Are budgets cuts a big deal? Plus the DorobekINSIDER 7 Stories

On GovLoop Insights’ DorobekINSIDER:

• The Sunlight Foundation reports that $1.55 trillion dollars has misrepresented in federal spending in 2011. That baffling number is just one of the findings for the Clearspending report. But how can that happen? And how can agencies adequately manage when they don’t have a firm grip on their spending? Click here for the full recap.

But up front: Budgets, Budgets, Budgets

Spending Cuts Stink, But They’re Overhyped by Obama and Republicans Alike: Yes, sequestration is bad. But government agencies have an incentive to make it seem more dire than it is. Matt Cooper explains.

Panetta Discusses 2014 Defense Budget Request: Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta revealed that the proposed military pay raise for 2014 is 1 percent, and that the department is proceeding in a logical, careful way to do its part to cut the deficit and preserve military capabilities.

Panetta, Dempsey List Consequences of Sequestration: Deep, across-the-board spending cuts scheduled to take effect March 1 will have real national security consequences.

Reading Panetta’s speech at Georgetown University: http://1.usa.gov/11sDcMV

The SEVEN stories that impact your life

1. Your sequestration breakdown: Federal News Radio reports republicans on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees have proposed an alternative to the automatic budget cuts set to go into effect next month that includes reducing the size of the federal workforce by 10 percent through attrition.
2. The USAID could face a congressional subpoena if it doesn’t turn over records related to an alleged bid-rigging attempt. Federal Times reports the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is investigating allegations that USAID’s general counsel Lisa Gomer last year designed a contract solicitation’s scope of work to help outgoing Chief Financial Officer David Ostermeyer win a job as a senior assistance adviser after he retired.
3. ACSI is out with their citizen satisfaction survey. For the second consecutive year, citizen satisfaction with the services provided by the federal government increases substantially, up 2.2% to 68.4, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Since 2010, when the federal government ACSI score sank to an all-time low of 65.4, citizen satisfaction with federal services has increased by a healthy 4.6%.
4. GovExec reports the Defense Department will request a 1 percent pay increase for members of the uniformed military for 2014, the Pentagon announced Wednesday. Military service members received a 1.7 percent increase for 2013. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said, “no one is getting a pay cut, but we will provide a pay raise that’s smaller than we’ve seen in past years in order to achieve some savings by virtue of what we confront in the compensation area.”
5. More feds are retiring. Federal Times reports, January saw the biggest one-month exodus of new federal retirees in at least three years. The 22,187 federal employees who retired last month represented a 3 percent increase over January 2012, according to new data by the Office of Personnel Management. Last month’s retirement total was 13 percent higher than the 19,672 retirements in January 2011, and 38 percent higher than the 16,043 in January 2010.
6. Federal News Radio reports, workforce problems at the Internal Revenue Service are raising red flags with auditors. The agency has 5,000 fewer employees this tax filing season. Budget cuts forced it to freeze hiring and offer buyouts. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration says 40 percent of the remaining folks are eligible to retire within five years. Meanwhile, the agency is trying to crack down on tax fraud and implement the new Affordable Care Act. The healthcare law requires the IRS to build brand-new processes. Auditors say the IRS needs a systematic approach to onboarding to bring newer employees up to speed as quickly as possible.
7. On GovLoop, check out the DorobekINSIDER Live: BYOD. You can register here to learn from government BYOD leaders.

The DorobekINSIDER water-cooler fodder

• CIO Magazine: Are you a jargon junkie? Got an insatiable appetite for information? Tech addiction can lead to bad decisions, wasted money and data breaches. Fortunately, there are cures. Consider this your first step on the long road to recovery.
• Time: Free Federal Wireless Broadband For All Americans? Fuggedaboutit!

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