At their legislative and grassroots mobilization conference, the American Federation for Government Employees (AFGE) announced they would push for a 5.3% pay raise for civilian and military personnel – much higher than the 1.6% in the President’s current budget proposal.

Lawmakers are working on legislation to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

While the additional $290 million the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) received in this year’s budget will provide for the hiring of 1,000 seasonal workers, Congress continues to focus on accountability within the agency and ways to restrict spending.

Reform legislation (H.R. 4358) promising to bring “accountability” to the Senior Executive Service (SES) has been reintroduced in the House by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI).

Since being included in President George W. Bush’s fiscal year 2003 budget, both Presidents Bush and Obama have included provisions in their budget submissions to reduce the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act’s (FECA) basic compensation benefit for injured employees.

Congressional negotiators looking to finish off the last two major legislative tasks facing the chamber – funding the government and extending a slate of popular individual and business tax breaks – are close to the finish line.

Four committee chairmen, two from the House and two from the Senate, have written to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to request a review of political appointee conversions to career federal civil service positions.

Last month, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham (R), chairman of the Senate appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over the State Department and refugee issues introduced legislation (S. 2145) to provide an additional $1 billion in FY2016 funding to bolster refugee resettlement efforts.

Congress recently introduced two new pieces of legislation specifically targeting the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) workforce.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has passed both chambers of Congress, setting up a confrontation with the White House, which appears ready to follow through on its veto threat after acquiescing in prior years.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has passed both chambers of Congress, setting up a confrontation with the White House, which appears ready to follow through on its veto threat after acquiescing in prior years.

After preventing a government shutdown by signing another stop-gap funding bill last week, President Obama has told Congress he has had enough.

Congress this year has been unable to fulfil its duty to budget and appropriate money to agencies, and the recent controversy over federal funding for women’s health organization Planned Parenthood has been driving the conversation towards a shutdown.

As Congress works to determine if and how to fund the government past the conclusion of the fiscal year on September 30, employee groups sent a letter to Capitol Hill leaders warning them to stop discussing changes to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).

Despite Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy’s acceptance of “full responsibility” for the early-August spill of millions of gallons of toxic wastewater into Colorado’s Animas River, members on Capitol Hill are eager to instill accountability on the agency.

Seeking to shield the government and its employees from identity theft and tax fraud, the leaders of the Senate Finance Committee, wrote a letter last week to the government’s four payroll providers seeking clarification on reporting practices for employees’ wage and tax statements (Form W-2) to the Social Security Administration and state tax agencies