Defense
House panels trim missile defense, exceed personnel requests
Subcommittee rejects administration attempt to increase fees for military retirees’ health care.
Tech
USDA officials apologize for exposing Social Security numbers
Department started to purge numbers from databases after VA data breach last year, but tens of thousands slipped through the cracks.
Pay & Benefits
Darfur Divestment?
Members of Congress want to know if investments in the Thrift Savings Plan are helping to fund atrocities in Sudan.
Defense
9/11 families eager for completion of security bill
Due in part to their pressure, House and Senate staffers finally have started talks on the measure.
Defense
House panel cuts $867 million from future combat program
Reduction is equivalent to roughly 25 percent of the Pentagon's request for the program and is far larger than previous congressional cuts.
Defense
House fails to override Defense bill veto
Congressional leaders and Bush meet to jump-start negotiations on a new spending bill.
Pay & Benefits
House panel approves 3.5 percent military pay raise
Federal labor unions hope to secure an equivalent hike for civilian employees.
Tech
Agencies' responses to data breaches vary
Government should develop guidelines to help agencies decide when to offer services such as credit monitoring after an incident, GAO says.
News
Panel softens anti-contract bundling language
House oversight committee replaces blanket ban with one on combining two or more existing contracts formerly performed by small firms.
Pay & Benefits
Senator renews push to reduce burden of pension offset
Proposal to cut penalty applied to some retirees’ Social Security benefits comes with price tag of $8.2 billion over 10 years.
Pay & Benefits
Common stocks lead April TSP earnings
International investments in the 401(k)-style plan post the strongest 12-month returns.
Defense
L.A.’s anti-terrorism hub serves as a model
Local “listening post” run in partnership with federal agencies follows up on nearly every tip, possibly at the risk of missing the bigger picture.
Management
Oversight panel sets sights on management at FDA
Committee to focus in part on budget cuts; three former commissioners agree resources are a major problem.
Defense