Dodaro: Executive branch limited in its ability to reduce duplication and waste
The Government Accountability Office's annual report on costly overlap and duplication identifies 380 actions to make government more efficient. Despite White House efforts to make meaningful progress in this area, it is hamstrung, said GAO Comptroller General Eugene Dodaro.
VA processes half of claims on the books more than 2 years
A project to expedite the longest standing veteran disability claims eliminated more than half the applications that had been on the books for 2 years or longer, Veterans Affairs Undersecretary for Benefits Allison Hickey told the House Veterans Affairs Committee during a May 22 hearing.
Special Operations Command failed to make plane available for use, IG report says
Officials at the United States Special Operations Command unit failed to make a C-12 turboprop plane that was used to transport Army officials to meetings visible in their inventory when it was transferred there in 2000, a May 9 Defense Department Inspector General report (.pdf) says. Because the plane was not reported, the U.S. Transportation Command could not schedule it for use, the report says.
Spotlight: Obama to nominate Tangherlini to stay on as permanent GSA administrator
President Obama nominated Acting General Services Administration head Dan Tangherlini to be the permanent administrator, Obama said in a May 22 statement. Tangherlini had held the role of acting administrator since April 2012.
Sequestration eroded GAO ability to produce reports, Comptroller says
Staffing cuts due to sequestration severely eroded the Government Accountability Office's ability to produce reports and make recommendations to Congress about the efficiency of government agencies, GAO Comptroller Gene Dodaro said at a May 21 Senate Appropriates Committee hearing.
State role in Amtrak debated at House hearing
"When the states have skin in the game...we're seeing much better-run service, we're seeing new innovations, new ideas, and we're seeing better integration of passenger rail" with the rest of the transportation network, said Robert Puentes, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Fomer IRS head says he's not responsible for scrutinizing conservative groups
The official who led the Internal Revenue Service when it was improperly scrutinizing conservative organizations filing for tax exempt status said during a May 21 Senate Finance Committee hearing that he isn't to blame for those actions, but said he regretted it happened on his watch.
Worries over health care exchange implementation overblown, says panel
Federal efforts to quickly ramp up implementation of the Affordable Care Act have been effective, and claims of state pushback have been overblown, panelists said at a May 20 Brookings Institution event.
Plans for military's multibillion-dollar rust problem not sufficient, GAO says
The military's plans to mitigate rust and other forms of corrosion all lack performance measures, and some don't connect to the Defense Department's overarching goals, a report from the Government Accountability Office says.
Conference restrictions enacted in continuing resolution outlined by OGE
The continuing resolution signed into law by President Obama in March included new restrictions around conferences, which the Office of Government Ethics outlines in an advisory (.pdf) published May 15.
TANF hasn't evolved with changing state programs, GAO says
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program hasn't evolved with changing state programs and there isn't enough information to understand how that has impacted the families needing assistance from the program, a May 15 Government Accountability Office report (.pdf) says.
DoD paid more on average for prescription drugs than the VA did, GAO says
The Defense Department paid 31.8 percent more for the average unit price of prescription drugs than the Veterans Affairs Department across a sample of 83 drugs, says a Government Accountability Office report (.pdf) dated April 19 but only released publicly May 20. The DoD paid 66 percent more than the VA specifically for generic drugs, the report says.
DOJ censures former attorney for leak while State Dept. leak investigation continues
The former top federal prosecutor in Arizona violated Justice Department policy when he shared an internal memorandum with a Fox News reporter, the DOJ office of inspector general says in a new report, released amid new revelations about the prosecution of a State Department contractor who also allegedly leaked information to a reporter.
Treasury will temporarily stop investing in retirement to free up money for federal debt, Lew Says
The Treasury Department will stop investing in federal worker retirement and disability funds since Congress only suspended the debt ceiling until May 18, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said in a May 17 letter (.pdf) to Congress. Congress has not approved normal borrowing authority after May 18, Lew said.
Economic espionage threatens openness in science and technology
Efforts to protect scientific and technological advancements from espionage should focus on defining the line between basic research and the development of applied technology, a member of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission told a House panel May 16.
Interior Department to focus on Indian education and renewable energy, Jewell says
The Interior Department must focus on advancing Indian student education and building upon renewable energy project success on reservations, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell told the Senate Indian Affairs Committee at a May 15 hearing. Only 52 percent of students at Bureau of Indian Education schools graduate as opposed to 76 percent in non-BIE public schools, said Chairwoman Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) at the hearing.
Millions could be saved if agencies stop duplicating services, Dodaro tells the Senate
Agencies don't do enough to stop program and services duplication, which costs the government millions of dollars, Government Accountability Office Comptroller Gene Dodaro told the Senate Budget Finance Committee during a May 16 hearing. For example, if the military services jointly purchased uniforms, they could collectively save up to $80 million, Dodaro said.
GSA failed to follow legal process when doling out bonuses, IG report says
The General Services Administration did not properly review senior executives when giving out bonuses from 2009 to 2011 and instead employed practices that lacked transparency and accountability, a May 16 GSA Inspector General report says. GSA "illustrated a willingness by the GSA to violate legal requirements and the way officials gave out bonuses was a "manufactured process," the report says.
VA mandates overtime to reduce claims backlog
The Veterans Affairs Department announced it would mandate overtime for claims processors at its 56 regional offices as a way to reduce the backlog of VA disability claims. The mandate will be implemented through the end of fiscal 2013, a May 15 VA statement said.
Federal courts ask OMB for $72.9 million in additional funds
The federal courts system needs $72.9 million in supplemental funding this year to prevent layoffs and other repercussions from sequester-related budget cuts, says the Judicial Conference of the United States. "The judiciary is confronting an unprecedented fiscal crisis that could seriously compromise the constitutional mission of the United States courts," the letter says.
