Oversight
GAO calls for more outsourcing, part-time employees at Postal Service
Watchdog and lawmakers disagree over whether workforce restructuring will improve USPS’ bottom line.
Oversight
White House: Earmark spending is decreasing
Administration touts 27 percent drop in directed spending between fiscal 2009 and fiscal 2010; watchdog group says figures are misleading.
Defense
Panel to review border security initiative
Violent spillovers related to illicit drug activity along the Mexican border prompt key lawmakers to hold a hearing on the situation.
Pay & Benefits
Merits of internship programs under debate
Programs should include evaluation of participants’ fitness for full-time work, association says.
Defense
From Nextgov.com: Army impressed by initial test of next generation radios
A central part of a plan to modernize brigades, radios will link units so they can transmit broadband data , including imagery.
Defense
First Lady praises Pentagon employees
Mrs. Obama says administration is committed to supporting service members and their families through improved pay and benefits.
Oversight
Health care reform law’s impact on IRS is uncertain
Agency won’t seize assets or levy bank accounts to force compliance with individual insurance mandate, commissioner says.
Oversight
Agriculture Department's soybean investigation nearing end
Two-year investigation into possible misspending in the soybean research program nears conclusion.
Oversight
Advocacy group says women not moving up the federal ranks
Movement into senior federal jobs has slowed, according to Federally Employed Women.
Defense
GOP: Treaty might imperil missile defense
Arms reduction treaty with Russia may prevent movement on Europe missile defenses, fueling Republican opposition.
Pay & Benefits
Agencies urged to hire more grad students noncompetitively
The standard process hurts candidates with good academic credentials but little work experience, association of schools argues.
Oversight
Agencies to get more nuanced marks on small business contracting
Moving from a stoplight system to letter grades will increase clarity and transparency of score card, according to SBA.
News
Burning Question: What parts of government would you cut?
The biggest federal programs are widely viewed as the most untouchable.
Pay & Benefits