On Monday, April 2, 2012, General Services Administration chief Martha Johnson stepped down from her post after firing Bob Peck, the commissioner of the Public Buildings Service, and GSA adviser Stephen Leeds. The shakeup in the administration came on the heels of an inspector general report that detailed excessive spending by the agency at a conference in 2010. Read Federal News Radio's full coverage of the Shakeup at GSA.

OGE missed signs of GSA ethics violations, memo says

A memo by a government watchdog group finds the General Services Administration's ethics program received high marks in a November 2010 study from the Office of Government Ethics. The report was issued shortly after GSA threw the lavish Las Vegas conference that has led to the firings of top officials and the resignation of Administrator Martha Johnson and a slew of congressional hearings.

1

Lawmakers putting GSA's new conference spending rules to the test

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee lawmakers were expected to ask the agency's inspector general to look into the 14th Annual SmartPay conference happening this week in Nashville. GSA says all conferences must go through a multi-step approval process, including those already in the planning stages for 2012 and beyond.

2

GSA inspector probes $268K awards ceremony

The General Services Administration spent more than $268,000 on a one-day awards ceremony, an inspector general told Congress Thursday, the latest revelation of lavish government conferences on the taxpayers' tab.

5

Lawmakers upset over new revelations of GSA spending

Lawmakers on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee are upset over new disclosures about spending at the General Services Administration. Reps. John Mica (R-Fla.), the committee chairman, and Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) held a press conference Thursday to reveal details from an internal GSA investigation that revealed one of the agency's division spent more than $268,000 on a one-day November 2010 conference in Washington, D.C.

8

GSA freezes hiring, suspends most SES bonuses

Acting Administrator Dan Tangherlini said GSA has at least 15 different bonus structures and there are questions about the agency's award rates. He said 85 percent of all SES performance awards are on hold in through 2013. GSA also will not hire new employees until a top-to-bottom review of the agency's organization is completed.

2

House oversight committee OKs GSA-inspired bills

Two new bills advance to the Congress floor in regards to the 2010 GSA Scandal. These bills, if affirmed, will hold executives accountable for misappropriations of funding, and also necessitate agencies to provide rundowns for all conferences spending.

Comment

GSA employees under IG investigation received $1.1M in bonuses

A congressional investigation has revealed that $1.1 million in bonuses were awarded to 84 employees of the General Services Administration — while the inspector general was probing these individuals for wrongdoing or misconduct.

19

GSA official back to work after conference spending scandal

The number two at the General Services Administration's Public Buildings Service is back at work after more than a month on administrative leave following an inspector general report that the agency spent $822,000 on a Las Vegas conference.

1

A tale of two agencies

The very different "scandals" at two polar-opposite federal agencies are still large on the radar, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. But how big a deal are they? What's likely to be the outcome, and how long will these two stories continue to have legs?

6

Embattled regional commissioner Jeff Neely no longer at GSA

Jeff Neely, the regional General Services Administration commissioner accused of creating a culture of lavish spending at the agency, is no longer employed by GSA.

3

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.

Comment

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.

1

GSA Expo turns into a smaller, toned down affair

The Public Buildings Service Western Regions conference scandal is reverberating across government. A new Federal News Radio online survey found other agencies are feeling the effects of GSA's problems. More than half of all respondents said their agency canceled conferences or meetings.

1

Postal shakeup, pensions, GSA fallout

Host Mike Causey will talk postal reform and other issues with Sally Davidow of the American Postal Workers Union, and Steve Watkins and Sean Reilly of the Federal Times.
May 16, 2012

Comment

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.

2

GSA clarifies conference policy but industry concerns persist

A memo from acting administrator Dan Tangherlini details the steps agency employees must go through to receive approval for conferences and other travel. In wake of GSA Western Regions conference, other agencies also are reconsidering hosting conferences.

6

SURVEY: Has the GSA scandal affected other agency conferences?

In recent weeks, the General Services Administration has become synonymous with wasteful conference spending when the agency's inspector general revealed GSA had spent more than $800,000 on a Las Vegas conference. Federal News Radio wants to know if the GSA conference spending scandal has impacted your agency's conference plans.

Comment

All things federal

Host Mike Causey will talk about the top federal stories with Federal Times reporters Stephen Losey and Sean Reilly.
April 25, 2012

Comment

Mica calls for GSA to fire official embroiled in scandal

Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) is calling for the General Services Administration to stop paying an official at the center of the conference spending scandal.

Comment

Private-sector mentality to blame in GSA scandal, senator says

Fingers are pointing in many directions in the wake of the scandal at the General Services Administration. Lawmakers on both the sides of the aisle have expressed outrage at the "culture of waste," but opinions on who's to blame for that culture are as divided as ever along party lines. Two congressmen told In Depth host Francis Rose about their very different ideas.

3