Congress | Voter.org

Congress should protect competition, save Section 876

July 4, 2023 Congress, Should, Protect, 'Save, competition, Section0 comment

When awarding government contracts, actual pricing will always beat hypothetical pricing. Yet most multiple award task and delivery order contracts are awarded based on hypothetical pricing. To change this, Section 876, Increasing Competition at the Task Order Level, was passed in 2018 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 2019. As the then administrator of the General Services Administration, I know the agency worked closely with Congress to pass Section 876. Unfortunately, a recent Court of Federal Claims decision severely limited the applicability of Section 876, making…

What do people really mean when they say government should operate like a business?

June 30, 2023 operate, People, Business, Should, they, government, really, like, mean0 comment

When the nearly endless debates over the debt ceiling were raging on, the United States didn’t look very businesslike to the rest of the world. Internally, though, you never stop hearing that federal agencies should operate more like a business. This is both true and not true, according to my next guest. The Federal Drive with Tom Temin got commentary from American University professor Bob Tobias. Interview Transcript: Tom Temin Somehow, at these times when things are stressful on the political front or whenever people turn to federal agencies like…

House lawmakers continue to ask questions about GSA’s Login.gov troubles

June 26, 2023 GSA’s, Login.gov, about, House, Lawmakers, questions, Continue, Troubles”0 comment

The House and Senate armed services committees have both finished their work on the 2024 defense authorization bill. There’s a lot of agreement on the big picture: both chambers of Congress agree military members will get a 5.2% pay raise next year. That’s in line with the Biden Administration’s budget proposal. So is the top-line funding level: $ 844 billion in the Department of Defense spending next year. Whether federal civilian employees will get a pay raise — and how much — is a lot less clear. Congress traditionally leaves…

One hundred new ways the government gets wrapped around its axle

June 22, 2023 Ways, hundred, wrapped, axle, government, around, gets0 comment

Fragmentation, duplication and overlap. There is too much of it in government programs. It degrades economy and efficiency. Each year the Government Accountability Office (GAO) details instances of multiple agencies doing the same thing. This year GAO found what if calls “100 new matters for congressional consideration.” For the highlights, Federal Drive with Tom Temin spoke with Jessica Lucas-Judy, the GAO’s Director of Strategic Issues. Interview Transcript: Tom Temin And just briefly, for people that may not be aware of this great list every year, fragmentation, duplication, overlap. Just give…

Former West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Warren McGraw dies at 84

June 18, 2023 Supreme, Warren, Justice, Virginia, West, McGraw, Former, Court, dies0 comment

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Warren McGraw, a former West Virginia Supreme Court justice who spent five decades in public service, has died at age 84, a Supreme Court spokeswoman said Thursday. Court spokeswoman Jennifer Bundy confirmed McGraw’s death but had no additional information. Blue Ridge Funeral Home & Memorial Gardens in Beckley said it was in charge of funeral arrangements, which were incomplete. McGraw, who died Wednesday, had retired as a county circuit judge in 2021, citing the physical impairments due to Parkinson’s disease. Mike Pushkin, the state Democratic Party…

Swords are drawn for the Homeland Security Department’s IG

June 14, 2023 security, Homeland, Department's, drawn, Swords0 comment

The Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General, Joseph Cuffari, is hanging onto his job by a thread. He acknowledge in a hearing that he has deleted messages from his government cell phone, which at least two members of Congress say is a violation of federal records laws. They want him to resign. For the latest, Federal Drive with Tom Temin spoke with Mitchell Miller, WTOP’s Capitol Hill correspondent. Interview Transcript: Mitchell Miller Well, the latest is that Democrats had held off for quite a while on actually calling for his resignation.…