Oversight
The White House Paid Up to $500 Million Too Much for These Ventilators, Congressional Investigators Say
A House panel says “gullible” White House negotiators overpaid for Phillips ventilators, and it has asked the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General to investigate evidence of fraud in the deal.
Oversight
The Federal Government Gives Native Students an Inadequate Education, and Gets Away With It
The Bureau of Indian Education has repeatedly neglected warnings that it is not providing a quality education for 46,000 Native students. Once called a “stain on our Nation’s history,” the school system has let down its students for generations.
Oversight
Inspector General Blasts Efforts to Transfer OPM Facility Authority to GSA
The Office of Personnel Management watchdog said the Trump administration took action without regard to the impact, potentially incurring millions of dollars in recurring annual costs.
Oversight
Lawmakers Look to Further Strengthen Whistleblower Protections
Bills in the House and Senate would ban federal officials from blocking employees from sharing information with Congress, prohibit retaliatory investigations and protect more workers.
Oversight
After a Year of Investigation, the Border Patrol Has Little to Say About Agents’ Misogynistic and Racist Facebook Group
The Border Patrol vowed a full accounting after ProPublica revealed hateful posts in the private Facebook group. Now congressional investigators say the agency is blocking them and revealing little about its internal investigation.
Oversight
Acting State Department IG Will Resign Effective Friday
Amb. Stephen Akard was installed after Trump’s controversial firing of IG Steve Linick in May.
Oversight
GovExec Daily: Election Security as November Approaches
The Alliance for Securing Democracy's David Levine spoke to the podcast about how to keep voters – and votes – safe at the polls.
Oversight
Lawmakers From Both Parties Seek Greater Vaccine Oversight
Under “Operation Warp Speed,” the Trump administration hopes to develop and distribute a vaccine for COVID-19 by early 2021.
Oversight
Advocacy Groups Press Congress to Support Pandemic Whistleblower Protection Legislation
This comes as Congress is working on the next massive coronavirus relief package.
Oversight
They Warned OSHA They Were in 'Imminent Danger' at the Meat Plant. Now They’re Suing the Agency.
The suit by workers at Maid-Rite Speciality Foods in Pennsylvania employs a rarely used legal tool and is the latest in a growing chorus of complaints about how the federal agency charged with protecting workers has responded to COVID-19.
Oversight
GovExec Daily: The Holes in the Vacancies Act
The Project on Government Oversight's Rebecca Jones joins the show to talk about the large amount of acting officials in the Trump administration.
Oversight
Watchdog Accuses OPM of Slow-Rolling Hiring Abuse Investigation
IG is looking into alleged misuse of direct hire authority to install political appointees in positions that should be held by career federal workers.
Oversight
IGs to Investigate Federal Officer Deployments in Portland and Washington, D.C.
Watchdogs will probe training and instructions, use of force and other tactics.
Oversight
Trump Administration Doubles Down on Federal Law Enforcement Domestic Deployments Amid Growing Backlash
DHS, DOJ once again facing pushback after sending federal officers to racial justice protests.
Oversight
Medicare Agency’s Contracting Violations Show Need for Pandemic Oversight
Experts say HHS inspector general’s findings should serve as a warning about potential waste, fraud and abuse.
Oversight
Your Coping and Resilience Strategies Might Need to Shift as the COVID-19 Crisis Continues
As the pandemic drags on, uncertainty and fears about health and safety mix with confusion and challenges tied to re-opening society. You need flexibility when picking your coping strategies.
Oversight
GovExec Daily: Government Customer Service and the 'New Normal'
Nextgov's Frank Konkel joins the podcast to discuss how the pandemic is changing the way government contact centers do business.
Oversight
GovExec Daily: What We've Learned About the Federal Coronavirus Response
Eric Katz, Courtney Bublé and Katherine McIntire Peters join the 100th episode of the podcast to look at the pandemic response through the lenses of the federal workforce, oversight and leadership.
Oversight
Trump Says He 'Disagreed' With Privately Funded Wall, So Why Did His Administration Award the Builder $1.7 Billion in Contracts to Erect More Walls?
President Trump now claims this privately funded border wall — touted as the “Lamborghini” of fences — was built to “make me look bad,” even though the project’s builder and funders are Trump supporters.
Oversight