Happy Tuesday! What would you do to cut the federal government’s energy bill? Lawmakers hope to get a few answers on Wednesday at a Senate hearing designed to assess President Obama’s executive order that mandated energy conservation targets for federal agencies. The federal government spent $24.5 billion on energy costs in fiscal 2008, equal toRead… Read more »
“Open Gov the Movie” – from Delib from Delib on Vimeo. Happy Thursday! One year ago today, good government groups and transparency advocates cheered as President Obama issued his first executive orders mandating the government “adopt a presumption in favor” of Freedom of Information Act requests and requiring that agencies become more transparent. “The governmentRead… Read more »
A Baltimore man pretending to be a U.S. Secret Service agent slipped past security on Saturday at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington and was not stopped until he got to the sixth-floor suite of offices for Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, authorities said. Frederick James Nickerson, 46, apparently left the building after beingRead… Read more »
Happy Friday! Most offices start winding down for the year on Friday ahead of the weekend’s anticipated snowstorm and the Christmas and New Year’s weeks. Amid all the parties, long lunches and other holiday cheer, some feds may wonder: When it comes to giving gifts at government offices, how much is too much? “Twenty dollarsRead… Read more »
Federal workers owed more than $3 billion in income taxes in 2008, according to the Internal Revenue Service, a figure down slightly from the year before. The agency reported that 276,300 current and retired federal employees owed $3,042,200,000 in 2008, down from $3,586,784,725 in unpaid taxes in 2007. The list includes White House and CongressionalRead… Read more »
Happy Friday! Two leading federal workers unions want lawmakers to keep their hands off the program that provides health-care coverage to federal employees, arguing that any potential merger with a larger public health care program would jeopardize health coverage for federal workers. Senate Democrats may soon strike a deal to create a program establishing severalRead… Read more »
Happy Wednesday! Know of a government worker that deserves recognition? Nominate your favorite Fed for a Service to America Medal by the end of January and they might win up to $10,000. The Partnership for Public Service collects the nominations, selects the winners and then distributes eight “Sammies” at a big ceremony in September. There’sRead… Read more »
Congressional appropriators agreed Tuesday night to give civilian federal employees a 2 percent pay increase — which includes a locality pay increase President Obama didn’t want. Government workers will get a 1.5 percent nationwide increase in base pay and a 0.5 percent average increase in locality pay. The final agreement goes against the wishes ofRead… Read more »
Updated 5:48 p.m. ET The State Department will not renew the contract of the private security firm that guards the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, follows allegations of sexual misconduct by the company’s guards and potential weapons shortages at the embassy. A senior State Department official confirmed the contract that ArmorGroup North America’s contract would notRead… Read more »
Federal agencies have four months to become more open, transparent and cooperative with the public’s requests for information, according to new orders issued Tuesday by the White House. The changes deliver a big victory to open government groups have long sought to transform how the government presents and shares information with the general public. OutlinedRead… Read more »