Pay & Benefits
OPM Concedes Defeat on Retirement Cuts, and CFPB Encourages Credit Monitoring for Military
A weekly round-up of pay and benefits news.
Oversight
Census Bureau Needs to Improve Minority Outreach Efforts, GAO Finds
Poor coordination and lack of hiring data are key problems, the watchdog finds.
Nextgov
FBI Looking For Tech to Foil Fingerprint Obliteration
The FBI wants artificial intelligence tools that can ID people with burnt, cut or otherwise altered fingerprints.
Nextgov
For First Time in 3 Years, NASA Is Shopping For New Spacecraft
At first, NASA officials didn’t think they’d see anything new in commercial spacecraft this year. Now they’re taking a second look.
Management
Meet the New U.S. Agency for Global Media
Nineteen years after its creation, the Broadcasting Board of Governors is changing its name.
Route Fifty
States Make More Progress Rebuilding Rainy Day Funds
Total rainy-day balances have improved since their low point but still have fallen short of pre-recession levels.
Management
The History Of Cholera Treatment Is a Masterclass On Turning Failure Into Success
Before we figured out how to treat cholera, there were a lot of missteps along the way.
Management
The VA May Have Wrongly Denied 1,300 Veterans’ Claims Of Sexual Abuse
In just six months last year, hundreds of claims were mishandled by the Department of Veteran Affairs.
Management
A Fake Warren Buffett Twitter Account Is Spewing Life Advice — And It’s Amazing
Regardless of who wrote this advice, we'd be smart to follow it.
Management
A Plan For Fiscal Reform
We need to stop, take a deep breath, and decide what business the government is in.
Route Fifty
A Crackdown on Illegal Marijuana Farms in Public Forests
In California, officials have destroyed thousands of the illegal pot plants they say Mexican cartels were growing on public land.
Oversight
Watchdog Finds Faults with Hanford Workers’ Comp
The Energy Department failed to pay nearly $22 million in workers’ compensation pension payments over a 16-year period.
Nextgov
Potential Merger Isn’t Slowing Education’s IT Modernization Plans
Officials said looking at technology should be a first step in merging agencies but those discussions can’t start without a mandate.
Nextgov
Lawmaker: Don’t Let “Rudderless Leadership” Cripple VA Health Record Overhaul
The program’s chief administrator resigned less than two months after taking charge of the project. Another top official left her post days earlier.
Oversight
Special Counsel Backs Interior Whistleblower Said To Be Wrongfully Fired
Separately, a Bureau of Reclamation employee violated post-employment rules.
Management
Puerto Rico’s Official Study On Hurricane Maria Deaths Puts Toll At 2,975
The study found Puerto Rico's government wasn't prepared to count deaths—or to respond to the disaster.
Defense
Accounting Board Sides with Secrecy Hawks on Classified Defense Spending
Intelligence agencies clash with IG on whether to keep more numbers from public.
Management
Bipartisan Bill Would Reverse Trump's Order on Executive Branch Judges
Critics have said the order would strip administrative law judges of their independence.
Nextgov
Federal CIO: Expect New Cybersecurity Reporting Metrics by Year’s End
The new guidance will better match the goals outlined in the administration’s IT Modernization Report and the President’s Management Agenda.
Oversight