Oversight

The Trump Administration Is Backing Out of a $647 Million Ventilator Deal After ProPublica Investigated the Price

The government overpaid by hundreds of millions for Philips ventilators, says a House investigation spurred by ProPublica reporting. Now that deal is off and Congress is scrutinizing other coronavirus deals made by trade adviser Peter Navarro.

Management

Now in Government Food Aid Boxes: A Letter From Donald Trump

Democrats say the letter violates the law against using government resources to campaign. It’s just the latest example of President Trump using his office to boost his reelection hopes.

Pay & Benefits

Planned Payroll Tax Deferrals Create Minefield for Feds

If the deferment is made permanent, employees could see a lower payout in retirement; if not, employees could receive a large tax bill next year, union official says.

Management

If Trump Refuses to Accept Defeat in November, the Republic Will Survive Intact, as It Has 5 out of 6 Times in the Past

Five of the six contested presidential elections in U.S. history were resolved and the country moved on -- one ended in civil war. What will happen if the upcoming election is contested?

Management

Trump Promises to ‘Crush’ Coronavirus, Double Down on First-Term Priorities

“We will lead America into new frontiers of ambition and discovery,” the president said of his second term plans during the Republican National Convention.

Management

New Executive Order Seeks to Put Federal Buildings in Disadvantaged Areas

The General Services Administration will develop a plan to implement the directive. 

Defense

Trump Announces Intent To Nominate Wolf As DHS Secretary

Eleven days ago, the GAO ruled that Wolf had been named acting secretary illegally.

Oversight

GovExec Daily: Reevaluating the Hatch Act

Citizen for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington's Donald K. Sherman joins the podcast to discuss the complexities surrounding the rule in the Trump era.

Oversight

Burial Site Found on a Property Tied to Obama, Causing Tension With Native Hawaiians

After Native Hawaiian remains were found on the multimillion-dollar oceanfront lot being developed by the chair of the Obama Foundation, a state official decided to relocate the remains. Kamuela Kala‘i is speaking up for her ancestors.

Oversight

OSC Outlines Hatch Act Compliance Requirements for Convention Speech at White House

“If something falls into a gray zone, I recommend people seek OSC's Hatch Act advice before assuming something is either okay or a violation,” said a former OSC official.

Oversight

It’s Illegal for Federal Officials to Campaign on the Job. Trump Staffers Keep Doing It Anyway.

Trump administration officials have been cited 13 times for violating the Hatch Act, a New Deal-era law prohibiting government officials from engaging in campaigning.

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.

Defense

Top Pentagon Spokesman: No Conclusions Yet On Cause Of Beirut Explosion

Trump has claimed without evidence that the explosion might have been an “attack.”

Defense

‘Most Believe’ Beirut Blast ‘Accident,’ Esper Says, Contradicting Trump

The president said “some of our great generals” told him that the blast was “a bomb of some kind.”

Defense

Trump: U.S. To Withdraw 4K Troops From Afghanistan By Election

“It’s already planned,” the president said in an interview with Axios.

Management

White House Orders Federal Contractors to Limit Their Use of Foreign Workers

President Trump signed an executive order that requires agencies to review internally their contracting practices, but experts say there are questions on how it will be implemented.