News Briefs

THE DAILY FED

News Briefs

The following news summaries are from OPM AM, the daily newsletter of the Office of Personnel Management. OPM AM is available on OPM Mainstreet, the agency's electronic bulletin board, at 202-606-4800.

THE FEDERAL DIARY--"The budget President Clinton sent Congress yesterday would continue to scale back raises due federal workers, require them to pay more for their pensions and force retirees to wait longer for inflation adjustments. The budget--which covers everything from welfare to foreign aid and military spending--is a shopping list the president sends Congress annually. Congress often eliminates, adds or changes items. But the relatively small civil service portion of the budget could sail through if Republicans sign on to it" (The Washington Post).

FEDERAL PAY RAISE WOULD BE PARTLY OFFSET BY PENSION CONTRIBUTIONS--"Federal employees would receive a 2.8 percent pay raise in 1998 under President Clinton's budget, but that boost would be partly offset by a proposal to require employees to contribute more toward their pensions. The fiscal 1998 budget, released yesterday, also would save money by delaying the date when cost-of-living (COLAs) are paid to federal retirees. Instead of January, the adjustments would be made in April from 1998 to 2002" (The Washington Post).

SENATE EASILY CONFIRMS SLATER AS TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY--"Rodney Slater, who headed the State Highway Commission in Arkansas when Bill Clinton was Governor there, was confirmed today as Secretary of Transportation. The Senate voted 98 to 0 to approve Mr. Slater, who had been in charge of the Federal Highway Administration, a part of the Transportation Department, since 1993. He succeeds Federico F. Pena, who is awaiting confirmation as Secretary of Energy" (The New York Times).

YEAR 2000' COST PUT AT $2.3 BILLION--"The federal government will have to spend at least $2.3 billion to reprogram its computers to understand dates that include the year 2000, according to a long-anticipated report released yesterday by the Office of Management and Budget. The report also said that employees at every federal agency have begun studying computer systems to determine which programs need to be revised" (The Washington Post).