Congress | Voter.org

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

June 26, 2023 about, House, Lawmakers, questions, Continue, Troubles”, GSA’s, Login.gov0 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 government, around, gets, Ways, hundred, wrapped, axle0 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 Virginia, West, McGraw, Former, Court, dies, Supreme, Warren, Justice0 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 Homeland, Department's, drawn, Swords, security0 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.…

Deleted texts newest reason given to DHS IG to immediately resign

June 10, 2023 Reason, resign, immediately, Given, newest, texts, Deleted0 comment

The top oversight official at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is being asked to resign. Two top House Democrats are calling on DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari to immediately step down, after he admitted to deleting texts off his government-issued phone. Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), along with oversight subcommittee ranking member Glenn Ivey (D-Md.), said Cuffari is unfit to lead the IG office. During a hearing earlier this week, Cuffari said he routinely deletes texts off his government phone, but he did not believe those…

Now that the debt ceiling debate has been settled, it’s back to business-as-usual for contractors…right?

June 6, 2023 debate, debt, back, It's, Ceiling, settled, been, businessasusual, contractors…right0 comment

The debt ceiling debate has absorbed many in Washington over the past few weeks, as well as those whose business prospects are directly tied to federal spending. Now that a deal is done, how are they feeling about it? To find out, Federal Drive with Tom Temin spoke with federal contracting expert Larry Allen. Interview Transcript: Larry Allen I think the good news is now that we have a debt ceiling agreement, that the rest of the fiscal year for fiscal year 23 should be pretty strong. Congress has appropriated a…