Congress
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After years of false alarms about benefit cuts and a brain drain, things are starting to happen, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. The federal retirement program may be the next casualty.
May 01, 2012 -
The federal workers' compensation program has long targeted by agency inspectors general, who have cited the program's lack of oversight and susceptibility to improper payments Some members of Congress also argue the program's benefit structure, which hasn't been meaningfully updated since the mid-1970s, has led to widespread inefficiencies.
April 30, 2012 -
Despite a veto threat from the President, the House passed the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) Thursday , along with three other cybersecurity bills.
April 27, 2012 -
House military personnel subcommittee asserts retirees have already paid for their health care via their military service, omits DoD proposal to hike TRICARE fees.
April 27, 2012 -
For years, federal and postal workers have benefited from congressional gridlock. Efforts to cut benefits, or force people to pay more for them, were often blocked by partisan wrangling. But where your pension is concerned, the good old days may be over, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
April 27, 2012 -
On a voice vote, the House backed the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act, known as the DATA Act. The legislation would establish uniform standards for all recipients to report federal money and set up a single website where average Americans could search for information on how government agencies, departments and other recipients spend federal funds.
April 26, 2012 -
Democrats control the White House and the Senate, while Republicans call the shots in the House. So what impact has divided government had on federal workers? Some people think things could be a whole lot worse if one party ran all three operations at the same time, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
April 26, 2012 -
The Senate approved a bipartisan bill Wednesday aiming to restructure the cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service. The final bill refunds USPS overpayments to the federal retirement system and clears the way for the agency to reduce its workforce by 100,000 positions but throws several hurdles in the agency's path toward closing underused postal facilities.
April 25, 2012 -
A top official at the Office of Management and Budget said it's "premature" to begin planning for the automatic, across-the-board cuts that will go into effect Jan. 2, 2013, if Congress cannot reach a deal to reduce the deficit by $1.2 trillion over the next decade.
April 25, 2012 -
The House is expected to vote on — and pass — the bipartisan Digital Accountability and Transparency Act, which aims to save taxpayer money by tracking spending by federal agencies.
April 25, 2012 -
In a marathon series of votes Tuesday, the Senate considered more than a dozen amendments to a postal reform bill, approving a provision to limit all federal agencies' spending on conferences, but voting down an amendment expanding the federal workers' compensation program. Lawmakers also rejected an amendment that would have required retirement-eligible USPS employees to retire without a buyout payment. The Senate will resume voting on amendments Wednesday at 2 p.m. before voting on a final version of the 21st Century Postal Service Act.
April 24, 2012 -
The Promoting and Enhancing Cybersecurity and Information Sharing Effectiveness Act — the Precise Act of 2012 — would authorize money for Homeland Security. CBO scored the bill at $28 million dollars over five years.
April 24, 2012 -
The administration has tried to get in front of the debate over the information sharing aspects of one of the cybersecurity bills up for debate in the House Thursday. Democratic lawmakers and industry groups expressed concern over the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) arguing its provisions on what information is to be shared and with whom are too broad.
April 23, 2012 -
An amendment to a Senate bill aiming to restructure the U.S. Postal Service's financial framework would institute new agency reporting requirements for retiring federal workers in anticipation of a "deluge of retirees" from USPS. Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), introduced an amendment last week that requires the Office of Personnel Management to take new steps to chip away at the longstanding backlog of federal retirement claims.
April 23, 2012 -
On the In Depth show blog, you can listen to the interviews, find more information about the guests on the show each day and links to additional resources.
April 21, 2012