On a special edition of the Federal News Countdown, Jeff Neal, senior vice president at ICF International and the former chief human capital officer at the Homeland Security Department, discusses the potential effects of sequestration on government operations.
Federal workers are sounding off about how sequestration, the across-the-board budget cuts slated to kick in Friday, will impact their jobs and their families. The Federal Workers Alliance, a conglomeration of 20 federal-employee unions, has launched a message board to allow feds to share their concerns and to put a human face on the cuts.
What does it take to be a great leader in federal service? What should you be doing now to prepare for a leadership position in the future? And, what can feds do about bad leaders in their offices? Suzanne Logan, director of the Office of Personnel Management's Center for Leadership Development and Federal Executive Institute, joined Federal News Radio for a special online chat on this subject. View an archive of the chat.
We've got another week, at least, of hair-pulling news and analysis about sequestration, federal furloughs and the like. So, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey wants to know, is this going to be the bombshell critics claim or as harmless as a burp in church?
The Republican senator from Oklahoma is asking the Office of Management and Budget to require agencies to stop hiring for certain positions. Instead, he would like that funding put towards mission critical jobs that could be affected by sequestration cuts. Coburn, the ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, found 10 jobs listed on USAJobs.gov that he believes could be frozen. He says this would give agencies $1.4 million to spend on positions like border security officers and TSA screeners.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is concerned new regulations may make whistleblowers even more reluctant to report tax fraud to the IRS. OMB Controller Danny Werfel says $85 billion in cuts under sequestration would hurt every state. Maj. Gen. Brett Williams says the U.S. Cyber Command is trying to figure how to normalize operations alongside air, land and sea capabilities. Lynn Singleton, director of environmental services at Lockheed Martin, talks about helping agencies move their email to the cloud. Dr. Milton Corn explains why The National Library of Medicine is monitoring social media.
The White House released its estimate on the impact of cuts from sequestration would have on each state and the District of Columbia. OMB's Danny Werfel said they still are obtaining clarity on the impact $85 billion in cuts would have on each agency.
According to the latest Federal News Radio online poll, a majority of federal workers think sequestration is coming this week, and they are up the creek without a paddle, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. Just over 40 percent think it will be delayed, again. And 4 percent say it's no big deal. So what do you say? Take our poll today.
Daniel Hirsch, state vice president of the American Foreign Service Association, discusses the issues affecting government employees who are working overseas. February 22, 2013
Katherine Hammack, the assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and the Environment, said many of the cost-cutting measures the Army will be forced to take because of sequestration, such as letting service and maintenance contracts expire, could have a trickle-down effect on service members.
Army says its implementation of DoD's Better Buying Power directives saved hundreds of millions of dollars last year, but this year's budget chaos will undo much of the progress.
Do you remember the good old days? For many federal workers that would be 2010 and 2011 when they were worried about threats to their retirement and health insurance benefits that eventually fizzled and died. Well, they may be coming back but this time things could be very different, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
The Environmental Protection Agency is planning at least three agencywide mandatory furlough days through the end of the fiscal year if sequestration goes into effect, according to union officials who say they were briefed on agency plans. EPA also will implement employee furloughs in two phases, according to John J. O'Grady, the president of AFGE Local 704, which covers the Chicago region.
The National Treasury Employees Union was informed by Customs and Border Protection that agency-wide furlough notices of up to 14 days will be issued in mid-March as a result of sequestration. CBP told NTEU that it will have to make $754 million in cuts from March 1 through Sept. 30, the end of the current fiscal year.
The Pentagon says furloughs for nearly all of its 780,000 civilian employees would begin in April if sequestration goes into effect. DoD would grant limited exceptions for civilians in combat zones or those who are critical to preserving life and safety. Political appointees would also be exempt. The Pentagon also released a list of states where furloughs would have the most effect.