Congress
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The Pentagon says the way it buys certain commercial products has been abused for more than a decade. The Defense Department asked Congress to include new rules for buying commercial-of-a-type products, which are commercial in nature, but the military is the only or largest customer by far. Industry was pleased to see the House Armed Services Committee not include the change in the Defense authorization bill.
May 14, 2012 -
Is Prohibition, which ended in 1933, coming back to federal offices? Will root-beer-based martinis be the new drink of choice of federal party-goers? Senior Correspondent Mike Causey wonders: Has it already started?
May 14, 2012 -
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) talked to the Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Emily Kopp about his objections to how the Internal Revenue Service handles whistleblower complaints.
May 11, 2012 -
Hours after a key House committee voted to give the Pentagon more money than it asked for in next year's budget, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said thanks, but no thanks. Panetta warned passing a $3 billion increase would set a showdown with the Senate and force sequestration to happen.
May 11, 2012 -
If you ask the typical federal/postal worker what his or her greatest job-related fear was, many would answer they are afraid Congress will change their retirement rules and base their benefits on their highest five-year average salary. Yet the likelihood of losing the current high-three system is small compared to other, more real threats, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
May 11, 2012 -
The House approved the first spending bill for 2013, setting operating budgets for the Commerce and Justice Departments and for science-related agencies, such as NASA.
May 10, 2012 -
The GOP-controlled House passed legislation Thursday requiring federal workers to contribute more toward their retirement. The Sequester Replacement Act of 2012 proposed gradually increasing federal employees' pension contributions by 5 percent over five years as an alternative to sequestration.
May 10, 2012 -
Budget analyst Steve Bell says there is "no chance" Congress will be able to pass a plan to avoid sequestration — the automatic, across-the-board cuts that would go into effect Jan. 2, 2013, as part of last summer's deficit deal.
May 10, 2012 -
A top Air Force General outlined steps taken to make sure jet pilots don't black out. Two whistleblower pilots recently said the F-22 oxygen delivery system was faulty, causing a condition known as hypoxia.
May 10, 2012 -
The Arizona senator sent the third in a series of letters to Gen. Keith Alexander trying to explain why DoD, not DHS, should be in charge of defending critical infrastructure from cyber attacks. He said the administration's approach would create another layer of bureaucracy and slow down responses to threats.
May 10, 2012 -
House staff report suggests TSA delayed, misled congressional investigators about contents of Texas warehouse that holds security screening equipment.
May 10, 2012 -
As part of a cost-savings plan designed to halt the closings of rural postal facilities, the U.S. Postal Service said it would offer $20,000 buyout incentive payments to 21,000 full-time postmasters.
May 09, 2012 -
The Senate Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Airland, which oversees issues related to the Army, Air Force and, Navy and Marine Corps tactical aviation programs, heard testimony this week on the F-35 Lightning II program.
May 09, 2012 -
Joe Jordan told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee he would focus on three priorities if confirmed. He also backed away somewhat from the administration's stance on a cap on executive compensation. Jordan received support from the committee, and a vote on his nomination could come as early as next week.
May 09, 2012 -
The Senate unanimously approved a bill Tuesday expanding protections for federal whistleblowers. The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, authored and introduced by Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), the chairman of a Senate subcommittee on the federal workforce, updates a 1989 law protecting government whistleblowers.
May 09, 2012