Oversight
Senator Calls on State Dept. to Investigate Appointees’ Use of Personal Devices for Work
Impeachment hearing revelations highlight a larger security problem, Democrat says.
Pay & Benefits
Military Pay Raise Included in Shutdown-Averting Measure, But No Word on Civilian Increase
A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.
Oversight
Democratic Steering Committee Favors Maloney for Oversight Committee Chair
Full Democratic caucus will vote on Wednesday.
Oversight
Lack of Staff and Resources Continue to Strain the Federal Bureau of Prisons
Epstein’s death this summer while in federal custody highlighted these long-term issues.
Management
Trade Association Advises Federal Contractors to Start Preparing for a Potential Shutdown Now
"Your actions won’t be wasted," said the group’s executive vice president and counsel.
Oversight
Election Commission Needs More Authority In Face of 2020 Threats, Report Finds
“The federal government regulates colored pencils . . . more strictly than it does America’s election infrastructure,” the nonpartisan Brennan Center notes.
Oversight
McConnell Asked White House For Sanctions Position, Dem Senator Says
The Senate majority leader is weighing the myriad sanctions proposals on the Hill, Sen. Van Hollen said at the Defense One Outlook 2020 conference.
Oversight
Agencies Are Relying More on Alternatives to Contractor Suspension and Debarment
Annual report shows that exclusions from doing business with the government have decreased in recent years, yet are still up from 2009.
Oversight
What’s at Stake If Sen. Rand Paul Names the Ukraine Whistleblower
While there might not be legal implications, the move could hurt national security and have a chilling effect on future whistleblowers.
Oversight
Senate Panel Tackles Unauthorized Appropriations, or ‘Zombie Payments’
Unauthorized payments accounted for 23% of the discretionary budget in 2019, compared to 10% in the early 1990s.
Management
Could Congress Reverse Trump’s Decision to Pull Troops Out of Syria?
Since the 1940s, Congress has largely let the president make decisions, while members of the House and Senate endorse or condemn those actions from the sidelines.
Management
Interior Department Says It Has Made Great Strides in Eliminating Systemic Harassment
Lawmakers applaud efforts, but say the progress is unproven as IG is still investigating harassment cases.
Pay & Benefits
Democratic Senators Renew Push for Contractors to Receive Shutdown Back Pay
The House previously approved a similar measure, but the White House opposed it.
Management
More Than 30 Lawmakers Urge Appropriators to Block Funding for USDA Science Agency Relocations
With most employees at the two research agencies declining to move to Kansas City, Democrats in both the House and Senate are urging appropriators to adopt House-passed language prohibiting spending on the move.
Management
Republican Senators Introduce Bill to Relocate Major Federal Agencies Outside of D.C.
Ninety-percent of positions in 10 departments would be moved to economically distressed areas.
Oversight
Cummings’ Leadership on Federal Employee Issues, Bipartisanship Could Be Hard to Replicate
The impeachment inquiry against President Trump is likely to dominate the next Oversight and Reform Committee chair’s agenda, observers say.
Oversight
Federal Employees Lose a Powerful Advocate With Death of Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings
The Oversight and Reform chairman was a “fierce advocate for the public interest,” one observer says.
Workforce
'The Worst Period of My Life': Career Fed Reflects on Being Caught Between Congressional and Agency Demands
"I don't envy them," former official says of current employees in the middle of the Trump administration's standoff with Congress.
Management
Top Commerce Officials Played Key Role in Drafting Hurricane Statement Supporting Trump, NOAA Chief Says
The White House chief of staff was also involved, the administrator told Congress.
Pay & Benefits