Oversight

Burning Question: What do you wish your boss did?

Smile? Pay more attention? Fire that guy in the next cubicle?

Oversight

USDA chief gets heat for Sherrod firing

Vilsack is under fire from the Congressional Black Caucus, the Federation of Southern Cooperatives and the Rural Coalition, among others.

Defense

Senators express disappointment with DHS strategic review

Committee members chide Homeland Security for lack of implementation details in new report.

Defense

Nominee downplays need to overhaul intelligence agencies, authority

Obama's choice for director of national intelligence says the president will give him support that he needs.

Oversight

Senate panel approves $35B Energy-Water spending bill

Proposal is less than president's request but more than $200 million above figure approved last week by a House subcommittee.

Defense

Boeing ally not expected to seek funds for more C-17s

Sources say Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., is preparing a Defense spending bill that will exclude funding for high-profile weapons programs.

Oversight

Feds ordered to cut pollution from travel, commuting

White House issues new targets for federal agencies to reduce greenhouse gases from indirect sources.

Oversight

Report: IT dashboard plagued by outdated data

Watchdog finds website intended to provide near real-time updates on projects’ cost and progress doesn’t have the latest information.

Defense

From Nextgov.com: DHS moves forward with financial management system

Congress asks senior executives how a White House moratorium on such projects will affect the progress of the $450 million Transformation and Systems Consolidation program.

Oversight

USDA official resigns over racial comments

Shirley Sherrod says the administration ‘harassed’ her into quitting over remarks she made at a NAACP event.

Oversight

Presidential Politics

The best option for Democrats may be to frame the election as Bush versus Obama.

Oversight

Obama directs agencies to improve workplace safety for feds

New initiative aims to reduce number of claims filed and amount of workers’ compensation payments.

Oversight

Panelists: Push for transparency must come from the top

Officials also suggest promoting an internal culture of openness before expanding the effort to include sharing information with outsiders.

Defense

National Guard border deployment begins Aug. 1

Southwest border states will send 1,200 guardsmen to support Homeland Security personnel.

Oversight

Census managers fired for falsifying population counts in Brooklyn

The former supervisors could face criminal charges for misconduct.

Oversight

Agriculture chief fosters better relationship between EPA and farmers

Regular meetings planned nationwide to improve communication between environmental officials and crop producers.

Oversight

Obama to issue policy for managing oceans and coastline

Plan doesn't change regulations for drilling and other activities, but promotes coordinated oversight and disaster response.

Defense

Lawmaker urges quick Senate action on wartime spending measure

House Armed Services Committee leader breaks with colleagues in advocating a "clean" bill free of extra domestic spending to increase its chances of passage.

Defense

DHS bottom-up review is long on ambition, short on detail

Lawmakers expected a roadmap for improving management and efficiency.

Defense

Contractors caught gaming the system avoid punishment

Eight months after GAO finds fraud in the service-disabled veteran-owed small business program, not a single firm has been suspended.