Congress | Voter.org

Boiling the frog: How civil servants are being politicized before our eyes

January 21, 2023 being, Eyes, Civil, Boiling, frog, servants, politicized, Before0 comment

Despite herculean efforts by its Democratic sponsors, a statutory ban on the Trump administration’s controversial Schedule F failed in the last session of Congress, and the chances of it passing in the next two years are now less than zero. As many readers know, Schedule F would have made political loyalty to a particular elected official (in this instance, former President Donald Trump) the litmus test for the retention of thousands of career civil servants in the federal government’s Executive Branch. That’s scary, especially to me, and I resigned from…

You heard right, the next potential government shutdown is coming into view

January 17, 2023 Next, into, right, government, View, heard, shutdown, coming, Potential0 comment

With Republicans in charge of the house and Democrats the Senate, you can bet on sharp disagreements over the budget. In fact, it’s not too early to worry about an impasse leading to a government shutdown. To get a look into this possibility, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin spoke with Mitchell Miller, WTOP’s Capitol Hill Correspondent. Interview transcript: Mitchell Miller It really is, Tom. It’s incredible that we’re here in January and already talking about it. And it’s very serious discussions taking place right now. And that is all of…

Grassley calls for 10 agencies to account for payment arrangements of temporarily employed non-feds

January 13, 2023 calls, account, Agencies, Temporarily, payment, Grassley, arrangements, employed, nonfeds0 comment

The top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee is calling for a sweeping review of agencies using non-federal employees to serve in temporary roles while being paid by outside entities. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is asking 10 agencies to provide a full accounting of these types of hires made under the Intergovernmental Personnel Act. Grassley is raising these concerns following news reports that the Federation of American Scientists, a non-profit with ties to former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, is paying the salaries of dozens of positions within the Biden administration.…

Speaking of the House: What’s in store for the 118th Congress?

January 9, 2023 Congress, House, speaking, What's, Store, 118th0 comment

Besides the tragedy-comedy drama over selection of a House Speaker, there is a rather potent agenda for the 118th Congress. Authorizations. Appropriations are so far off. Debt ceiling. And the gambits Republicans in the house are hoping to launch. To cover it all in 10 minutes, spoke with Federal Drive with Tom Temin Bloomberg Government Deputy News Director Loren Duggan. Interview transcript: Loren Duggan It has been these normally routine steps that often are dispensed with pretty quickly have obviously taken much longer this year to name a speaker and…

She’s retired from government, but not from national security

January 5, 2023 National, Retired, She’s, security, from, government0 comment

Best listening experience is on Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Subscribe to Federal Drive’s daily audio interviews on Apple Podcasts or PodcastOne. For long-serving federal executives, retirement from government is merely a gateway to a next phase. A case in point is Letitia Long, who retired back in 2014 as director of the National Geospatial- Intelligence Agency. She sits on several corporate boards and chairs one of the big trade associations. For some insight into her post-government life and a few other matters, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin spoke with Letitia Long. Interview…

Firefighters get what they want in the new Defense Authorization law

January 1, 2023 want, Defense, they, firefighters, Authorization0 comment

Best listening experience is on Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Subscribe to Federal Drive’s daily audio interviews on Apple Podcasts or PodcastOne. Like much of the legislation enacted in the past couple of years, the National Defense Authorization Act has something for everybody. That includes the nation’s federal and military firefighters. For more, the Federal Drive turned to the president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, Edward Kelly. Interview transcript: Tom Temin Let’s just establish that the NDAA mainly concerned federal firefighters, military firefighters, but they are also represented by your union. Edward…