Fed crackdown legal marijuana states could create larger black market
If the federal government cracks down on state marijuana laws, it could create an unregulated market that states can't contain, according to Brookings Fellow Stuart Taylor at a Brookings talk.The federal government should declare a safe harbor in states that have legalized marijuana. Washington and Colorado both have legal, but regulated marijuana and 14 other states legalized medical marijuana.
Navy proposes special incentives for its best contractors
The Superior Supplier Incentive Program could offer more favorable progress payments or fewer audits to Navy contractors who have excelled in the past, according to a notice in the Federal Register. During the planned pilot phase of the program, contractors would be judged for product quality, control control, management responsiveness and other factors.
Federal government favorable rating drops to 28 percent, according to a Pew poll
Only 28 percent of Americans view the federal government favorably, according to an April 15 Pew Research Center poll (.pdf). In addtion, for the first time since Obama became president, more Democrats say they have an unfavorable view of the federal government in Washington than a favorable view, Pew data shows.
The federal government gave up $181 billion in corporate tax revenue in 2011
In 2011, the government forewent collecting about $181 billion in corporate tax revenue due to 80 tax code exceptions, says the Government Accountability Office in a newly released March 18 report (.pdf). The amount of money the federal government spends through tax code corporate loopholes--known as tax expenditures--has increased over the last few decades, as has the number of corporate tax expenditures, the report says.
Spotlight: Kaplan replaces Berry at OPM
2014 Budget Request: Government Printing Office
The agency's revolving fund would receive $12.919 million in fiscal 2014, up from about $500,000 in fiscal 2013. GPO is requesting the funding mostly for information technology projects. About $6.5 million would fund four projects related to FDsys, GPO's system for online access to official government publications.
2014 Budget Request: National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation requested $7.63 billion for fiscal 2014, which is a 4.09 percent increase of the amount enacted in 2012, adjusted for inflation, according to an NSF budget document. The research portion of the NSF budget represents about $6.2 billion. It accounts for the Atacama Large Millimeter Array telescope and other observatories, investigations into novel materials, manufacturing processes and smart systems, advanced cyber infrastructure and sustainability science and engineering, the NSF said.
2014 Budget Request: FBI
The FBI requests $8.44 billion to for fiscal 2014, according to a FBI budget request summary (.pdf). That's 0.92 percent less than the 2013 estimated budget of $8.18 billion, when adjusted for White House-projected inflation. The request includes $81 million for construction and $8.36 billion for salaries and expenses, funding 34,787 positions, agents accounting for 13,082 of the total.
Spending caps lower discretionary spending by $91 billion in 2014
The amended 1985 Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act requires discretionary spending caps to be lowered by $91 billion in fiscal 2014 and the sequestration of $18 billion in direct spending, according to a letter (.pdf) to congress by Acting Official of Management and Budget Director Jeffrey Zients.These cuts assume sequestration will still be in effect for fiscal 2014.
2014 Budget Request: IRS
President Obama's fiscal 2014 budget proposal requests $ 12.86 billion for IRS programs, or 5.92 percent more than the agency is currently funded under the current year's continuing resolution, when adjusting for inflation.
Post Office backs off from cutting Saturday mail delivery
The United States Postal Service backed down from its fight for a modified 5 day delivery schedule that would eliminate Saturday delivery, according to a statement from the USPS Board of Govenors statement. "Absent specific legislative language, a continuing resolution maintains the status quo regarding government funding and operations," the statement says.
2014 Budget Request: Federal science spending
That request total is nominally an increase from the $140.9 billion agencies spent in fiscal 2012. But when adjusted for White House-projected inflation, the 2014 request represents a 2.76 percent drop from 2012.
2014 Budget Request: Veterans Affairs Department
President Obama's fiscal 2014 budget request allots $152.7 billion for the Veterans Affairs Department, with $86.1 billion of that being mandatory spending and $66.5 billion in discretionary spending, according to a VA budget document (.pdf). The amount requested is an inflation-adjust 7.89 percent increase over the estimated fiscal 2013 budget.
2014 Budget Request: Obama proposes 1 percent federal worker pay increase
Federal workers could see a one percent pay increase in fiscal 2014 if President Obama's budget is passed. That bump would lift a federal worker pay freeze that's been holding back salary increases for the last 3 years.
2014 Budget Request: Defense Department
President Obama's fiscal 2014 budget requests $526.6 billion for the Defense Department, including $155.8 billion for the Navy, $144.4 billion for the Air Force and $129.7 billion for the Army. By function, the budget includes $209.4 billion for operation and maintenance, $137.1 billion for military personnel and $99.3 billion for procurement.
The president's 2014 budget request
President Obama sent to Congress Wednesday a $3.77 trillion budget proposal for fiscal 2014, a total amounting to about $14 million less than estimated fiscal 2013 spending. When accounting for White House-projected inflation, that proposed topline is 0.37 below current year spending.
White sworn in as SEC head, Obama nominates three NLRB members
White was approved by a Senate voice vote and will replace Elisse Walter, who has been interim SEC chairman since Mary Schapiro resigned in December 2012. White had previously served as U.S. attorney in Manhattan from 1993 through 2002. She is the only woman to hold that position in the 200-year-plus history of the office, the SEC statement said.
Military uniforms, catfish inspection, drug-abuse programs make GAO's annual list of inefficiencies
If the government were to follow GAO's advice to correct the 162 areas of inefficiency GAO has found in its three annual reports since 2011, it could save tens of billions of dollars, says this year's report, released April 9. The Defense Department, for instance, could save $82 million if its combat uniform acquisition process were less fragmented, the report says.
Management side of OMB is critical, nominee says in confirmation hearing
President Obama's nominee to head the Office of Management and Budget stressed the need to reduce the deficit and increase efficiency during her April 9 confirmation hearing with the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.Sylvia Mathew Burwell, who currently heads up the Walmart Foundation and was previously president of Global Development Program at the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, garnered promises of support from Senators of both sides of the aisle.
