President Trump Visits Capitol Hill to Talk Tax Reform Amidst Ongoing Feuds
President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Capitol Hill today to meet with Republican lawmakers in a discussion with wide-ranging implications on legislative proposals, most notably on the shape of any forthcoming tax reform proposal.
Oversight Ranking Member Investigating Interior Dept. Reassignments
Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD), the Ranking Member on the House Oversight and Government Reform (OGR) Committee has announced an investigation into the Department of Interior’s reassignment of roughly one-fifth of the agency’s Senior Executive Service (SES) employees.
House Budget Committee Report Highlights Threats to Federal Benefits
A report from the House Budget Committee on the House version of republicans' proposed budget resolution provides a clear glimpse of how impacted federal employees could be, under a "worst case scenario."
Lankford Bill Would Increase VSIP Payments for First Time in 15 Years
A bill introduced last week by Senator James Lankford (R-OK), the Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment Adjustment Act of 2017 (S.1888), is slated for markup by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Relations Committee (HSGAC). Lankford serves as chairman of HSGAC’s Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management.
FAA Reauthorization Measure Fails in House
A bill intended to provide short-term funding for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) failed to get the necessary votes for passage yesterday.
Senate NDAA Includes MGT Act Language Modernizing Federal IT
The third round of Senate amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) – the major appropriations bill setting spending levels for the Department of Defense – will include language from the Modernizing Government Technology (MGT) Act, a bill that would seek to provide the funding necessary to enable agencies to modernize the technology on which they rely.
Trump Administration Will Not Prosecute Lois Lerner
This week, the Department of Justice announced that the Trump Administration still has no plans to prosecute Lois Lerner, the former director of the IRS’ Exempt Organizations Unit, who became the face of a public, contentious scandal in 2013.
'We are in a Pre-9/11 Cyber Moment' Says NIAC
A new report released by the National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC) has issued stark warnings regarding America’s ability to effectively harness its cyber capabilities.
Top Federal Watchdog: White House Has Not Explained Use of Ethics Waivers
In a recent letter from the Office of Government Ethics – the federal government’s top watchdog – the agency’s acting director noted the White House had provided minimal guidance pertaining to the Trump administration’s “oversight and implementation of Executive Order 13770, which establishes an ethics pledge for certain executive branch appointees, including White House personnel.”
Agencies Escape Sequestration this Year
Agencies can breathe a sigh of relief after the Congressional Budget Office confirmed its earlier findings that that discretionary spending will not force agencies to face sequestration in the final six weeks of the fiscal year.
Former DOD Undersecretary Criticizes Pentagon Reorganization Proposal
In an interview Sunday with WJLA’s Government Matters TV show in Washington, D.C., Frank Kendall, who served until this January as the undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics at the Department of Defense, said the Pentagon’s newly-released reorganization plans are “not a step forward.”
GAO Urges Improved DOD Security Measures for IoT Devices, Operations
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found in a recent report that the Department of Defense (DOD) is has assessed the security risks of devices, they have not conducted any operations assessments.
House GOP Budget Proposal Includes Federal Retirement Cuts
After initially displaying reticence to go along with the cuts to federal employees proposed in President Trump’s budget blueprint, House Republicans this week included similar measures in their own budget blueprint.
USASpending.gov Rollout is a Model of Government Done Well
The rollout of USASpending.gov, the culmination of three years of work to implement the requirements of the DATA Act of 2014, represents a laudable example of the federal government successfully tackling an enormous project efficiently and effectively, as noted by Government Executive.
Only One Senate-Confirmed Appointee at Over Half of Major Federal Agencies
Five months after the election of President Donald Trump, progress filling agencies with his political appointees has been decidedly slow, as highlighted by a recent piece in the Washington Post.
New Agency Scorecards Show Mixed Progress on IT Modernization
Last week, the latest iteration of the biannual scorecard jointly developed by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee was released.
Bill Calling for Greater Protections for Whistleblowers Goes to President
A bill to clarify that the Whistleblower Protection Act, in fact, shield federal employees who disobey orders because they are illegal, was presented to the President last week after passing both houses of Congress.
Congress Approves Appeals Extension Bill while MSPB Awaits Appointments
The House unanimously passed a bill last week to grant federal employees more time to have their personnel cases heard while Merit System Protection Board’s (MSPB) hands are tied due to lack of political appointments.