Congress
-
A new report from independent watchdog group OMB Watch suggests the White House has a few tools at its disposal to blunt the impact of the automatic, across-the-board cuts. The strategies include shifting funds around within agencies and the Office of Management and Budget and agencies, themselves, shifting funds and controlling the rate of federal spending, said Patrick Lester, the director of federal fiscal policy for OMB Watch.
November 08, 2012 -
Following Tuesday's election, Democrats maintain control of the Senate and Republicans continue to hold sway in the House. Retirements, term limits and a few new lawmakers alter the leadership of some committees.
November 07, 2012 -
President Barack Obama's victory over Republican Challenger Mitt Romney didn't come as a surprise to anyone who was following the pre-election polls. Few surprises occurred in the congressional races as well, which suggested a return of the status quo in Washington and continued gridlock ahead.
November 07, 2012 -
Former Virginia Governors George Allen and Tim Kaine offer contrasting ideas on issues affecting federal employees and contractors. In Maryland, former federal employee Dan Bongino is challenging incumbent Sen. Ben Cardin for his seat. Bongino and Cardin hold similar views on a number of employee issues.
November 05, 2012 -
The election Tuesday could bring with it a number of changes to the makeup and leadership of key congressional committees with oversight of the federal workforce and management. The changes to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and others are expected from retirements, committee term limits and a few close races.
November 05, 2012 -
Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe says his number one priority is seeing legislation passed in the upcoming lame-duck session of Congress that will help the U.S. Postal Service get out of debt. In an exclusive interview with Federal News Radio, Donahoe details the latest on the agency's financial situation, buyouts, the consolidation of mail processing centers, and its plan to cut window hours at half of its post offices across the country.
November 01, 2012 -
The chairmen of the House Oversight and Judiciary committees have written to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) demanding to know why the public release of a report on upcoming federal regulations is behind schedule. In a letter to the agency, Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Lamar Smith (R-Texas), the chairmen of the Oversight and Government Reform and Judiciary committees, respectively, say OIRA has not been forthcoming about the expected publication date of a report that should have been released months ago.
October 26, 2012 -
Pentagon makes one more plea for a resolution to sequestration. A regular budget, an annual authorization bill and a resolution to the fight over cybersecurity laws would be helpful as well.
October 26, 2012 -
Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), the chairman of the House GOP Cybersecurity Task Force, argues that the country's national security cannot afford a stalemate on cyber legislation. His column is part of Federal News Radio's special report, Cybersecurity Rising.
October 24, 2012 -
In wonkier parts of the Washington area, the talk of the town is about fiscal cliffs and sequestration followed by sex and the Redskins, not necessarily in that order. But beyond the Beltway, folks seem to have a firmer grip on what's important, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
October 23, 2012 -
For the past dozen years, and up until about six months ago, federal workers were worried about the family jewels, especially their health insurance and retirement packages. Now that concern has shifted to fear of layoffs and furloughs, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
October 19, 2012 -
The U.S. Postal Service hit its $15 billion borrowing limit for the first time late last month, the agency confirmed. The Wall Street Journal first reported earlier this week that the USPS reached the limit on the amount of money it can borrow from the Treasury Department and is now dependent solely on its own revenue to sustain operations.
October 18, 2012 -
The Federal Transit Administration now has the authority to set safety standards under the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act or MAP-21.
October 17, 2012 -
Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate wrote to President Barack Obama urging him to not issue an executive order setting voluntary cybersecurity standards for private-sector operators of critical infrastructure.
October 11, 2012 -
Employees in the intelligence community (IC) who report waste, fraud and abuse have gained whistleblower protections, under a directive President Barack Obama issued Wednesday. The presidential policy directive aims to ensure intelligence and national security employees are able to legally report agency wrongdoing and be protected from retaliation for doing so.
October 10, 2012