House Oversight and Reform Committee
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A 15-minute training video that cost $52,000 to make joins the examples of excessive spending at two Veterans Affairs' conferences last year with a total pricetag of $5 million.
August 23, 2012 -
Too often Congress is left "in the dark" when it comes to inspector general investigations of agency misconduct, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee wrote in a letter to 73 inspectors general. Issa said he wanted to "establish an understanding between Congress and the IG community" for more rapid reporting of agency misdeeds uncovered by their offices. In his letter, Issa asked the inspectors for more information about their reporting practices to Congress and whether any serious problems were ever not shared with lawmakers.
August 06, 2012 -
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Administrator Cass Sunstein is returning to Harvard, where he was the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law before coming to the Obama administration in 2009.
August 03, 2012 -
The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general partnered with both Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel to investigate an increasing number of cases. Leaders of all three reported to a House subcommittee hearing that the collaboration has benefited the investigation process.
August 02, 2012 -
The Department of Veterans Affairs has made strides toward increasing the number of disability claims it can process every year. But new claims from veterans are growing even faster than ever. House legislators are frustrated by the VA's lack of progress over the years.
July 19, 2012 -
Lawmakers ask for DoJ's IG to investigate the effectiveness of the agency's efforts to protect the whistleblowers in the Fast and Furious case. After alleged negative and potential threatening comments by an ATF official, lawmakers are concerned if the motive is vindictive.
July 02, 2012 -
Two new bills advance to the Congress floor in regards to the 2010 GSA Scandal. These bills, if affirmed, will hold executives accountable for misappropriations of funding, and also necessitate agencies to provide rundowns for all conferences spending.
June 29, 2012 -
Six of the eight Thrift Savings Plans funds are down over the last month. The I and S funds have taken the biggest hits. The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board said the rollout of the Roth TSP option has been slow, but should pick up in the next few weeks.
May 22, 2012 -
House staff report suggests TSA delayed, misled congressional investigators about contents of Texas warehouse that holds security screening equipment.
May 10, 2012 -
Congressmen introduce the Harry Lew Military Hazing Accountability and Prevention Act of 2012, a bill aimed at preventing hazing in the military services.
May 08, 2012 -
OPM Director John Berry detailed changes coming to the Presidential Management Fellows Program in a recent letter to Congress, obtained by Federal News Radio. The program came under criticism earlier this year for mistakenly sending out 300 letters of acceptance to applicants who had not been chosen for the program.
May 01, 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 -
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is marking up legislation today that would increase federal employees' contributions to their pension by 5 percent over five years.
April 26, 2012 -
The provision is one of many in a new bill passed out of a House committee last week to boost customer service at federal agencies. The Federal Customer Service Enhancement Act — or H.R. 538 — would direct the Office of Management and Budget to set customer service standards and name someone to be a customer relations representative at each agency.
April 23, 2012 -
Fingers are pointing in many directions in the wake of the scandal at the General Services Administration. Lawmakers on both the sides of the aisle have expressed outrage at the "culture of waste," but opinions on who's to blame for that culture are as divided as ever along party lines. Two congressmen told In Depth host Francis Rose about their very different ideas.
April 23, 2012