House VA Committee leader demands ‘airtight case’ for VA IT employees getting pay boost

A top Republican on the House VA Committee is scrutinizing the number of the employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs who are receiving a pay raise meant for hard-to-keep IT and cyber experts. The VA implemented a Special Salary Rate last summer, giving more than 7,000 employees in its Office of Information Technology (OIT) a substantial boost in pay. The SSR resulted in a 17% average pay increase for VA tech and cyber workers in 2210-classified positions. VA OIT has over 7,500 employees in these positions, and they account…

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House GOP VA Committee members look to make firing of poor-performing VA employees easier

House Republicans want to make it easier to fire employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Republicans on the House VA Committee are looking to advance the Restore VA Accountability Act. Committee Chairman Mike Bost (R-Ill.) is leading the bill and said the legislation will help the VA get rid of poor performers and those accused of serious misconduct more quickly. Federal employee unions and good-government groups say the bill will only make it harder for the VA to recruit employees. Lawmakers introduced this latest bill after the VA announced…

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Ahuja plans to fix OPM programs under the microscope of the House Oversight Committee

The House Oversight and Accountability Committee zeroed in on examining several federal programs with long-standing challenges, housed under the Office of Personnel Management. Among heated questions about federal telework, committee members pressed OPM Director Kiran Ahuja on how she plans to improve challenges in other departments at the agency, including in retirement services and the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, as well as the federal hiring process. Retirement services backlog Challenges in retirement services at OPM were a common concern among both Democrats and Republicans on the committee —…

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MoveOn Statement on the GOP’s Improper, Unwarranted, & Islamophobic Attempt to Remove Congresswoman Omar From Her Committee

Washington, D.C. – Statement from MoveOn Executive Director Rahna Epting on the improper and Islamophobic attempt to remove Congresswoman Ilhan Omar from her House Foreign Affairs Committee assignment as part of Kevin McCarthy’s corrupt bargain with MAGA: “The attempted removal of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar from a committee she has served on for more than two years—and has extensive credentials to continue to serve on—would be improper and unwarranted and would show how radical and out of touch the Republican Party has become. Republicans are clearly more interested in political revenge…

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MoveOn: Removing Omar From Committee: Improper, Unwarranted, and Islamophobic

Washington, D.C. – Statement from MoveOn Executive Director Rahna Epting on the improper and Islamophobic removal of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar from her House Foreign Affairs Committee assignment as part of Kevin McCarthy’s corrupt bargain with MAGA: “Speaker McCarthy and House Republicans’ removal of Congresswoman Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee is improper, unwarranted, and Islamophobic. Republicans are obviously more interested in political revenge than in governing.  “It’s clear GOP leadership targeted Congresswoman Omar because of her identity and her background, and they ignored her record of service advancing a just…

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Statement of MoveOn Executive Director Rahna Epting on the January 6 Committee Opening Hearing

“What the nation will see this month, starting with the January 6 select committee hearings, is MAGA extremism on full display. From blocking the sensible gun violence prevention laws we urgently need to attempting to overturn Roe v. Wade to new evidence of their deadly coup attempt, Republicans are showing the nation their values, their priorities, and their agenda.  “When it comes to January 6, the facts are overwhelming and indisputable. Donald Trump, encouraged and empowered by the entire Republican Party, led a deadly coup attempt and tried to overthrow…

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