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Committees set for slate of hearings on GSA spending
Current and former officials at the General Services Administration will face a gauntlet of congressional hearings this week, following reports of excessive spending on a 2010 regional training conference and other programs. In an interview on In Depth with Francis Rose, former Virginia Congressman and Chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Tom Davis shared his insights and what to look for during the hearings.
Issa requests conference list from all agencies
Congressman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) has broadened the scope of Congress' probe into the GSA conference scandal, requesting a list of all overnight conferences attended by more than 50 employees at 23 federal agencies and departments.
GSA emails: Initial response to lavish spending 'not even a slap on the wrist'
Internal emails from the General Services Administration show high-level agency officials were aware of a spending problem months before the scandal burst into public view. And as early as last summer, officials disagreed over how to reprimand the employees responsible for excessive spending at a 2010 regional training conference.
Agencies see potential of putting HR systems in cloud
VA will award a contract for human resources services to a private sector cloud provider later this year. GSA still is in the planning stages, while the Coast Guard is refreshing its HR system that has been in a private cloud since 2003. OMB listed HR systems as a possible function to move to a shared service provider in 2012.
Saving big bucks, the GSA scandal, and more
Allan Roth of CBS MoneyWatch and Federal Times reporters Andy Medici and Steve Losey join host Mike Causey on today's program.
April 11, 2012
GSA presses employees for vigilance against waste, fraud, abuse
In a letter to employees, Acting Administrator Dan Tangherlini and IG Brian Miller asked employees to be more vigilant to prevent waste, fraud and abuse. They said one of the most troubling aspects of the PBS conference incident was no one reported it or took action to stop it.
GSA: Thank you, thank you!
Members of Congress and media watchdogs are thoroughly outraged over GSA's meltdown in the Nevada desert. But those guardians of public morality and safety are also delighted at the foul-up, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. And we love those YouTube videos too.
Sen. McCaskill gives GSA deadline for bonus program details
Acting General Services Administration chief Dan Tangherlini said the 'Hats Off' incentive program has been suspended. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), who has promised an investigation into agency spending, said she's not sure GSA's actions are enough to change the culture.
Analysis: GSA scandal detracts from bigger issue - budget deficit
Doug Holtz-Eakin, the former CBO director, discusses the latest CBO projections for the federal budget deficit.
Bad news, worse news: Feast or famine
After two weeks of dining on GSA's fiasco in the desert, the fickle American public is looking for some juicy, replacement news, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. It may be something to do with the Kardashians ... or even the Pentagon.
GSA places deputy PBS Commissioner Foley on leave
David Foley, the deputy Public Buildings Service commissioner, becomes the fourth senior executive at headquarters to feel the aftershocks of the IG's scathing report on excessive spending and waste. Lawmakers have scheduled three hearings next week.
Holmes Norton: The GSA problem has been 'cured'
As lawmakers gear up for the first of several congressional hearings about the spending scandal at the General Services Administration, District of Columbia delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton told In Depth with Francis Rose that the inspector general and the president have "already cured the problem."
GSA: Party animals or sacrificial lambs?
When your federal agency winds up as a top ten joke on the Jay Leno show, you know you are going to have some image problems for a long time, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. Take the General Services Administration ...
GSA scandal shows importance of crisis communications
When news broke of an internal investigation examining the General Services Administration's excessive spending on a 2010 regional training conference, some seized on it as the perfect example of wasteful government spending. But the way the news unfolded — broadcast far and wide via social media and 24-hour news — also provided a lesson in crisis communications, one expert says.
House probes 'questionable' spending on GSA awards
During a briefing Wednesday with General Services Administration Inspector General Brian Miller, members of Congress learned of a GSA program that awarded employees $200,000 worth of electronics and gift cards. Congressmen Jeff Denham and John Mica have now asked the IG for the internal report.
GSA conference video pokes fun at spending, IG
Video has surfaced from the lavish Las Vegas conference, which eventually led to the firing of two top officials and the resignation of GSA Administrator Martha Johnson amid an outcry over excessive spending. The video portrays an awards ceremony at the October 2010 Western Region Conference along with a music video created by a GSA employee that pokes fun at, among other things, GSA spending and inspector general investigations.
Analysis: Further actions against GSA commissioners remain a possibility
Although scandal rocked the General Services Administration's leadership this last week, it remains unclear whether the four regional commissioners out on leave would face criminal prosecution.
Former GSA head faults regional commissioners in spending scandal
While Martha Johnson, Stephen Leeds, and Bob Peck were let go by GSA after the release of an inspector general's report this week, former GSA Acting Administrator Jim Williams told the Federal Drive the four regional commissioners involved also deserve blame.
Rep. Mica: IG report is 'just the tip of the iceberg' of problems at GSA
The chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said he will hold a hearing when Congress returns from recess on the scathing IG report and other shortcoming at GSA's Public Building Service. Scott Amey of POGO said the management failures at GSA show a systemic problem.
GSA scandal highlights IG role, but vacancies persist
Aside from the abrupt personnel changes at the General Services Administration, the spending scandal highlighted the role of the agency inspector general in federal oversight. But it turns out many agencies and departments now lack an official IG, according to data maintained by the Project on Government Oversight.




