Agriculture Close To Avoiding Furloughs
Sequester Hits Disaster Relief
Feds Respond to Oklahoma Tornadoes
Making Government 'Simpler'
OK Senators Leery of Unfunded Tornado Relief
Boldly Go Where No Fed's Gone Before
AUTHOR ARCHIVES
Kellie Lunney
Senior Correspondent
Kellie Lunney covers federal pay and benefits issues, the budget process and financial management. After starting her career in journalism at Government Executive in 2000, she returned in 2008 after four years at sister publication National Journal writing profiles of influential Washingtonians. In 2006, she received a fellowship at the Ohio State University through the Kiplinger Public Affairs in Journalism program, where she worked on a project that looked at rebuilding affordable housing in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. She has appeared on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, NPR and Feature Story News, where she participated in a weekly radio roundtable on the 2008 presidential campaign. In the late 1990s, she worked at the Housing and Urban Development Department as a career employee. She is a graduate of Colgate University.
Agriculture Close To Avoiding Furloughs
May 21, 2013 It’s looking more likely that the Agriculture Department will not have to furlough any employees this fiscal year. Senate appropriators have approved the department’s request to shift funds within the Rural Development division to avoid furloughing about 4,800 employees because of sequestration, according to an aide. House lawmakers have not ...
Customs and Border Employees Might Escape Furloughs
May 20, 2013 Customs and border personnel could become the latest group of federal workers to receive a reprieve from furloughs this fiscal year. Customs and Border Protection, an agency within the Homeland Security Department, asked congressional appropriators for permission on Friday to transfer money within its budget to avoid furloughing employees through ...
Treasury Taps Federal Retirement Coffers Again
May 20, 2013 The Treasury Department once again is tapping federal retirement programs to buy the government more time to increase the nation’s debt ceiling. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew on Friday announced the extraordinary measures the government will use to avoid a default through the summer, including tapping into and suspending investments into ...
Senior Exec Bonuses Targeted
May 17, 2013 This story has been updated. Senior executives would not be eligible to receive bonuses during sequestration under a new bipartisan bill. The Senate legislation, sponsored by a Democrat, would prohibit agencies from doling out performance awards to members of the Senior Executive Service while the sequester is in effect. Current ...
Bill Would Allow Retirees to Keep TRICARE Prime Access
May 15, 2013 Military retirees who are losing access to TRICARE Prime in October would be able to stay in that health care plan under a bill introduced Tuesday in the House. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., would allow affected TRICARE Prime enrollees to make a one-time decision to remain ...
MSPB Rejects Union’s Plea for Advisory Opinion on Furloughs
May 14, 2013 The Merit Systems Protection Board has rejected a union’s request to issue a preemptive opinion on whether Defense Department employees have a winning case if they appeal their furloughs. MSPB, the small federal agency that handles appeals from government workers who have been furloughed, sent a concise letter on May ...
Al Gore: Feds Have America’s Back
May 13, 2013 Civil servants always will have the “American people’s back” despite dysfunctional politics, former Vice President Al Gore told federal employees on Monday. “I have never lost faith in you, the career people who keep this thing going in spite of all curveballs thrown in front of you, the latest being ...
Obama Says He Won’t 'Tolerate' Wrongdoing at IRS
May 13, 2013 This story has been updated. President Obama on Monday vowed to hold accountable Internal Revenue Service employees involved with improperly targeting conservative groups that applied for tax-exempt status. The president said during a briefing with reporters that if IRS personnel intentionally singled out certain political groups for special scrutiny “then ...
Bill Aims to Protect Military Sex Assault Victims
May 10, 2013 House lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill that strengthens whistleblower protections for sexual assault victims in the military. The legislation would ensure that victims of sexual violence in the armed services have the same rights as other military whistleblowers by requiring inspectors general to investigate allegations of retaliation against personnel ...
House Passes Debt Limit Bill
May 9, 2013 The House on Thursday passed legislation that would allow the Treasury Department to borrow money above the debt limit only to make payments on the debt and Social Security if the government hits its ceiling. The Full Faith and Credit Act (H.R. 807) would require the government to pay the ...
