Budget uncertainty hurts agencies and federal employees
Uncertainty in the federal governments budgeting process and temporary stopgap measures prevent agencies from planning for the fiscal year and wastes the time of federal employees while lowering their morale, witnesses said at a congressional hiring on the impact of crisis budgeting.
Sequestration: NPS freezes and furloughs while FAA warns contractors
The National Park Service says sequestation will impact every aspect of its operations and cause the agency to leave 900 vacant positions unfilled and furlough some U.S. Park Police employees. FAA has now warned contractors that sequestration may delay, change or cancel work.
OMB gives cross-agency goal update
The update, posted by the Office of Management and Budget March 12 on performance.gov, shows mixed results in those cross-agency goals and provides information on 103 agency-specific priority goals.
Furloughs expected at HUD, Labor
Employee furloughs are anticipated as part of the sequestration response plan for the Labor Department and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, but HUD also plans to halt operations on the days employees are furloughed.
Unused federal courthouse space costs $51M each year, finds GAO
Unused federal courthouse space costs the government more than $51 million in maintenance and operations each year, finds the Government Accountability Office. The watchdog also reports that $835 million was spent from 2000 to 2010 to build unnecessary courthouse space.
Federal workforce targeted for budget savings in Ryan plan
The federal workforce would shrink by 10 percent by 2015 under a new budget plan from Rep. Paul Ryan. The plan suggests that federal workers ought to be more exposed to the struggles that private-sector workers face: "Immune from the effects of the recession, federal employees have received regular salary bumps regardless of productivity or economic realities."
How Paul Ryan would balance the federal budget
Rep. Paul Ryan's plan for the federal budget would for two years sharply cut spending, as a share of gross domestic product, then gradually draw it down further until the budget balances in 10 years.
Courts may cut staff, delay cases under sequestration
Federal courts will end up furloughing or laying off staff and delaying cases and the appointment of federal public defenders to meet budget cuts required under sequestration. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts says sequestration could cause civil jury trials to be suspended for six weeks.
Senate Appropriations proposes amendment to House CR
The Senate Appropriations Committee has unveiled a $984 billion plan to fund the government for the rest of fiscal 2013 and avert a shutdown after March 27. The Senate proposal would amend the House CR by adding three full appropriations measures in the form of an Agriculture Department bill, Homeland Security Department bill and a bill with funding for Commerce, Justice, NASA and NSF.
Mourning the loss of 6-day delivery
Obama administration transparency efforts a mixed bag, says watchdog
"Ultimately, the administration will be judged on the transparency it delivered, not the transparency it envisioned or promised--and there is widespread agreement that the delivery has lagged," write report authors from the Center for Effective Government.
SEC whistleblower promptly addresses claims, says IG
The whistleblower protection program at the Securities and Exchange Commission has timely operations for complaints and hotline calls, but it is too soon for the program to allow whistleblowers to file fraud lawsuits on behalf of the government, finds the SEC's office of inspector general.
DoD furloughs could begin in late April, says Hale
Furloughs will force civilian employees out of work for up to 22 days with very few exceptions, said DoD Comptroller Robert Hale, who expects the action to hurt morale and productivity. Even agencies that are able to level spending with 5- or 10-day furlough periods would be subject to the longer, departmentwide period.
FBI slow to clear contractors for security clearances
The Justice Department doesn't meet the statutory goal of completing at least 90 percent of its contractor security clearances within 60 days--mostly due to lengthy processing times at the FBI, says the DOJ office of inspector general.
USDA will likely furlough meat inspectors
The Agriculture Department has not found a way to meet the requirements of sequestration and avoid furloughing meat inspectors, said Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack.
DCAA failed to meet quality standards in reviews finds DoD IG
Reviews conducted by the Defense Contract Audit Agency continually failed to meet established professional standards in fiscal 2010, says the Defense Department's inspector general.
Gun legislation heads to the Senate
The Senate Judiciary Committee March 7 approved a new anti-gun trafficking measure, making it the first gun measure to be considered before the full Senate since the Dec. 14 shooting that killed 26 people in Newtown, Conn.
MAS vendors don't always provide accurate information or qualified labor, says GSA OIG
The General Services Administration still permits vendors that provide inaccurate commercial sales data and supply unqualified labor to remain on schedules contract vehicles, says the agency's inspector general.
Issa says new USPS delivery schedule can go ahead
The Postal Service has the authority to adopt its proposed new delivery schedule even if the next continuing resolution doesn't provide specific language allowing it, says Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Agencies explain some sequestration furloughs, closures and hires
Federal agencies are working to finalize sequestration-related cuts and to explain reductions, furloughs and exemptions to their employees, employee unions and contractors.
