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
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.
House to Vote on Fed Pay Freeze
February 14, 2013 This story has been updated. The House Thursday afternoon paved the way for a full vote Friday on a bill that would extend the federal pay freeze through 2013. Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., along with 28 cosponsors, wants to prolong the current pay freeze for civilian government employees through the ...
Federal Pay Groundhog Day
February 14, 2013 Federal pay again is dominating the news, as the Obama administration and House Republicans yet again offer contrasting proposals on government salaries. President Obama is proposing a 1 percent pay increase for federal civilian employees in fiscal 2014, which we reported Friday evening. The White House announced the decision to ...
Obama: We Need 'Smarter Government'
February 12, 2013 President Obama called for smarter government during his State of the Union address Tuesday night in a speech that focused on creating more jobs and strengthening the economy without adding to the country’s deficit. Early in his one-hour speech, Obama addressed the fiscal battles that have dominated his time in ...
Congress Can Approve a Budget This Year, Lawmakers Say
February 12, 2013 House Budget Committee lawmakers from both sides of the aisle expressed optimism on Tuesday that Congress would craft a fiscal 2014 budget this year. It’s possible the House and Senate each will pass a budget resolution by the early fall, paving the way for a conference committee and the regular ...
Group Seeks Protection for Public Health Service Officers’ Pay
February 11, 2013 The pay of public health service officers should be protected in the event of a government shutdown, according to the group that represents them. Lawmakers earlier this month introduced a bill that would ensure military members as well as supporting civilian and contractor personnel continue to receive pay and allowances ...
Obama to Back 1 Percent Pay Boost for Feds Next Year
February 8, 2013 President Obama is proposing a 1 percent pay increase for federal civilian employees in fiscal 2014, according to federal employee labor unions. The White House announced the decision to recommend the pay bump in Obama's fiscal 2014 budget proposal during a phone call with labor leaders on Friday. Obama is ...
Senator: Feds Need to Know Consequences of Sequester
February 8, 2013 Agency leaders should talk to federal employees now about the effects of the possible sequester if they have not already done so, a Maryland Democrat said on Friday. “I think the federal workforce needs to know the consequences of March 1, and again as I said, whether it’s short-term or ...
Final Review of New Senior Executive Candidates on Hold
February 7, 2013 The Office of Personnel Management has suspended the final certification process for new Senior Executive Service applications at agencies with leadership transitions. The moratorium is effective when an agency head leaves or announces a departure and when President Obama nominates a new leader, OPM said. The policy only affects new ...
Retirement Claims Backlog Spikes
February 7, 2013 The federal retirement claims backlog spiked 37 percent during the last month, due to an expected influx of new applications, according to the latest figures from the Office of Personnel Management. The agency’s backlog at the end of January stood at 36,062 claims, up from 26,402 claims at the end ...
Family and Medical Leave Gets an Upgrade
February 7, 2013 This column often includes news about proposals to curtail federal pay and benefits. This week, however, the government’s announcement of important new benefits to military families and veterans under the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act marks a departure from the usual fare. The families of eligible vets now will ...
