House News 
Top News
- DoD to pursue commercial alternative to VA's VistA
- Data breach puts DHS employees at risk of identity theft
- Obama to nominate Tangherlini as GSA administrator
- PHOTOS: Meet the 2013 Service to America Medal Finalists
- House GOP panel moves on deep budget cuts
- OMB fuels synergy between mobile, open data
- IRS official Lerner: 'I did nothing wrong'
- OMB reworking financial system requirements to focus on outcomes, not inputs
- Today, everybody's an Oklahoma Sooner
- Retirement funds temporarily tapped to avoid debt limit default
- VanRoekel to lead OMB management team
- 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
- Bonuses under fire at GSA, other agencies
- Wednesday federal headlines - May 22, 2013
CBO: House postal reform bill to save $20B in decade
The bill — introduced last summer by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) — would eliminate Saturday mail delivery, close mail processing facilities, require postal employees to pay the same percentage in their health and life insurance premiums as federal employees do, and allow the Postal Service to use nearly $11 billion in surplus retirement contributions.
House Dems' budget plan not mirror of President's, Van Hollen says
The House Democrats' budget proposal is the most fed-friendly of the plans put forth for fiscal 2013.
Obama signs stop-gap transportation bill
President Barack Obama has signed a three-month extension of a transportation bill to keep federal highway and transit aid flowing. The move prevents a widespread shutdown of construction projects.
Issa: TSA workers 'doing best they can' with ineffective equipment, methods
The Transportation Security Administration has grown from "the ashes of the Pentagon and the Twin Towers" into a 65,000-employee agency, whose effectiveness is now being called into question by lawmakers.
Obama signs short-term highway bill, feds' retirement changes stalled
The House has passed a stopgap three-month transportation bill to keep federal aid flowing to construction projects — delaying a vote on a larger bill that included increasing federal employees' retirement contributions.
House OKs GOP budget plan, including pay freeze extension, pension changes
After rejecting a bipartisan compromise and President Obama's budget Wednesday, the House prepares to vote on a Republican plan that calls for an extension of the federal pay freeze through 2015, increased federal retirement contributions and a reduction of the federal workforce by 10 percent.
House ready to OK GOP budget, rejects rival plans
After rejecting a bipartisan compromise and President Obama's budget Wednesday, the House prepares to vote on a Republican plan that calls for an extension of the federal pay freeze through 2015, increased federal retirement contributions and a reduction of the federal workforce by 10 percent.
GOP caucus budget cuts feds' retirement, health benefits
The Republican Study Committee, a caucus of House conservatives, laid out a budget blueprint that increases federal employees' pension contributions and incentivize feds to enroll in lower-priced health plans.
Analysis: Lots of budget talk, no action until lame duck
Mike Lillis of the Hill newspaper told The Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Emily Kopp that lawmakers are just jockeying for campaign fodder with all this budget talk. Don't expect anything big to happen until after the election.
Lawmakers push DoD, Energy for answers on IT supply chain security
Two GAO reports find agencies lack oversight and controls over ensuring vendors buy the components for hardware and software from trusted sources. DoD is ahead of most agencies. It is using intelligence expertise to secure the supply chain of national security systems.
House Oversight FISMA bill envisions beefed-up OMB role
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee unveiled a bill to overhaul a decade-old law detailing how federal agencies protect their computer networks from cybersecurity threats. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the chairman of the committee, told Federal News Radio the Office of Management and Budget is better poised to be a "fair arbitrator" than the Homeland Security Department.
USPS plan to set up own health plan faces lawmakers' skepticism
Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe testified today before a House subcommittee saying a USPS-sponsored plan would save $7 billion a year. Such a plan, Donahoe said, would offer equal or better coverage to current employees and retirees.
No pay freeze extension in Democrats' budget plan
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) introduced "Making It in America," the Democratic budget proposal that calls for an end to the sequester while preserving the Medicare guarantee. Unlike the other proposals under consideration, this proposal does not call for an extension of the federal pay freeze or an increase in feds' contributions to their retirement funds.
Governmentwide portal to help streamline FOIA management
An office within the National Archives and Records Administration, told a congressional subcommittee a new governmentwide portal could help agencies better manage the hundreds of thousands of Freedom of Information Act requests the government receives each year.
Lawmakers call TSA screeners ineffective, rude
House members of both parties on Monday teed off against the agency in charge of airport and port anti-terrorist screening, saying it uses ineffective tactics, wastes money on faulty equipment and treats travelers rudely.
Bill will propose combining Energy, EPA into one agency
Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) is introducing legislation this week to consolidate the Energy Department and the Environmental Protection Agency into a single agency.
Analysis: STOCK Act to increase reporting burden on senior execs
The general counsel for the Senior Executives Association says the STOCK Act will increase the reporting burden on the federal government's top managers.
House Oversight Committee unveils FISMA overhaul bill
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform posted the bill on its Madison website to let people view the bill before it is formally introduced.
IG: DHS must improve recovering improper payments
The Homeland Security Department is complying with federal improper payments legislation, but the department can do more to recover improper payments, according to the DHS IG.
Army systems leave soldiers vulnerable to late, inaccurate pay
The Government Accountability Office says that even while the Army has made some strides toward improving its pay practices, the service is a long way off from the kind of data integrity independent experts would need to see in order to green light the systems as audit-ready.
