Oversight News 
Top News
- IRS to pay $70M in bonuses, Grassley says
- Senators push Tangherlini for assurances GSA is improving
- As VA works to eliminate one backlog, one more might emerge
- BRAC-like commission proposed to hunt down government cost savings
- Sequestration claims another conference: DHS's GFirst cyber event
- Postal Service closing Capitol Hill post offices in 'symbolic' move
- Senators seek cost cuts for F-35 fighter jet
- Fed pens new furlough song
- Web guru Dorris brings new life to government websites
- EPA CIO Jackson returning to private sector
- Navy strikes enterprise licensing deal with Oracle
- Contractors with security clearances lack path to report problems
- NSA leak case gives vendors reason to reevaluate personnel
- 8 contract executives guilty of 8(a) contracting fraud
- Whistleblower suit leads to $12M false claims settlement by SAIC
- USPS reaches energy reduction goal ahead of schedule
Recovery Board opens next frontier in financial accountability
Pundits may question whether Congress should have approved $804 billion in stimulus money via the Recovery Act of 2009. But many in government have come to realize that the independent agency charged with overseeing how that money was spent -- the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board -- has a lot to teach financial managers about ensuring transparency and rooting out waste in government spending.
Congress urged to drop online financial reporting for senior execs
A new report says a law requiring the online posting of senior federal executives' financial information would likely impinge on employees' privacy and wouldn't do much to deter conflicts of interest. The National Academy of Public Administration was tasked by Congress with studying the STOCK Act — short for "Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge" — in response to concerns about privacy and identify theft.
Court ruling could tie OSC's hands when it comes whistleblowers
The Office of Special Counsel is "deeply concerned" about the implications of a federal court ruling that stripped low-level Defense Department employees of their ability to appeal suspensions and demotions outside the agency. OSC, which filed an amicus brief earlier this month with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, is worried the ruling could have a chilling effect on whistleblowers.
IRS calls 'Star Trek' parody video a mistake
A parody of the TV show "Star Trek" filmed by Internal Revenue Service employees at an agency studio in Maryland got a rebuke from Congress for wasting taxpayer dollars.
US citing security to censor more public records
US citing national security in censoring public records more than ever since Obama's election
Too much money spent in Iraq for too few results
10 years later, final watchdog report concludes US spent too much, for too little, in Iraq
IG: Billions wasted on Iraq reconstruction
In his final report to Congress, Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Stuart Bowen's conclusion was all too clear: Since the invasion a decade ago this month, the U.S. has spent too much money in Iraq for too few results.
As sequestration cuts loom, unimplemented IG recommendations could save billions
Over the past few years, unimplemented agency inspector general recommendations that could potentially save the government billions of dollars have piled up. Now, with $85 billion in automatic budget cuts kicking in, lawmakers on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are telling agencies there's no excuse for them to further delay implementing the cost-saving measures and best practices identified by their IGs.
Issa asks agencies for alternative sequestration cuts
The chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee wrote to 17 agencies requesting short-term ways to achieve savings instead of the across-the-board cuts expected to start today.
Coburn calls for partial federal job freeze as sequestration nears
The Republican senator from Oklahoma is asking the Office of Management and Budget to require agencies to stop hiring for certain positions. Instead, he would like that funding put towards mission critical jobs that could be affected by sequestration cuts. Coburn, the ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, found 10 jobs listed on USAJobs.gov that he believes could be frozen. He says this would give agencies $1.4 million to spend on positions like border security officers and TSA screeners.
DHS, DoD among agencies making slow, steady progress to get off High Risk list
GAO adds two new areas to the list, NOAA's satellite programs and the federal government's financial risk because of climate change. Comptroller General Gene Dodaro said nearly every initiative on the list made progress in fixing their problems over the last two years.
IRS program, interagency contracting finally removed from High-Risk list
A total of 30 programs, once again, are considered troubled, including two new areas. But, the Government Accountability Office removed the IRS' Business Systems Modernization program after 18 years on the list, and interagency contracting after 8 years.
Lawmakers call on President to fill widespread IG vacancies
House and Senate lawmakers have called on President Barack Obama to fill inspector general vacancies at six large agencies, including open spots at the Departments of Homeland Security and State.
Second VA official resigns over conference spending
Alice Muellerweiss, the dean of VA's Learning University, resigned, joining John Sepulveda, the agency's former chief human capital officer. As many as 10 others are under review for their actions or parts in what the IG called a lack of oversight.
In case involving Gallup, man to plead guilty
A former Federal Emergency Management Agency employee intends to plead guilty in a criminal case alleging that he helped secure federal funds for The Gallup Organization while he was negotiating to go to work for the polling firm, his lawyer said Thursday.
Mica to take over new Government Operations subcommittee
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is consolidating two subcommittees that oversee major agency functions, such as procurement and technology, into a new panel. No news yet on who will be the ranking members.
Lawmakers up in arms over report on Army payroll problems
The U.S. Army's $47 billion in annual military payroll accounts has caused major woes for some soldiers trying to collect their pay, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office. As a result of the Army being unable to track and collect data on numerous pay errors including over payments, under payments, data entry errors and fraud, active duty soldiers are not receiving the correct compensation and this has a bipartisan team of lawmakers furious.
IRS struggling to tackle massive surge in identity theft
Faced with declining resources, the Internal Revenue Service has diverted resources from elsewhere inside the agency to try and head off skyrocketing cases of identity theft stemming from tax refunds.
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.
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.
