Obama to visit Israel in first visit as president

President Barack Obama plans to visit Israel in the spring, marking his first visit to the nation since becoming president.

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Senate passes bill to improve embassy security

By voice vote, the Senate passed the bipartisan measure that would give the department the authority to use surplus funds that are no longer needed in Iraq, where the United States has scaled back operations. The bill now goes to the House.

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Obama to campaign for gun proposals in Minnesota

The fate of his gun proposals on Capitol Hill uncertain, President Barack Obama is seeking to rally support from the public and law enforcement community for his calls to ban assault weapons and install universal background checks for gun buyers.

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By year's end, troops will be unable to respond to crises, Pentagon says

Shortfalls in operating accounts would mean military units would be undertrained, underequipped and unable to deploy by the end of fiscal 2013, senior DoD officials predict.

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Panetta says politics at play in Hagel questioning

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said "the political knives" came out when Chuck Hagel faced fellow Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing to be Pentagon chief.

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Another GOP senator backs Hagel for defense post

A second Republican senator says he will back former Sen. Chuck Hagel as the next Pentagon chief.

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Term limits, now

Thanks to congressional redistricting, many members of the House of Representatives have jobs for life if they choose to keep running for reelection. Senior Correspondent Mike Causey wonders: Is it maybe time for term limits for everybody?

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Congress sends bill to Obama averting govt default

Congress sent President Barack Obama drama-free legislation on Thursday raising the debt ceiling, averting a government default and putting off the next tax-and-spending clash between the White House and Republicans until later in the year.

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Joint Chiefs: Looming cuts would 'hollow' military

The military's top leaders are warning Congress that automatic spending cuts looming in March would force the Pentagon to slash operating budgets, weakening the armed forces and possibly forcing furloughs of 800,000 civilian employees.

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Federal Drive Interviews -- Jan. 31, 2013

Mort Rosenberg of the Constitution Project details the implications of a recent court ruling on recess appointments by the Obama administration. Cameron Leuthy of Bloomberg Government talks about nine civilian agency programs that look particularly ripe for a little carving. OFPP Administrator Joe Jordan discusses data collection. Al Banghart of Deloitte Consulting LLP discusses why federal agencies and Congress are concerned about the supply chain.

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Congress grapples with gap on scofflaw contractors

With thousands of civilian contractors remaining in Iraq and Afghanistan, Justice Department officials want Congress to resolve a legal issue that they say obstructs efforts to prosecute any such workers who rape, kill or commit other serious crimes abroad.

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GOP lawmakers see automatic cuts as leverage

There's a growing sense of resignation that the country's political leaders will be unable or unwilling to find a way around looming automatic spending cuts despite fresh signs the cuts would threaten the recovering economy.

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Federal Drive Interviews -- Jan. 30, 2013

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Top Justice prosecutor Breuer quits

The head of the Justice Department's criminal division defended his record on a pair of the defining issues of his four-year tenure -- the absence of prosecutions against Wall Street executives and his conduct in the controversy over a botched arms-trafficking investigation in Arizona.

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Senate confirms Kerry nomination for State Dept.

The Senate overwhelmingly confirmed President Barack Obama's choice of five-term Sen. John Kerry to be secretary of state, with Republicans and Democrats praising him as the ideal successor to Hillary Rodham Clinton.

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Justice: Progress in Fast and Furious negotiations

The U.S. Justice Department reports progress in settlement talks over a lawsuit by a House committee to get records involving the bungled gun-tracking program known as Operation Fast and Furious.

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Lawmaker looks outside VA to fill mental care gap

Veterans who have trouble getting timely mental health care from Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics should also have access to thousands of health care providers who care for military personnel and their families, says the Republican chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.

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Obama says he'll sign $50.5B Sandy aid bill soon

President Barack Obama said he'll sign a $50.5 billion emergency relief measure for Superstorm Sandy victims as soon as it lands on his desk.

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Lawmakers call on President to fill widespread IG vacancies

House and Senate lawmakers have called on President Barack Obama to fill inspector general vacancies at six large agencies, including open spots at the Departments of Homeland Security and State.

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Democratic support for Hagel grows

Democratic support for Chuck Hagel's nomination for defense secretary grew on Thursday as the former Republican senator allayed concerns about his past statements on Israel and Iran.

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Fiscal cliff, sequestration and more

Federal Times senior writers Sean Reilly and Stephen Losey will update us on sequestration, buyouts, and the big issues affecting federal workers in 2013.
December 19, 2012

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