1:49 pm, May 25, 2013
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Senate News

Senators call for GSA chief to look at PBS structure

In a letter to Acting Administrator Dan Tangherlini, a bipartisan group of senators called for an evaluation of the structure of GSA's Public Buildings Service, tying it to the wasteful spending of the Las Vegas scandal.

Tuesday - 05/22/2012, 01:03pm EDT

Military diversity bill codifies commission's findings

Retired Air Force Gen. Lester Lyles said new legislation calling for diversity benchmarks in the military would codify the recommendations of the commission he led in 2011 and would make for a better armed forces.

Monday - 05/21/2012, 12:03pm EDT
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Navy official calls cyber greatest, long-term threat

The Navy's top man in Europe said cyber is the threat that keeps him up at night.

Monday - 05/21/2012, 06:52am EDT

Senators digging into GSA conferences in all regions

Two high-ranking senators requested information about conference travel and spending in all GSA regions in a detailed letter on Friday.

Friday - 05/18/2012, 02:23pm EDT

New bill would push diversity in military leadership

Two senators have introduced a bill that they said addresses concerns raised by a recent Defense report.

Thursday - 05/17/2012, 01:07pm EDT

Senate Democrats reject House GOP budget plan

Democrats controlling the Senate rejected for the second year in a row Wednesday a budget plan passed by House Republicans.

Wednesday - 05/16/2012, 05:56pm EDT

Senate committee approves OFPP nominee, four other bills

The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee moves the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations, the Keeping Politics Out of Federal Contracting and two other pieces of legislation to the floor for a full vote.

Thursday - 05/17/2012, 09:13am EDT

Congress votes to reauthorize Export-Import Bank

The government's vehicle for promoting U.S. export sales survived a challenge from conservatives Tuesday with a Senate vote to renew the charter of the Export-Import Bank for three years. The vote, coming after the Senate rejected amendments to weaken or kill the bank, sends the measure to President Barack Obama for his signature.

Tuesday - 05/15/2012, 08:50pm EDT

Senators probe GSA financial controls after conference scandal

The leaders of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee gave the acting GSA administrator 21 days to answer 41 multi-part questions about the agency's efforts to prevent waste, fraud and abuse following the now infamous Western Regions Conference. Senators also recommended the agency review all other recent GSA conferences for possible problems.

Wednesday - 05/16/2012, 09:58am EDT

Bill automatically increases feds' TSP contributions

Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) introduced legislation Monday that would automatically increase new federal employees' contribution rate to their federal 401(k) style Thrift Savings Plan. the "Save More Tomorrow Act," would automatically escalate the contribution annually by 1 percent for the two years following enrollment. That gradually raises the contribution rate to 5 percent, making employees eligible for matching contributions from their agencies.

Monday - 05/14/2012, 08:10pm EDT

Grassley criticizes IRS for dragging feet on whistleblower cases

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) talked to the Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Emily Kopp about his objections to how the Internal Revenue Service handles whistleblower complaints.

Friday - 05/11/2012, 11:40am EDT
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Civil liberties groups oppose Senate cyber bill

More than 30 civil liberties groups have come out against the leading cybersecurity bill in the Senate.

Friday - 05/11/2012, 09:08am EDT

Analysis: In sequester, managers should start planning for workforce reductions

Budget analyst Steve Bell says there is "no chance" Congress will be able to pass a plan to avoid sequestration — the automatic, across-the-board cuts that would go into effect Jan. 2, 2013, as part of last summer's deficit deal.

Thursday - 05/10/2012, 09:01am EDT
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General briefs committee on F-22 safety fixes

A top Air Force General outlined steps taken to make sure jet pilots don't black out. Two whistleblower pilots recently said the F-22 oxygen delivery system was faulty, causing a condition known as hypoxia.

Thursday - 05/10/2012, 07:53am EDT

McCain again makes his case to increase DoD's cyber role

The Arizona senator sent the third in a series of letters to Gen. Keith Alexander trying to explain why DoD, not DHS, should be in charge of defending critical infrastructure from cyber attacks. He said the administration's approach would create another layer of bureaucracy and slow down responses to threats.

Thursday - 05/10/2012, 07:58am EDT

Long term care insurance and more

Host Mike Causey is joined by Federal Times Senior Writer Stephen Losey and Paul Forte and Mary Lou McGuiness with Long Term Care Partners.
May 9, 2012

Wednesday - 05/09/2012, 08:00pm EDT
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Senate committee mulls F-35

The Senate Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Airland, which oversees issues related to the Army, Air Force and, Navy and Marine Corps tactical aviation programs, heard testimony this week on the F-35 Lightning II program.

Wednesday - 05/09/2012, 05:35pm EDT

Jordan makes his case for being next OFPP administrator

Joe Jordan told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee he would focus on three priorities if confirmed. He also backed away somewhat from the administration's stance on a cap on executive compensation. Jordan received support from the committee, and a vote on his nomination could come as early as next week.

Thursday - 05/10/2012, 07:22am EDT
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Senate expands whistleblower protections for feds

The Senate unanimously approved a bill Tuesday expanding protections for federal whistleblowers. The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, authored and introduced by Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), the chairman of a Senate subcommittee on the federal workforce, updates a 1989 law protecting government whistleblowers.

Wednesday - 10/10/2012, 07:20pm EDT

Pray for political inertia

What if we elected a Congress that fought all the time, couldn't agree on anything and where Democrats could hardly stand to be in the same building as Republicans, and vice versa? Well, fortunately, for federal workers we may have done that, and it could save you from taking a major pay cut over the next five years, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.

Wednesday - 05/09/2012, 11:26am EDT
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