Management

These are the 8 biggest agency and program reforms in the first FY24 spending bill

Lawmakers include budget cuts, hiring initiatives and new priorities in first of two appropriations packages.

Oversight

Federal prison employees falsified logs in case where inmate committed suicide, IG says

The Justice Department inspector general last week urged the Bureau of Prisons to adopt stricter rules governing special housing unit rounds logs after lax policies potentially impaired the ability to prosecute the employees.

Oversight

Understaffing and mismanagement contributed to hundreds of deaths in federal prisons

Deaths have increased as agency staff fail to identify suicidal risks and allow contraband into facilities, IG finds.

Management

The DOJ works with law enforcement to improve how deputies communicate with people who don’t speak English

A ProPublica investigation revealed how a grammatical mistake in Spanish led sheriff’s deputies in Wisconsin to wrongly blame a Nicaraguan dairy worker for his son’s death.

Tech

How DHS is providing security tech and cyber support for Super Bowl LVIII

The Homeland Security Department said it is “leveraging its significant technology assets and dedicated personnel” to protect the Feb. 11 matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Oversight

Key federal agencies mostly followed procedure on Jan. 6, IG finds

The National Park Service could have taken more steps to prevent risks, auditor says, though organizer's lies made the planning more challenging.

Management

House Oversight members take aim at former GSA official in request for FBI headquarters investigation

Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and member Gerry Connolly, D-Va., called on the General Services Administration’s acting inspector general to investigate potential political influence in the agency’s decision to select Greenbelt, Md., for the FBI’s main office.

Management

How Greenbelt won the FBI’s new headquarters

The agency’s pick for its new headquarters won out over sites in Virginia and Maryland despite being the smallest buildable offering. The choice has sparked some controversy.

Management

White House tasks several agencies with responding to incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia

The departments of Homeland Security, Justice and Education will all have roles to address what the White House sees as rising discrimination on college campuses.

Management

FBI’s new headquarters plan was not influenced by the Trump White House, watchdog says

An inspector general report four years in the making found that FBI officials nixed a plan to move its headquarters to suburban Washington, D.C., for reasons not related to alleged political pressure from the Trump administration. 

Oversight

Report: DHS, USPS failing in their requirements to screen for opioids in the mail

A 2018 law aimed at preventing drug producers from shipping their goods through the mail is not being implemented, IG says.

Management

Federal prisons chief insists to Senate panel there’s been ‘visible change’ in the system

Bureau of Prisons Director Colette Peters told lawmakers on Wednesday that she has visited more than 20 facilities, and has worked to address employee misconduct and “hold those who engage in misconduct accountable.”

Oversight

Special counsels, like the one leading the Justice Department’s investigation of Hunter Biden, are intended to be independent − but they aren’t entirely

Ensuring impartiality in the Justice Department can be difficult, as the attorney general is appointed by – and answerable to – a partisan president.

Oversight

DEA has regularly hired applicants it flagged as lying on their polygraphs

The agency also faces allegations of nepotism in its lie detector testing and a watchdog is saying the issues require "immediate attention" from management.

Workforce

Homeland Security law enforcement officers would receive more mental health support, under a bill advancing in the House

Bipartisan legislation reported out of committee earlier this week comes in the wake of an uptick of suicides among border personnel. 

Management

Cocaine at the White House? Republicans demand answers

The White House says the matter is under investigation by the Secret Service.

Management

Republicans look to eliminate armed law enforcement at some agencies

While only a small number of employees, conservative lawmakers say the officers infringe on Americans' rights.

Oversight

‘Serious failures’ handling Jeffrey Epstein’s custody highlight the staffing crisis at federal prisons, watchdog says

The Justice Department IG blasted the Bureau of Prisons on many fronts in a new report and the bureau’s director concurred with all the recommendations.