Category: Congress

Key takeaways, trends from GAO’s 2024 bid protest report

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Every fall, the Government Accountability Office fulfills its obligations under the Competition in Contracting Act of 1984 (CICA) and reports to Congress the number of bid protests that were filed in the previous fiscal year. GAO’s annual report also identifies each instance in which a federal agency did not fully implement a recommendation made by GAO in connection with a bid protest during the prior year, and each instance in which a final decision in a protest was not rendered within 100 days after the date the protest was submitted…

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‘How you do it matters’: GAO heightens concerns about federal workforce

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Comptroller General Gene Dodaro’s very last congressional hearing on the Government Accountability Office’s high-risk list went back over some familiar yet urgent ground, as the long-time head of GAO repeatedly warned Congress about the future of the federal workforce. “I’ve been very concerned about the federal workforce,” Dodaro told lawmakers on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee during a hearing last week. “It doesn’t have the proper skills that are needed to address many of these important areas that are providing critical services to the American people, and at…

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How to keep the courts out of administrative decisions

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Attorney Domenic Powell worked for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau until today, when the Trump administration sort of canceled it. Ironically, this CFPB attorney wrote about how to court-proof administrative branch decisions. That was in December, before the onslaught of Trump-DOGE activities that have mostly ended up in court. Powell joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss. Interview transcript: Tom Temin: And we should also point out that you are a fellow of the American Bar Association, specializing in regulatory affairs and administrative procedures. First of all, tell us…

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Trump loyalist Kash Patel is confirmed as FBI director by the Senate despite deep Democratic doubts

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Thursday narrowly voted to confirm Kash Patel as director of the FBI, moving to place him atop the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency despite doubts from Democrats about his qualifications and concerns he will do Donald Trump’s bidding and go after the Republican president’s adversaries. “I cannot imagine a worse choice,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told colleagues before the 51-49 vote by the GOP-controlled Senate. Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were the lone Republican holdouts. A Trump loyalist…

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A big to do list for Congress as it finishes the first month with a new administration

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Congress has a lot to do as it finishes off its first month with a new administration. The branch itself has not impeded any of the White House’s agenda so far. It has its own policy initiatives to consider and there is the matter of funding for the government, which runs out in less than a month. Loren Duggan, deputy news director for Bloomberg Government, joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to break down what’s going on. Interview transcript: Eric White: So, yeah, let’s cover those nominations first. We…

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Republicans in Congress propose bill to fast track Trump plans

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Two Republican lawmakers want to make any governmentwide reorganization plan an up or down vote by Congress. Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) and Sen. Mike Lee’s (R-Utah) Reorganizing Government Act of 2025 would fast-track any plan President Donald Trump submitted to Congress. Lawmakers said the bill would help give the president the authority to streamline government operations to better serve the American people. Comer and Lee said this legislation restores a reorganization authority that was last in effect in 1984, aiming to modernize and improve government efficiency. (Bill would restore President’s…

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