Management

DHS to Waive Contracting Regulations to Speed Up Border Wall Construction

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf is using a 2005 law to override certain requirements.

Oversight

Whistleblower Advocates Praise Pick to Lead New House Ombudsman Office

The office will train congressional staffers on handling disclosures of potential waste, fraud and abuse.

Management

Trump’s Budget Seeks to Increase Funding for the Internal Revenue Service

Staff would grow by a net 1,700 positions from 2020 levels, if $400 million in “cap adjustments” to exceed spending levels in the 2019 budget agreement is included.

Management

White House Budget Gives Election Agency More Funding, But Expert Says It's Not Enough

"A budget should be doubling down on funding [election-related] institutions," the observer argued. 

Management

Trump’s Fiscal 2021 Budget Seeks to ‘Resize’ the Bureaucracy

Among other things, the White House wants to rein in “improper end-of-year spending” by agencies.

Management

Trump’s 2021 Budget Would Slash Civilian Agencies, Boost Defense and Veterans Affairs

The White House also reportedly will propose moving the Secret Service back to the Treasury Department.

Defense

Defense Secretary Reminds Employees to Remain Apolitical and Ethical

The statement was released right after Esper attended President Trump’s remarks following the president’s acquittal on impeachment charges.

Workforce

OPM Issues Guidance for Federal Employees Looking to Work for the Census

Helping with the count gives civil servants a chance to earn extra money and be part of history.

Management

Report: Federal Agencies Must Be 'Better Connected, More Collaborative' 

Agencies need to work together and with the private sector to improve how they manage IT systems, data and their workforces, researchers say.  

Management

Trump Presented an Optimistic View of Government in Third State of the Union

The president pointedly mentioned the administration’s support for the most important change in federal employee benefits in decades: paid family leave.

Management

GSA Praised for Progress on Contracting Schedule Consolidation  

Compared to a 2015 merger, “phase two [of the current process] far exceeds the expectations,” said one observer.

Management

Homeland Security Kicks Off Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking, Other Risks at the Super Bowl

Department personnel are also working to prevent sales of counterfeit goods and head off any potential security threats. 

Management

IRS Chief Acknowledges Budget Constraints, But Says He Is Confident the Agency Can Handle Tax Season

Two advantages over last year are that the agency is not recovering from a shutdown or implementing a new tax law, former commissioners note.  

Oversight

GSA Back in the Hot Seat Over Trump Hotel Oversight, Potential Sale

"The only thing I know is what I've read in the paper," agency chief says in reference to foreign expenditures at the hotel.  

Management

White House Budget Office Wants to Know How You Would Make Contracting More Efficient 

The federal government is looking to reduce cost and time of procurements, like the private sector.