No USDA Furloughs
Is It Too Hard to Fire Misbehaving Feds?
Americans Still Like the Postal Service
Making Government 'Simpler'
No More Tax-Cheating Feds, Senators Say
Video: The Daily Show on Apple's Taxes
AUTHOR ARCHIVES
Caitlin Fairchild
Web Producer
Caitlin Fairchild joined Government Executive in summer 2011 as an editorial fellow, after graduating from the College of William & Mary, where she spent four years writing for the student newspaper, The Flat Hat. In March 2012, she was hired full time as a web producer. She has completed internships at Washingtonian Magazine and at the public affairs office of Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas.
Budget expert forecasts more financial woes for the federal government
November 8, 2011 While budget cuts are likely on the horizon for most federal agencies, the work of government employees will become more important, predicts Stan Collender, an expert on the federal budget, said Tuesday at a Government Executive Media Group town hall. "Your jobs are actually going to become more important; what ...
Senators urge State Department to turn over requested Iraq documents to special IG
November 7, 2011 Lawmakers have sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asking her to ensure that the State Department provides certain documents requested by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, which claims the department has previously withheld. In an audit released Oct. 24, SIGIR criticized State's lack of strategy ...
OPM offers open season crash course
November 4, 2011 With open season for changing health benefit elections beginning on Nov. 14, federal employees unsure of their options must learn quickly. The Office of Personnel Management will broadcast a series of five webcasts about the open season process, on topics ranging from the dental program to managing Medicare. Each webcast ...
Congress Unites to Pass Peace Corps Bill
November 3, 2011 Congress this week passed the Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection Act, first introduced in both the House and Senate in July. Named for Kate Puzey, who in 2009, while volunteering in Benin, was murdered after she reported a colleague for sexually assaulting the students they taught, the legislation will ...
Afghanistan transition is on track, senior general says
November 3, 2011 Despite stubbornly high levels of attrition, illiteracy and criminality among Afghan security forces, a top American general involved in training them said NATO has made substantial progress in crafting an Afghan national army and police organization capable of providing much needed security. "We think this is an achievable mission," said ...
Lawmakers announce bipartisan plan to reform Postal Service
November 2, 2011 The U.S, Postal Service could receive a $7 billion overpayment it made into the Federal Employees Retirement System and use some of that money to offer buyouts and other incentives to reduce its workforce by nearly 100,000 employees under a new plan unveiled by a bipartisan group of lawmakers. Members ...
Retirement funds rebound in October
November 1, 2011 After five months of losses, all the investment options in the federal employee retirement savings plan posted gains in October. The Thrift Savings Plan's S Fund, which invests in small and midsize companies and tracks the Dow Jones Wilshire 4500 Index, increased the most with a 14.09 percent gain. The ...
Defense language training program needs improvement, GAO says
November 1, 2011 The Army and the Marine Corps must better document the results of their language and culture training programs to make them more effective, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office. While the Defense Department has stressed within its own documents, such as the Quadrennial Defense Review and ...
Mail delivery to service members in Iraq winds down
October 27, 2011 With the announcement that the 43,000 U.S. troops left in Iraq will leave by the end of the year, the U.S. Postal Service will soon stop accepting mail addressed to military post offices in the country. After Nov. 17, USPS will delete the ZIP codes for Iraq military post offices ...
Defense needs to improve efforts to prevent sexual harassment, GAO says
October 26, 2011 The Defense Department must do a better job of overseeing and enforcing policies to prevent and address sexual harassment in the armed forces, according to a Government Accountability Office report released Wednesday. GAO surveyed 583 members in all four branches of the armed services stationed across the country and overseas. ...
