budget.
November 14, 2014 -
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The director of the Pittsburgh Veterans Affairs Healthcare System has been fired. The move comes a month after officials determined that she had committed “conduct unbecoming a senior executive,” along with wasteful…
November 13, 2014 -
Wednesday was a productive day for Congress as the House sent two bills to President Barack Obama and a pair of critical DHS nominees head to the Senate floor.
November 13, 2014 -
Speculation about how Republicans will run Capitol Hill in the next Congress is fairly consuming Washington these days. But the lame-duck Congress returning to Washington today has got to tackle big challenges of its own. So what is on Congress' to-do list? Federal News Radio's Emily Kopp joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with some answers.
November 12, 2014 -
While there's much speculation about how Republicans will run Capitol Hill in the next Congress, the lame-duck one that returns to Washington today must tackle big challenges of its own. With a continuing resolution set to expire in mid-December, agency budgets hang in the balance.
November 12, 2014 -
The 113th Congress is on pace to be one of the least productive in history, according to the Pew Research Center. When Republicans take over the Senate in January, they'll deal with President Barack Obama entering his lame duck years. Jessica Klement is Legislative Director of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association. On In Depth with Francis Rose, she shared legislation that helps federal employees she'll try to push through the political standoff.
November 11, 2014