Congress

  • By LARRY NEUMEISTER and STEPHEN OHLEMACHER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A New York congressman who pleaded guilty to tax evasion just days ago has announced he’ll resign from office next week because he…

    December 30, 2014
  • By JOSH LEDERMAN Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Bracing to do business with a Congress run solely by Republicans, President Barack Obama is serving notice he has no qualms about vetoing legislation he dislikes. This…

    December 29, 2014
  • The 114th Congress convenes next week, and the budget moves they should make early on are clear to a number of defense experts. One of them is retired U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Arnold Punaro, the chief executive officer of the Punaro Group. In his Top 3 for 2015, he tells In Depth with Francis Rose why dealing with the sequester, the debt and the deficit should be the top priority.

    December 29, 2014
  • A flurry of cybersecurity bills passed through Congress after six years of no legal progress at all on the cyber front. Individually, none of the five cyber bills stand out above the rest. That's according to Chris Smith, vice president of for technology at AT&T Government Solutions, and former chief information officer of the Agriculture Department. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said it's the passage of all five at once that's significant.

    December 29, 2014
  • U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm admitted Tuesday to federal tax evasion, pleading guilty to charges he had fought as he won re-election in November, but he remained determined to stay in office even with his sentencing now looming.

    December 24, 2014
  • President Barack Obama signed the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act deal Friday. The House and Senate Armed Services Committees arrived at a compromise over troop benefits in the fiscal year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act that will give soldiers a 1 percent pay raise, as well as a $3 increase in most prescription co-pays. House Armed Services Committee chairman Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) released a summary of the ups and downs of this fiscal year's $585 billion NDAA, expected to be finalized before Congress leaves for the holidays.

    December 22, 2014
  • President Obama signed a broad $41.6 billion program of tax breaks into law that will retroactively raise the monthly mass-transit subsidy to $250 per month for 2014. The extension of these tax breaks, however, will only last until the end of 2014.

    December 22, 2014
  • Following President Obama's announced reforms to the Senior Executive Service, Doug Criscitello, managing director at Grant Thornton, says SES pay limits have made it difficult to attract top-quality managers across government.

    December 22, 2014
  • Budget cuts are forcing the IRS to impose a hiring freeze, except for emergencies, and eliminate almost all overtime. Commissioner John Koskinen said the cuts could also delay tax refunds, reduce taxpayer services and hurt enforcement efforts.

    December 19, 2014
  • The Homeland Security Department released the executive summary of suggestions of an expert panel for how to reform the Secret Service. Secretary Jeh Johnson said the Secret Service is in need of some change. He also offers an update on his Unity of Effort initiative.

    December 19, 2014
  • President Barack Obama signed Congress' $1.1 trillion spending bill on Tuesday, putting an official end to the last-minute negotiations for the fiscal year 2015 budget - at least for now.

    December 17, 2014
  • The 114th Congress convenes on Tuesday, Jan. 6, with some new faces yet to be voted in for important oversights roles such as chairman for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. John Palguta is the vice president for policy at the Partnership for Public Service. He joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss what federal employees should expect in 2015 - from senior executives to civil service reform.

    December 16, 2014
  • Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) says "bipartisanship is not extinct" in his farewell speech to Congress. Wastebook author Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) says oversight is a duty that many senators continue to ignore.

    December 15, 2014
  • By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Advocates for greater openness in government were frustrated after Congress failed to update the Freedom of Information Act despite bipartisan support in the House and Senate. Without…

    December 13, 2014