House News 
Top News
- OMB reworking financial systems to focus on outcomes, not inputs
- Lew taps government retiree pension fund to avoid default
- OMB taps VanRoekel to lead management team
- PHOTOS: Meet the 2013 Service to America Medal Finalists
- Hagel: Accountability breakdown was leading factor in sexual assaults
- Former IRS commissioner faces questions about Tea Party
- SBA starting new lending program for veterans
- New Apple devices cleared to join DoD IT networks
- Army prioritizes access to data in fight over intelligence IT system
- DoD upends slow approval process for mobile devices
- Senior execs' bonuses under fire at agencies
- Gould moves the needle on many of VA's toughest challenges
- Tuesday federal headlines - May 21, 2013
Talks fail to resolve Holder contempt issue
Obama administration officials and House Republican staff members Tuesday failed to resolve a document dispute that could lead to a precedent- setting contempt of Congress vote Thursday against Attorney General Eric Holder.
Tracking the 2013 Budget
Congress has made quick work, so far, of the 12 annual bills setting agency spending for fiscal 2013. Over the past few months, the House Appropriations Committee has approved 10 of the bills, and the full House has OK'd five of them. The full Senate has approved no appropriations bill so far this year, however the committee has reported out eight bills.
NIH director voices concerns about sequestration
National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins and members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee subcommittee on Health shared concern about effects of potential sequestration on the agency, specifically in the area of funding grants.
OMB: Contingency operations subject to sequestration
The Office of Management and Budget has reiterated to lawmakers that the automatic, across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration will apply to wartime funding. In a June 15 letter, to Rep. Buck McKeon, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Office of Management and Budget Acting Director Jeff Zients wrote that the Budget Control Act allowed no "flexibility" to exempt Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO), from sequestration.
House bill extends TSA intel sharing to mass transit
The Transportation Security Administration already shares intelligence it collects with airports. Now a House bill would expand TSA's intel sharing to local mass transit systems as well.
House intel chairman suggests U.S., Israel not behind cyber attacks on Iran
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said he'd be "very careful" about assigning blame for the attacks on Iran's nuclear program. Half of what's been reported in the media on the matter is untrue, he said.
House committee remains mum on federal pay raises
The Financial Services and General Government spending bill seeks to cut $2 billion from the president's request. The bill says nothing about granting feds a pay raise in 2013. The House committee follows the lead of Senate appropriators, which also remained silent on the issue.
GSA pounded for not moving excess property faster
Lawmakers at a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held at the Georgetown Heating Plant, blasted the General Services Administration for its handling of excess federal properties.
Senate defeats bid to block EPA power plant rule
The Democrat-controlled Senate defeated a bid Wednesday to block the Environmental Protection Agency from setting the first federal standards to reduce toxic air pollution from power plants.
Agencies, vendors ramping up to fight supply chain cyber threats
The White House, Congress, DoD and many others are trying to stem the tide of counterfeit products and software with malicious code from entering federal systems. The administration soon will release recommendations for how all agencies and vendors can improve the security of their products. DoD issued a memo in March requiring changes to how services protect their supply chains.
Column: Finding answers to a better trained acquisition workforce
Rep. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said the acquisition workforce is most important to improving how the government buys goods and services. He said with 55 percent of the current workforce eligible to retire by 2018, agencies and Congress have to work together to figure out how best to train and equip these employees to be successful.
Correction: Intelligence Leaks story
A story that moved June 7, 2012, about members of Congress discussing leaks of classified information misstated what Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., said. Rogers said that parts of the Justice Department had recused themselves from one of the investigations to avoid the appearance of a potential conflict, not that the department had refused to cooperate. A Justice Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive issues, said other parts of the department were participating in the investigation, and a decision to recuse certain officials was routine.
GSA ridding schedules of deadwood
Agency introduces the new Demand Based Model that will focus resources on the products and services agencies need and want the most. GSA plans on closing two schedules and parts of 14 others to new offerors. GSA also will cut vendors who do little or no business on the schedule to help reduce administrative costs.
Republicans clash with AG on Fast and Furious
Attorney General Eric Holder clashed Thursday with congressional Republicans seeking more information about a flawed gun-trafficking investigation in Arizona.
DHS creates task force to develop cyber workforce
The Homeland Security Department has created a task force to develop future workers. It will consider expanding DHS' involvement in cyber competitions and university programs, enhancing public-private partnerships and working with other agencies.
House Homeland Security bill denies civilian pay raise
The White House has threatened to veto a House bill providing funding for the Homeland Security Department, taking issue with many of the bill's provisions, including a denial of a civilian pay raise. The committee bill also doesn't include any new funding for the agency's data-center consolidation efforts or construction for its new headquarters.
Media execs: Progress in dispute over gov't data
Progress is being made in talks with government officials over a Labor Department proposal to require reporters to use agency computers and telephone lines to file stories on newly released economic data, media organizations told Congress on Wednesday.
Zen 101: Is nothing better than something, or anything?
How much do you know about Zen? For example when, if ever, is nothing better than something, or anything? Is it desirable to be the bullseye if your opposition is the gang that couldn't shoot straight, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey wonders.
House passes VA, DoD civilian pay freeze
The House passed a veterans funding bill Thursday that includes extends the pay freeze another year for civilian employees of the the Defense and Veterans Affairs.
House passes veterans funding bill
The Republican-controlled House approved legislation Thursday to boost health care spending for veterans and provide more money to compensate record numbers of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans claiming service-related disabilities as they return home.
