Congress
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The size of DoD's civilian acquisition workforce has grown by some 20,000 employees over the past five years and now numbers about 135,000 personnel members, according to Stephanie Barna, acting assistant secretary of Defense for Readiness and Force Management. That's thanks to an effort by DoD begun in 2009 to recapitalize its acquisition workforce. But the department's focus on the acquisition workforce has been strained by a slew of competing priorities and congressionally-mandated belt-tightening, Barna said.
July 10, 2014 -
For the Department of Homeland Security, making its 22 components' radio systems interoperable with one another has been an objective since the department was created in 2003. But today, DHS still can't account for all of its communications assets -- let alone get them to talk to each other. Last night, the House passed legislation designed to get things moving. Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ) is the ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness and the prime sponsor of the DHS Interoperable Communications Act. He explained the details of the bill on In Depth with Francis Rose.
July 09, 2014 -
Legislation passed by the House creates a social media working group for the Department of Homeland Security, and adds in requirements and accountability processes to improve interoperability across the agency.
July 09, 2014 -
Congress helps set the stage for a one percent pay raise for federal employees next year, despite recent historical trends. The House and Senate versions of a government spending bill don't guarantee a salary bump, but they don't stop the president from declaring one, either. And the House already approved a 1.8 percent pay raise for military service members in 2015. Katie Maddocks is the government affairs representative for the Federal Managers Association. She explained the chances of seeing a pay raise next year on In Depth with Francis Rose.
July 08, 2014 -
The appropriations process was supposed to be easier this year compared to last, because lawmakers had signed off on a bipartisan deal that set top-line spending levels for the next two years. But action in both the House and the Senate appears to have largely stalled.
July 07, 2014 -
Congress needs to pass twelve annual spending bills -- which set agency funding levels -- before the end of the fiscal year on September 30th. The House passed five of those bills so far. The Senate hasn't passed any. The appropriations process was supposed to be easier this year compared to last year. That's because lawmakers have already agreed on a bipartisan budget deal that sets topline spending figures for the next two years. Philip Joyce is a professor of public policy at the University of Maryland. In an interview with Web Writer Jack Moore, he said agencies should still plan for a continuing resolution.
July 07, 2014 -
Two letters sent from Capitol Hill in call for the Office of Personnel Management to explain why it's taking so long to release final phased retirement regulations, and demand a revised timeline for action. Phased retirement was passed into law two years ago this week.
July 07, 2014 -
The House is beating the Senate five to nothing in the race to pass next year's appropriations bills. The topline spending amounts for federal agencies are already set, but even so Congress isn't exactly sprinting to finalize the budgets. But the clock is still ticking and September 30th is only about three months away. David Hawkings is Senior Editor of Roll Call. He explained where Congress stands in the appropriations process on In Depth with Francis Rose.
July 07, 2014 -
The pictures are both heartbreaking and maddening. Thousands of minors pouring over the Mexican border into the United States, and causing havoc for guards and other federal employees. A new House bill would let the President appoint dozens of new immigration judges to help keep up with the flow of humanity. Cristina Marcos, a staff writer for The Hill Newspaper, joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to discuss the bill's prospects and potential benefits.
July 01, 2014 -
Congress is on its Independence Day holiday, and yet it still has a lot of work left on the table for when it comes back. David Hawkings, senior editor at Roll Call, writes the Hawkings Here blog. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose why there still hasn't been a lot of movement on appropriations bills.
June 30, 2014 -
The Competitive Service Act of 2014 would let agencies share information about potential job candidates when they are trying to fill similar needs.
June 27, 2014 -
Army Corps of Engineers faces billions of dollars in backlogged projects. With little hope of additional funding from Congress, officials are looking for alternative ways to finance the public infrastructure they're charged with maintaining.
June 27, 2014 -
The head of the Army Corps of Engineers says the nationwide network of civil works infrastructure his agency manages is falling apart. The Corps doesn't have enough money coming from Congress to fix the problems, so it's looking for new ways to pay for the work it needs to do. Federal News Radio's DoD Reporter Jared Serbu has the details. Read Jared's related article.
June 26, 2014 -
The nomination of Shaun Donovan to be director of the Office of Management and Budget as well as a variety of bills dealing with federal IT reform and cybersecurity updates crowded the docket of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee business meeting Wednesday.
June 26, 2014 -
Sen. Tom Coburn's (R-Okla.) investigation into Veterans Affairs hospitals reveals widespread manipulation, criminal activity and poor management.
June 25, 2014