Oversight

New COVID-19 Vaccine Warnings Don’t Mean It’s Unsafe – They Mean the System to Report Side Effects Is Working

Ongoing tracking is meant to spot very rare risks – like the connection between the Johnson & Johnson shot and Guillain-Barré syndrome. And it relies on public reporting.

Oversight

Inspector General Vindicates Top Global Media Agency Officials Suspended During Trump Administration

The situation was one of many controversial ones under the agency’s former CEO, who claims he was trying to “return this agency to fulfilling its legally mandated mission.” 

Oversight

OPM Has Improved on Several Key Management Issues, Watchdog Finds

GAO lauded OPM’s efforts to reform performance management processes and provide better data to agencies, although 14 recommendations remain unresolved.

Oversight

Does the Trump Organization’s Indictment Mean Anything for the Company’s GSA Lease? 

Experts said the indictment prompts speculation about possible suspension or debarment from federal business, but were unsure if GSA would act. 

Oversight

President’s Authority Over DOJ Jeopardizes Independence

How much influence should a president have over the Justice Department? The answer is central to the success of America’s democratic experiment.

Oversight

GovExec Daily: Election Security Amid Threats to Ballot Access

The Alliance for Securing Democracy's David Levine joins the podcast to discuss how elections can be administered after a contentious 2020.

Oversight

GovExec Daily: How Effective Are Feds During 'Maximum Telework?'

Eric Katz joins the podcast to discuss Rep. Jody Hice's request for information on the pandemic's effect on mission delivery.

Oversight

IG Vacancies Persist Under Biden Administration, Despite One Recent Confirmation

The president has four other nominees waiting, as observers continue to stress the need to have permanent leaders to oversee the distribution of billions of dollars in COVID-19 relief. 

Oversight

Embattled Housing Finance Agency IG Steps Down

An IG oversight body found Laura Wertheimer “engaged in conduct that undermines the integrity reasonably expected of an IG.”

Oversight

Analysis: Why We’ll Likely Never Know Whether a COVID-19 Lab Leak Happened in China

If international scientific sleuths are hoping to see a lab log or find a whistleblower, that sort of information won’t be revealed. In China today, it is dangerous to say what you know if it challenges the official government narrative.

Oversight

The U.S. Is Closing a Loophole That Lured Mexicans Over the Border to Donate Blood Plasma for Cash

Selling blood plasma in the U.S. could net Mexican residents hundreds of dollars a month — if they donated often enough. But some were putting their health at risk to do so.

Oversight

Watchdog: Army Corps of Engineers Should Reevaluate Border Contracting Strategies 

The agency said while President Trump’s border emergency was “largely undefined,” it’s considering changes for emergency responses. 

Oversight

Republicans Call for Hearing on Possible IRS Leak of Personal Taxpayer Information

Federal agencies took immediate action to investigate how a news organization got ahold of the sensitive information.  

Oversight

Senator Seeks Probe Into Potential Civil Service Violations Under Biden

Top Banking Committee Republican is demanding answers from the administration and asking the IG for a full investigation.

Oversight

GOP Lawmakers Question Ethics Waivers for Former Union Officials at OMB, OPM

House Republicans asked why Democrats have not objected to the use of ethics waivers by the Biden administration, although experts took no issue with the appointees in question.

Oversight

Congress Considers Future of the Military Draft, while Supreme Court Holds Off

Questions include whether women should be compelled to register, as men are, and whether the draft and draft registration should exist at all.