The General Services Administration this week ordered roughly 14,100 fuel-efficient vehicles from the (big?) three U.S. automakers, spending $210 million in economic stimulus funds to replace aging gas-guzzlers. That’s in addition to an April order for more than 3,000 hybrids, or vehicles that use a combination of gasoline and electric batteries. Before all those carsRead… Read more »
A Senate panel will hold a hearing tomorrow to review allegations of contracting abuse by a firm hired in 2007 to provide security at the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. Lawmakers are expected to focus on several concerns, including the contractor’s ability to provide proper security and the possibility that contracting employees violated human traffickingRead… Read more »
By Ed O’Keefe and Steve Vogel The National Weather Service today finally got around to delivering those long-anticipated recommendations on changing the FAA’s use of government meteorologists at its Air Route Traffic Control Centers. The basic plan calls for downsizing the 20 National Weather Service Center Weather Service Units (or CWSUs for short), to justRead… Read more »
The House will vote either today or tomorrow on granting federal employees four weeks of paid parental leave for the birth or adoption of a child, but it won’t happen without at least one more attempt to water it down. Lawmakers will consider an amendment sponsored by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) that would require federalRead… Read more »
Supporters of paid parental leave for federal employees just picked up some big (though not unexpected) support from the White House. The Office of Management and Budget issued the following statement: Being able to spend time at home with a new child is a critical part of building a strong family. The initial bonding betweenRead… Read more »
The federal government has managed to (at least temporarily) misplace more laptops, according to the Energy Department’s internal watchdogs. An inventory review at California’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory turned up missing laptops and other office equipment, stemming mostly from last year’s dismissal of more than 2,000 employees. Employees also reported the theft of government-issued laptopsRead… Read more »
Do not be alarmed if one day soon you see TSA officers wearing face masks at airport security checkpoints. The House later this week will consider an amendment to the TSA Authorization Bill that would allow transportation security officers to wear “personal protective equipment” (PPE) including protective masks during any public health emergency. The amendment,Read… Read more »
How’s this for “beyond the Beltway” experience: Skimming through the new White House 100-days progress report on the economic stimulus package, I noticed that the massive jobs and recovery project has directly impacted my hometown of Delmar, N.Y. (A reporter should rarely, if ever, use the first person, but since other colleagues have done itRead… Read more »
The Interior Department’s inspector general has found widespread mishandling and tracking of highly valuable passports issued to department officials traveling overseas, alleging that in numerous instances employees violated federal privacy laws. Several expired passports could not be accounted for and inspectors also could not locate the passports once issued to Interior Secretary Gale Norton andRead… Read more »
It’s certainly true of journalists and in all types of other professions, but this week’s Best Places to Work data definitely confirms that some federal employees much prefer toiling in the field rather than working at headquarters. Sarah Palin Take EPA for example: two of its regional offices, in San Francisco and Philadelphia, rank amongRead… Read more »