Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
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Longstanding problems with integration put DHS' mission to protect the country at risk, former leaders and lawmakers said. Nine years after it was created, the department still struggles to make its many components and agencies work as one.
July 13, 2012 -
Agency officials from the Defense Department and the Office of Personnel Management, along with a handful of other agencies, cited significant improvements in both timeliness and accuracy in the security-clearance program at a Senate subcommittee. The agencies agreed, however, much work remained to maintain that progress and to take on new challenges, such as reciprocity and reinvestigation.
June 21, 2012 -
The Homeland Security Department showed lawmakers and staff how easy it is to create a spear phishing attack against a federal employee using free, open-source tools. The agency also said the Einstein 3 program is under development and will rely on vendors to provide intrusion prevention services. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said he expects the cyber bill to go to the Senate floor for debate no later than July.
June 14, 2012 -
The two influential senators say the mistakes the Defense Department and others made in the 1990s during the last serious budget reductions can't be repeated this time around. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) said budget cuts shouldn't be balanced on the backs of the acquisition workforce. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) added reductions in acquisition staff mean the government will pay more for goods and services.
June 13, 2012 -
One senator is questioning why it took nine months for the Thrift Savings Plan board to find out about a sophisticated cyber attack that compromised 123,000 TSP participants' accounts. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) also wants to know why Congress wasn't informed of the breach until more than a month after it was reported to the board.
May 31, 2012 -
The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee moves the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations, the Keeping Politics Out of Federal Contracting and two other pieces of legislation to the floor for a full vote.
May 16, 2012 -
The leaders of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee gave the acting GSA administrator 21 days to answer 41 multi-part questions about the agency's efforts to prevent waste, fraud and abuse following the now infamous Western Regions Conference. Senators also recommended the agency review all other recent GSA conferences for possible problems.
May 15, 2012 -
Acting General Services Administration chief Dan Tangherlini said the 'Hats Off' incentive program has been suspended. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), who has promised an investigation into agency spending, said she's not sure GSA's actions are enough to change the culture.
April 10, 2012 -
A new report details how seven technology projects worth $5 billion found success. Auditors found program manager and user engagement is the one every initiative had in common.
November 22, 2011 -
The Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2011 was the logical next step after the repeal of the Don\'t Ask Don\'t Tell policy, which banned gays from openly serving in the military, said committee chairman and bill co-sponsor Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) in a statement.
November 18, 2011 -
Procurement experts say the increased use of this punishment is the \"death penalty\" for the vendors. Lawmakers say agencies need penalize bad actors more aggressively.
November 18, 2011 -
A plan to cut the Postal Service\'s costs so it can stay in business has passed the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Relations Committee. Majority Leader Harry Reid has promised a vote on the Senate floor as soon as possible, according to committee leaders.
November 09, 2011 -
The chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform said agencies need to do more to train new employees to make the best decisions. Lankford said the turnover in the workforce and the lack of consistent training for the new employees is a major concern for the subcommittee.
November 01, 2011 -
Three senators are proposing major reforms to the federal government's acquisition process.
October 21, 2011 -
Lawmakers charged with reducing the federal deficit should look to contractors\' compensation rather than reduce government workers\' pay and benefits, a coalition of federal unions and management associations wrote in a letter to supercommittee leaders.
October 21, 2011