Congressional Spotlight 
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
Senate votes to require DHS clean audit by 2013
The Homeland Security Department would be required to conduct and pass a full financial audit under a bill unanimously approved by the Senate on Wednesday. The DART Act requires the agency, long characterized by the Government Accountability Office as being at high-risk for waste and abuse, to reach a clean audit opinion by 2013.
White House threatens to veto Senate Defense bill
The White House is threatening to veto the $631 billion annual Defense bill the Senate is debating this week unless Congress makes changes. The administration took issue with a number of provisions included in the 2013 National Defense Authorization Bill, which Senate leaders hope to vote on by the end of the week.
Senate gives green light to Pentagon green energy
The Senate on Wednesday gave the green light to the Pentagon's investment in green energy. By a vote of 62-37 on Wednesday, the Senate backed an amendment that would delete a provision in the defense bill prohibiting the military from spending money on alternative fuels if the cost exceeded traditional fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and oil. The Pentagon has opposed the provision that a sharply divided Senate Armed Services Committee added in May.
Senate directs VA to work with state agencies to clear up claims backlog
The Senate unanimously approved a measure requiring the Veterans Affairs Department to work more closely with state agencies to reduce a longstanding and growing backlog of disability claims. The measure, sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) was included as an amendment to the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act.
House Republicans deride VA for non-answers on conference spending
The Veterans' Affairs Committee is turning up its oversight heat after Veterans Affairs officials "stonewalled" their questions. Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) said there are 66 outstanding questions on conference spending that the committee has been waiting for answers from VA since August. VA pushed back saying it has responded as quickly and as accurately as possible.
Senate debates 'arbitrary' cuts to DoD civilian workforce
Senators attempt to head off provision in annual Defense bill that would require reductions among Pentagon civilians.
House panel promises more aggressive VA oversight
The House Veterans' Affairs Committee warned the VA Wednesday to expect much more aggressive oversight in the coming months as lawmakers review the department's conference and travel spending.
House GOP recommends new committee chairmen
Top House Republicans announced their recommendations Tuesday for the new Congress' committee chairmanships, an all-male list that includes returning Paul Ryan to the Budget panel and seven new faces to head other committees.
Tips for following the 'fiscal cliff' negotiations
President Barack Obama and leaders of the lame-duck Congress may be just weeks away from shaking hands on a deal to avert the dreaded "fiscal cliff." So it's natural to wonder: If they announce a bipartisan package promising to curb mushrooming federal deficits, will it be real?
Federal Drive Interviews -- Nov. 21, 2012
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) discusses what progress Congress can realistically make on the budget. Anthony Amendolia of the DLA talks turkey -- as in, the thousands of turkeys he ordered for service members overseas. Alex Bolton, senior writer for The Hill, discusses Congress' strategies to avoid the fiscal cliff. GAO's Steve Lord reviews TSA's complaint process.
House Republicans: Rice unfit to head State Dept.
A group of 97 House Republicans sent a letter to President Barack Obama on Monday, saying that U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice misled the nation about the attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya, making her unfit to be a candidate to succeed Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Warner hopeful feds won't feel a budget 'jolt'
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) told The Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Emily Kopp that a large number of lawmakers from both parties support a plan that raises more revenues and recognizes that entitlement programs have got to be made viable over the long term.
Federal Drive interviews - Nov. 19, 2012
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) says that in spite of how it may seem, lawmakers understand the dangers of the fiscal cliff and Dr. Arjun Srinivasan talks about drug-resistant viruses known as superbugs that are on the rise.
Fiscal cliff negotiators are facing high hurdles
The White House and leaders on the Hill will have to resolve deep political and fiscal disagreements that have stymied them time after time despite repeated promises to overcome them.
An apologetic Petraeus expresses regret for affair
Ex-CIA Director David Petraeus, who was whisked clandestinely into private meetings with Congress on Friday to avoid reporters, expressed regret anew in an appearance that marked his first official business since he resigned in disgrace over an extramarital affair.
Beef jerky, reality shows, beer: Coburn tells DoD to cut it all out
A new report, called the Department of Everything, says DoD spending over the next 10 years will total almost $68 billion on non- military goods and services. Some recent examples include a smartphone app to help military members manage their caffeine intake and the sponsorship of a workshop by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency called the 100 Year Starship project, which included a session called, "Did Jesus die for Klingons too?"
Postal Service pension surplus shrinks as Donahoe renews call for legislation
Surplus payments the Postal Service made to the Federal Employee Retirement System are much smaller than once thought. Last year, the surplus was estimated to be $11.4 billion. But because of a reduction in projected long-term interest rates, OPM estimated the surplus would drop to $2.6 billion. SPS had wanted to use those overpayments to pay down some of its debts
McConnell breathes life back into Senate cyber bill
The Republican leader said today on the Senate floor that after the debates over the DoD and Intelligence authorization bills, lawmakers could address concerns about the Cybersecurity Act of 2012.
Foreign trade, housing and jobs
On this week's Bloomberg Government Capital Impact show, analysts will examine President Obama's trade policy, and discuss how the latest economic numbers will impact housing and jobs.
November 14, 2012
GOP senator outlines $68 billion in defense cuts
Defense spending could be slashed by $68 billion over 10 years if the military stopped spending millions on running grocery stores, operating its own schools and even developing a roll-up version of beef jerky, insists one of the Senate's leading fiscal conservatives. In a new report, Republican Sen. Tom Coburn dubs the Pentagon the "Department of Everything."
