Remember back in April when President Obama ordered the Cabinet to come up with $100 million in costs savings? And remember when critics blasted the plan as too little too late? Government penny-pinchers have found a way to save $102 million this fiscal year and another $140 million during fiscal year 2010. The solution? InstallRead… Read more »
At least 58 private contract security guards with improper credentials were reassigned from the Food and Drug Administration headquarters in Rockville this month after an inspection by the Federal Protective Service, according to two FPS officers familiar with the incident. The contractor, Chenega Integrated Services Inc., was also fined about $163,000 and ordered to reviewRead… Read more »
The U.S. Postal Service today joins a list of troubled government agencies and programs, as auditors acknowledge that the nation’s rapidly declining mail volume has placed a large financial strain on the nation’s mail agency. The Government Accountability Office will add the Postal Service to its “high risk” list, according to Congressional sources, ahead ofRead… Read more »
Happy Tuesday! Top Obama administration officials get in on the volunteer action today when they drop off food collected by federal employees as part of “Feds Feed Families.” The food drive was launched by the Office of Personnel Management in June as part of the White House’s summer-long “United We Serve” initiative. The Eye hasRead… Read more »
You’d think the Energy Department would be good about saving on energy consumption, but a new internal audit suggests it has wasted millions of dollars on unnecessary energy costs that could have been avoided if temperature controls in certain facilities functioned properly. The department spent approximately $300 million to cool and heat its 9,000 facilitiesRead… Read more »
Charlie Bolden likes to talk — and he’s also prone to choking up. Making his first major staff appearance as NASA administrator, Bolden spoke before agency employees Tuesday at Washington headquarters along with his deputy, Lori Garver. Over the course of 35 minutes of remarks — which he admitted should have lasted for about fiveRead… Read more »
The Obama administration’s top tech man told a crowd of web gurus on Tuesday that he’s seeking “quick wins” that demonstrate a “big impact,” aiming to aggressively expand the government’s online presence by launching tech-friendly fixes in the next six months. “Not all of these initiatives require laws… This is just about mindset,” Aneesh ChopraRead… Read more »
Only three federal agencies — the FBI, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and NASA — were rated positively by a majority of Americans in a new Gallup survey measuring opinions of several high-profile government agencies. The pollster asked respondents to grade the job performance of the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Reserve Board,Read… Read more »
The inspector general fired last month by President Obama has filed suit in federal court seeking reinstatement to his job as top watchdog at the Corporation for National and Community Service. In a suit filed late Friday at U.S. District Court in Washington, Gerald Walpin argued his removal was unlawful because it violated protections affordedRead… Read more »
Happy Monday! Traveling back from his bachelor party weekend through airports, The Eye recalled a Center for Public Integrity report released late last week regarding Congressional oversight of the Department Homeland Security. Five years ago this week, the 9/11 Commission made 41 recommendations to Congress about how to track and combat terrorism. Commissioners told CPIRead… Read more »