Congress
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In the latest proposals traded back and forth between the White House and Boehner, the President proposed changing the formula the Labor Department uses to measure inflation — which would reduce annual COLAs for Social Security beneficiaries, including federal and military retirees. Federal-employee unions and groups remain worried the COLA proposals are still very much on the table.
December 18, 2012 -
If Congress and the White House cut a last-minute deal to avoid sequestration and the fiscal cliff, some of the compromise may come out of your hide, whether you are active or retired, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
December 18, 2012 -
If you could pick any historical event to relive, it probably wouldn't be the maiden voyage of the Titanic — that didn't go well. And now, 100 years later, federal, military and Social Security retirees are just becoming aware of a political iceberg that could punch a hole in their future benefits, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
December 17, 2012 -
The House this week approved a handful of bills aimed at improving federal financial management and oversight of government operations. Two of the bills — one requiring the Homeland Security Department to pass a complete financial audit and the other lightening the mandatory caseload of the Government Accountability Office — have already been passed by the Senate and head to the president's desk for his signature.
December 14, 2012 -
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in October ordered Congress to pay six federal judges years of back pay.
December 14, 2012 -
Feds have more than the usual year end issues on their plate at 2012 draws to a close, according to Senior Correspondent Mike Causey. There is the fast-approaching fiscal cliff, the dangers of sequestration, maybe a bonus pre-Christmas holiday and, of course, the end of the world. Check it out, if you dare.
December 14, 2012 -
On this week's Bloomberg Government Capital Impact show, analysts will discuss how the fiscal cliff crisis is impacting businesses. Also, what does the future look like for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae? December 13, 2012
December 13, 2012 -
As planning begins for sequestration, the military may have to cut billions more than previously imagined. DoD, like all agencies, is waiting for instruction from the OMB on how to reduce their budget.
December 13, 2012 -
Many in government are worried about the threat of sequestration, the across-the-board budget cuts set to take effect in January unless Congress and the White come up with an alternative deficit-cutting plan. But federal employee groups and sympathetic lawmakers are also concerned about such alternatives -- if they contain changes to federal employee pay or compensation. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and a slate of federal-employee unions and groups are warning of such proposals in the deficit talks to replace sequestration.
December 12, 2012 -
Dr. A. Hunter Fanney talks about a house the NIST Engineering Lab is using to study green technologies. Dr. Cheryl Martin discusses the Energy Department's recent round of grants to foster new technology. Financial Planner Arthur Stein discusses the impact of FERS over the last 25 years. Pete Kasperowicz of The Hill newspapers reviews upcoming legislation on Capitol Hill.
December 12, 2012 -
A bipartisan group of senators has written to top Army officials to express concern about delays in the suspension and debarment process that leave the service open to contracting waste and fraud. In a letter to Army Secretary John McHugh and Chief of Staff Raymond Odierno, the senators questioned "significant time lapses" between referrals for suspension and actual debarment of contractors in Afghanistan.
December 10, 2012 -
Senate-passed annual authorization bill for DoD would require a 5 percent cut in non-uniformed employees. Chief management officers from two military services say mathematical cuts to a workforce that's "under siege" would be unwise.
December 10, 2012 -
Sens. Mark Warner and Bob Corker and Rep. Chris Van Hollen all believe there is at better than a 50 percent chance Congress and the White House will agree on a budget reduction plan before Jan. 1. But federal pay and benefits, and contract spending remain on the table to be part of the cuts.
December 06, 2012 -
The Senate approved a $631 billion annual defense policy Tuesday that would require the Defense Department to reduce its civilian workforce by 5 percent over the next five years and impose a strict cap on government-funded contractor salaries. With the White House threatening to veto the Senate version its current form, the bill now heads to a House-Senate conference committee where differences between the two chambers' bill will be hammered out.
December 05, 2012 -
Rep. Darrell Issa said agencies need a lot more agility in their IT spending, but a lack of budget authority and a proliferation of accountability among bureau-level CIOs gets in the way.
December 04, 2012