Sequestration affects third of Americans personally, poll says
Thirty-seven percent of Americans say sequestration cuts have negatively affected them, according to a poll (.pdf) released May 24 by ABC News and The Washington Post.
DoD must be more realistic about acquisition expectations, Kendall says
For the Defense Department to make more cost-effective acquisitions, the department must be more realistic about its program expectations and control costs through the life cycle of products, DoD Under-Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Frank Kendall said at a May 23 Center for Strategic and International Studies event.
Corbin replaces Lerner at IRS exempt organizations division
Ken Corbin replaced Lois Lerner as acting head of the Internal Revenue Service exempt organization divisions, a May 23 statement by Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.) says.
Agriculture employees avoid furloughs with congressional approval
The House Appropriations Committee approved a measure that will shift funds within in the Agriculture Department's rural development division to avoid furloughing 4,800 employees due to sequestration cuts, House Appropriations Committee Director of Communication Jennifer Hing said in an e-mail.
Spotlight: Obama to nominate Archuleta to head OPM
President Obama will nominate Katherine Archuleta to head the Office of Personnel Management, a May 23 White House statement says. Archuleta will be the first Latina to hold the position, the statement says. She is replacing John Berry, who held the office from April 13, 2009 to April 13, 2013.
Agencies need to reduce building space and better use existing space, GSA building service commissioner says
Agencies must consolidate offices and better utilize existing offices to help reduce the amount of money and energy spent on maintaining federal buildings, General Services Administration Public Buildings Service Commissioner Dorothy Robyn told the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management in a May 22 hearing.
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 halves disability 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 General 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.
