Recovery Act 
Top News
- Senators push Tangherlini for assurances GSA is improving
- As VA works to eliminate one backlog, one more might emerge
- Senator: IRS to pay $70M in employee bonuses
- Furlough song: Laugh or you'll cry
- Navy strikes enterprise licensing deal with Oracle
- Contractors with security clearances lack path to report problems
- NSA leak case gives vendors reason to reevaluate personnel
- Does security clearance process need a makeover?
- 8 contract executives guilty of 8(a) contracting fraud
- Whistleblower suit leads to $12M false claims settlement by SAIC
- NASA engineer, 29, recognized for improving aeronautical testing
- USPS reaches energy reduction goal ahead of schedule
- NOAA meteorologist helps save lives one storm at a time
- NASA picks 8 new astronauts, 4 of them women
- House passes sweeping $638 billion defense bill
- NIH tops list of best companies for baby boomers
- Latest postal reform proposal OKs 5-day delivery
- Wednesday federal headlines - June 19, 2013
On February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or Recovery Act, into law. Federal News Radio follows how agencies have enacted the law and how the government is tracking spending through Recovery.gov.
Transparency 'enforcer' in new oversight role
The President asked the RAT Board leader, Earl Devaney, to lead the new Government Accountability and Transparency Board, which will more broadly focus on cutting government waste and tracking transparency in federal spending.
Is America living up to infrastructure promises?
Janet Kavinoky of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce gave Federal News Radio a preview of its updated transportation infrastructure report. The revamped index will be released next week at a conference keynoted by retired U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm.Thad Allen.
White House out of ammo for further economic stimulus
Paul Brandus, West Wing Report
Tax delinquents win stimulus contracts
The Hill's Bernie Becker said some of those funds may never be recovered.
Part 4: SBA's contracting practices under close scrutiny
In part 4 of Federal News Radio's investigative series "Discouraged and Disrespected at SBA," allegations of cronyism and conflict of interest in the acquisition process arise. Over the past year, lawmakers and auditors have raised concerns about the agency's acquisition practices. SBA officials deny the accusations and say they are strengthening their acquisition processes.
Justice offers tips for transitioning to the cloud
When the Recovery Act passed, the Justice Department knew it would need to upgrade its IT infrastructure to keep up with the demand that was about to be placed on its systems. "We knew we could not support the transactions that would hit us, so we had to look at a solution," said Angel Santa, [...]
Contractors survey: Agencies slow in resolving contract issues
Grant Thornton's Kerry Hall describes findings of a survey of government contractors.
2010 and Beyond: Follow the stimulus money
The Recovery Board's Earl Devaney outlines the development of the oversight program for the Recovery Act funds.
Column: GSA likes its standing as a leader in green
The agency seeks to improve the government's energy efficiency through internal and external initiatives. GSA is leading the effort to modernize federal buildings as well as provide customer agencies with sustainable products and services. Read an op-ed by Stephen Leeds, the General Services Administration's senior counselor to the administrator.
Stimulus will help stalled economy
And how liberals have become progressives.
White House report: Stimulus funds creating jobs
The report says the federal stimulus funds were responsible for creating at least 2 million jobs nationwide in the Act's first year.
VA awards all stimulus money
Learn more about how the Dept of Veterans Affairs was able to awards over $1.8 billion.
How the stimulus is changing America
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 President Obama's $787 billion stimulus has been marketed as a jobs bill, and that's how it's been judged.
Recovery Board's success inspires others
OMB is using the same data analysis tools to monitor stimulus spending at CMS to reduce their improper payments. Other agencies also are taking advantage of the lessons learned from the creation and operation of the board. Recovery.gov also will receive new features this fall to let citizens track individual projects on their own websites.
GAO examines Recovery Act contract award process
How much of Recovery Act funds have actually been competed for? GAO looked at the issue
ARRA funds lower unemployment, Onvia study shows
Some states excel at attracting Recovery Act project funding and quickly awarding it to contractors, while others lag far behind on both measures. Onvia's Michael Balsam tells us about a new study.
COPS works to correct stimulus payments
Math is hard. That's led to problems with stimulus grants from the Justice Department. COPS Director Bernard Melekian explains.
OMB wants more pressure on Recovery Act recipients
Administration memo details additional steps agencies can take to ensure organizations are reporting how they are using the money. OMB says agencies must check on beneficiaries who don't report more often and can terminate their funds or suspend them from receiving future money.
Energy Efficiency Retrofits
In observation of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the Vice President's Office announced the selection of 25 communities for up to $452 million in Recovery Act funding to "ramp-up" energy efficiency building retrofits. Under a Department of Energy initiative, communities, governments, private sector companies and non-profits will work together on programs for concentrated retrofits of neighborhoods and towns - and eventually entire states. Meeting one of the Energy Department's missions, the models are expected to save households and businesses about a $100 million annually in utility bills, while leveraging private sector resources, to create what could be as many as 30,000 new jobs over the next three years.
One man's pork is another man's stimulus
OMB says earmarks are on the decline, but what exactly is being considered an earmark? Jodi Schneider, Senior Editor with American Banker has details.
