Jolie Lee is a web editor and general assignment reporter at Federal News Radio.

Cool Jobs: The Spacesuit Conservator

Lisa Young is the objects conservator at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. She discusses the challenges of preserving spacesuits as part of Federal News Radio's Cool Jobs in Government series.

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State, CIA, FBI rank high as ideal employer, college students say

A survey of nearly 60,000 college students found some federal agencies rank high as ideal employers post-graduation.

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Navy's Ken Barrett pushes for diversity, work-life balance

Navy Capt. Ken Barrett said diversity is an issue "people get hung up on," but he's never looked at it as meeting quotas. "It's about making heads counts, not counting heads," he said. The profile is part of Federal News Radio's Federal Voices series.

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Retirement wave and more

Federal News Radio's Julia Ziegler and Jolie Lee and Sean Reilly of the Federal Times will discuss a wide range of issues affecting workers in the federal government.
May 2, 2012

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Sequestration would mean 12.1 percent cut to agency spending

Agencies could see a budget cut of 12.1 percent starting Jan. 2, 2013, if Congress does not come up with an alternative to sequestration. The estimated reduction comes from a new report by the Congressional Research Service.

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Feds satisfied with TSP, survey finds

Of the more than 8,200 respondents, 86 percent were satisfied with TSP, according to the survey by the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board.

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House committee OKs legislation to increase feds' pension contributions

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is marking up legislation today that would increase federal employees' contributions to their pension by 5 percent over five years.

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OMB says VA should be exempt from sequestration cuts

The Veterans Affairs Department should be exempt from the automatic across-the-board cuts — or sequestration — laid out in last summer's Budget Control Act, according to an April 23 letter from the Office of Management and Budget.

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To avoid involuntary separations, Air Force to allow employees to fill buyout-created vacancies

As part of its third round of buyouts and early outs, the Air Force is allowing workers who may see their position go away be transferred to a buyout-created position.

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Analysis: GSA scandal detracts from bigger issue - budget deficit

Doug Holtz-Eakin, the former CBO director, discusses the latest CBO projections for the federal budget deficit.

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NASA seeks innovations for space waste

NASA is looking for ways to re-purpose waste in space, and the space agency is turning to innovators to come up with some ideas.

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VIDEO: Agencies embrace mobile app explosion

The development of mobile applications or apps is expanding within the federal government. The General Services Administration showcased some of the apps coming out of agencies at last week's FOSE Conference in Washington.

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Obama: House GOP budget would slash federal services

President Obama said the fiscal 2013 passed by the Republican-controlled House will cut into crucial federal services.

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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.

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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.

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VA awards previously-terminated e-health records contract to Harris

The Department of Veterans Affairs awarded a previously-terminated e-health record contract to Harris Corporation.

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Senate bill revisits contractor pay cap

The bill (S.2198), introduced Thursday by Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), would cap contractors' pay at $400,000 and apply that cap to all contract employees — not just top executives.

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Navy releases guide for hiring wounded warriors

The Department of Navy is distributing a guide for hiring people with disabilities.

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Lower requests likely in President's FY2013 budget

If the requested budgets of several agencies are any indication, federal agencies are expecting less funds in anticipation of the President's fiscal 2013 budget request, to be released Monday.

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21st Century Statecraft add-on to traditional diplomacy

Social media has fundamentally changed the way people communicate — and that includes how the State Department communicates with foreign countries. Dubbed 21st Century Statecraft, the use of digital tools is a way for State to engage with other countries' government, listen to foreign citizens and promote national interests abroad.

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