Sherrod Brown

FILE - People walk outside the U.S Capitol building in Washington, June 9, 2022. The biggest investment ever in the U.S. to fight climate change. A hard-fought cap on out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for seniors in the Medicare program. A new corporate minimum tax to ensure big businesses pay their share. And billions leftover to pay down federal deficits. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

After a summer break, Congress has a lot on its plate this fall

The House and Senate appropriations packages are far from the only priority for Congress this fall — and many of the other to-do items have direct impacts…

Congress

Getty Images/iStockphoto/marcnorman

Internal Revenue Service sign with a traffic signal in the foreground indicating a red light.

IRS plans pivot to Login.gov, lets users create online accounts without facial recognition

Agency Oversight

Citing ‘unnecessarily complex’ coronavirus guidance, senators seek more assurances from OPM

Workforce

Handful of agencies can’t stop spending money they don’t have

Federal Newscast

Trio of senators look to ensure GI bill transfer rights to service members

Reporter's Notebook

GAO: Changes in leadership at the State Dept. have hampered reorganization efforts

Federal Newscast

Bill to give federal employees 12 weeks of paid family leave now has Senate companion

Federal Newscast

Lawmakers introduce protections for federal employee health benefits ahead of future shutdowns

Government Shutdown

A new Congress doesn’t necessarily equal a new agenda

Congress

FILE - In this Nov. 12, 2017, file photo provided by South Korea Defense Ministry, three U.S. aircraft carriers USS Nimitz, left top, USS Ronald Reagan, left center, and USS Theodore Roosevelt, left bottom, participate with other U.S. and South Korean navy ships during a joint naval exercises between the United States and South Korea in waters off South Korea's eastern coast. U.S. President Donald Trump promised to end “war games” with South Korea, calling them provocative, after meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 12, 2018. His announcement appeared to catch both South Korea and the Pentagon by surprise. (South Korea Defense Ministry via AP, File)

CBO: DoD will need $735B by 2033 to cover cost of plans

Federal Newscast

‘State of the VA is better,’ Wilkie says, but not ‘good’ or ‘excellent’

Veterans Affairs

Exclusive

Senators ask for IG review of VA’s implementation of accountability act

Senate Veterans Affairs Ranking Member Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and three other senators are asking the VA inspector general to review the department’s implementation…

Veterans Affairs

Bill would pluck ‘low hanging fruit’ from federal real property portfolio

Public-private leasing and compiling a comprehensive database of government facilities are part of a handful of bills aimed at managing federal real property.

Workforce

Senate Dems. call for service-contracting cap, but industry cries foul

A group of 26 Democratic senators wrote last week to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta urging the Pentagon to lift an “arbitrary” cap on DoD’s civilian workforce, saying contractors hadn’t been similarly affected by budget constraints. But the Professional Services Council, an industry group which represents many defense contractors, rebuts the charge that contractors haven’t also felt the effects of the current fiscal climate.