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.
Federal Government is No Place for At-Will Employees
For more than 100 years, the Federal Managers Association (FMA) has advocated excellence in public service and supported efforts to promote management and invest in the federal workforce.
Congress Faces Daunting Agenda In September
The White House has released the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 budget request complete with sweeping agency cuts and some new reorganization proposals. While the budget request rarely translates into law due to compromises in Congress, it does signal the president’s priorities for the year.
'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.
Federal Circuit: Employees Under Investigation Can Still Be Comparator Employees
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit overturned an arbitrator’s decision sustaining the employee’s removal for violating the agency’s time and attendance policies after finding that the arbitrator erred by imposing a “categorical rule of exclusion” against using employees who are similarly situated and under investigation as comparators when arguing that a penalty is not reasonable.
Sixth Circuit Rules that Feds Can't Collect Twice
On July 10, 2017, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled that because liability under the workers’ compensation scheme for federal employees, the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (“FECA”) is “exclusive” of “all other liability of the United States” to the employee under tort liability statutes, the plaintiff could not recover under the Federal Tort Claims Act (“FTCA”) even when his “work-related injury [had] been allegedly negligently treated by an entirely non-work-related federal hospital.
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.
A National Dialogue with Arlington National Cemetery
In about twenty-five years, Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) will run out of space as an active cemetery to honor our Nation's veterans.
Despite Lack of Quorum, Board Grants Stay at OSC Request
On July 13, 2017, the Merit Systems Protection Board, currently without a quorum and consisting of only one member (Vice Chairman Mark Robbins) extended a stay of a Department of Veterans Affairs physician’s removal after the request was made by the Office of Special Counsel.
FMA Applauds Bill Providing Fairness to Feds in Combat Zones
When America’s brave warriors step into a combat zone, such as Afghanistan or Iraq, their taxes are forgiven on their military pay.
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.
District Courts to Decide “Mixed Case” Appeals
Appeals from Merit System Protection Board jurisdictional dismissals of “mixed cases” are properly appealed to federal district court and not to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the U.S. Supreme Court held last week.
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.