- Trending:
- mobile
- office space
- Archuleta
- furloughs
- sequestration
Senate News 
Top News
- VA chipping away at oldest disability claims in backlog
- What's the latest on phased retirement?
- New mobile tools gives agencies ‘giant innovation permission slip'
- Congress pressures agencies to speed up office consolidations
- Furlough Friday: Multiple agencies took advantage of holiday weekend
- Data breach puts DHS employees at risk of ID theft
- IRS replaces official in Tea Party controversy
- Commerce nominee sails through hearing
- Obama nominates Archuleta as next OPM director
- FedRAMP achieves another cloud security milestone
- Tangherlini to be nominated as permanent GSA chief
- House GOP panel moves on deep budget cuts
- OMB reworking financial system requirements
- Federal retirement funds temporarily tapped
- Friday federal headlines - May 24, 2013
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Civil liberties groups oppose Senate cyber bill
More than 30 civil liberties groups have come out against the leading cybersecurity bill in the Senate.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
