This week, Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, spoke out about his intent to reform federal employees’ retirement benefits and job security.

Committees overseeing the Department of Veterans Affairs and related issues will come under new leadership in the 115th Congress.

In a report released by the Senate Finance Committee, Republicans touted the need for Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees to better follow federal guidelines and per diem rates.

Before heading home for the holidays, Congress finished out the year by passing a number of measures, including the necessary Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government up and running.

Last week, members of Congress held a hearing to further discuss the massive premium hikes for federal long-term care insurance enrollees, but little more was uncovered.

In his second annual “wastebook,“ entitled Federal Fumbles: 100 Ways the Government Dropped the Ball, Senator James Lankford (R-OK) outlines what he refers to as a “small fraction of the wasteful and duplicative spending from our government over the last few years.”

Congress has returned to Washington to finish out the lame-duck session, with the deadline for lawmakers’ top priority fast approaching.

The Professional Services Council, an Arlington, Virginia-based trade association that represents hundreds of tech companies, sent a letter last week to Senators on both sides of the aisle, urging the Senate to take up the Modernizing Government Technology (MGT) Act of 2016.

Chairman of the Freedom Caucus, Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH), criticized FBI Director James Comey’s decision to inform Congress of new information found in the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server.

Under the House of Representatives’ funding bill, the Social Security Administration (SSA) would receive $772 million less than the $11.1 billion requested by President Obama, and the Senate’s bill would allocate $582 million less for the agency.

Federal retirees, who did not receive a cost-of-living increase last year, will see a modest adjustment of 0.3 percent in 2017.

Rep. Todd Rokita (R-IN) is the most recent member of Congress to introduce legislation in search of accountability for wayward government employees. The Promote Accountability and Government Efficiency Act would make all federal employees at-will, eliminating the due process protections currently afforded to them.

As the deadline to pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) fast approaches, legislators are debating how to advance a spending bill and prevent another government shutdown.

With Congress back for a brief period, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is pushing a legislative proposal to increase the current death gratuity rate for civilian workers killed on the job in addition to the funeral allowance allotted.

In a new report released by the White House, the administration cautioned that the House of Representatives’ version of the government’s discretionary budget for fiscal year 2017 could prompt the return of sequestration.

As recess winds down and Congress prepares to return to Washington, Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH) and other members are pushing once again for the House to take up an effort to impeach IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton will call on Congress to return from recess and approve emergency funding to fight Zika during her campaign stop in Miami, according to a campaign aide.

By August 31st, feds will know what to expect for this year regarding a pay raise. That’s the cutoff point for the president, who is expected to propose a 1.6% across-the-board pay increase for civilian federal employees as outlined in his fiscal 2017 budget.