Oversight

Maloney Takes On Oversight Committee Chairmanship at a Critical Time

“It’s an incredibly difficult time to forecast the role of oversight on Capitol Hill,” says one expert.

Management

Lawmakers Demand Explanation for Social Security Telework Cuts

Friday marked the final day of a six-year-old telework pilot program for roughly 12,000 employees of the Social Security Administration’s operations agencies, after Commissioner Andrew Saul summarily ended it.

Management

Senate Democrats Push for Union Protections in Spending Package

Language in a House-passed appropriations bill blocking implementation of union contracts imposed by a federal impasses panel remains subject to negotiation.

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.

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.

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.