Congress | Voter.org

House shows love for some IT modernization funds, but not all of them

July 25, 2022 them, love, Modernization, funds, House, Some, shows0 comment

Two of the three governmentwide technology modernization funds received some extra love from House lawmakers in the fiscal 2023 budget. As part of a package of six bills passed by the House on July 20, the IT Oversight and Reform (ITOR) fund managed by the Office of Management and Budget received a $ 5.7 million plus up over its 2022 appropriation. Meanwhile, the General Services Administration’s Federal Citizen Services Fund received an even larger increase of $ 60.7 million over its 2022 budget. House lawmakers, however, didn’t strongly support the…

House advances some key agency spending provisions for 2023

July 21, 2022 Some, Agency, provisions, advances, 2023, House, spending0 comment

The House cleared a funding package that included six bills, taking a few small steps forward for civilian agency spending in fiscal 2023. In a 220 to 207 vote on July 20, the House passed a “minibus” spending package with approximately $ 560 billion in government funding. In the full House vote, six out of 12 appropriations bills moved forward, supporting funding for the departments of Agriculture, Energy, Interior and Transportation, as well as the departments of Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs, and several other independent agencies. The…

Congress investigating whether companies are profiting off veterans disability claims backlog

July 17, 2022 Companies, Claims, veterans, disability, whether, Investigating, profiting, backlog, Congress0 comment

Members of Congress are investigating whether third-party records companies are profiting from a pandemic-induced backlog of veterans disability claims. The National Archives and Records Administration has been trying to speed up records requests to process the claims but to no avail, impeding veterans’ access to essential services like health care and housing. Today, House Committee on Oversight and Reform Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (N.Y.) and member Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) sent letters to veteran records retrieval companies including DD214 Direct, Aardvark Research Group and Angels Research. The letters state the committee…

Members of Congress want FDA to develop guidance avoiding animal testing

July 9, 2022 Congress, want, members, Animal, Testing, develop, Avoiding, Guidance0 comment

Best listening experience is on Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Subscribe to Federal Drive’s daily audio interviews on <a href=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/federal-drive-with-tom-temin/id1270799277?mt=2″>Apple Podcasts</a> or <a href=”https://www.podcastone.com/federal-drive-with-tom-temin?pid=1753589″>PodcastOne</a>. Members of Congress continue their interest in seeing the curtailment of animal testing for drugs and cosmetics. Now some members are urging the Food and Drug Administration to develop guidance for industry on how to avoid animal testing for products requiring FDA approval. For more, Nevada Rep. Dina Titus (D) joined the <a href=”https://federalnewsnetwork.com/category/temin/tom-temin-federal-drive/”>Federal Drive with Tom Temin</a>. Interview transcript: <blockquote>Tom Temin: Congresswoman Titus, good to have you back. Dina Titus:…

New obstacles emerge to any hope of Congress getting a budget in time for fiscal 2023

July 5, 2022 Congress, budget, fiscal, Getting, Time, Hope, obstacles, Emerge, 20230 comment

Best listening experience is on Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Subscribe to Federal Drive’s daily audio interviews on <a href=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/federal-drive-with-tom-temin/id1270799277?mt=2″>Apple Podcasts</a> or <a href=”https://www.podcastone.com/federal-drive-with-tom-temin?pid=1753589″>PodcastOne</a>. China can’t do anything to prevent Congress from passing a budget on time for 2023. But the China competitiveness bill could do just that. With the year-end just three months away now, legislative arguments over the bill threaten budget talks. For how, the <a href=”https://federalnewsnetwork.com/category/temin/tom-temin-federal-drive/”>Federal Drive with Tom Temin</a> turns to WTOP Capitol Hill correspondent Mitchell Miller. Interview transcript: <blockquote>Tom Temin: Mitchell, what is going on with the China bill and the…

This legislation would turn Veterans Affairs whistleblower policy into law

July 1, 2022 Policy, would, into, This, veterans, Legislation, turn, Affairs, 'whistleblower'0 comment

Best listening experience is on Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Subscribe to Federal Drive’s daily audio interviews on <a href=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/federal-drive-with-tom-temin/id1270799277?mt=2″>Apple Podcasts</a> or <a href=”https://www.podcastone.com/federal-drive-with-tom-temin?pid=1753589″>PodcastOne</a>. In an agency as large as Veterans Affairs, with a third of a million employees, there is no shortage of things to go wrong. Often it’s whistleblowers that point them out, often to the Office of Inspector General. Now a bipartisan bill that passed the House would ensure continuance of a policy that every VA employee received training by the OIG to learn how to report alleged wrongdoing. For more…