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House Democrats introduce Taxpayer Data Protection Act in response to Musk’s actions

February 7, 2025 protection, data, actions, taxpayer, Musk's, Democrats, House, Response, introduce0 comment

House Democrats are making a push to secure data at the Treasury Department. A group of lawmakers have introduced the Taxpayer Data Protection Act. The bill seeks to add a layer of protection against anyone seeking to access the agency’s systems. The legislation would bar anyone with conflicts of interest or without a security clearance from getting into the Treasury Department’s data. The bill comes after billionaire Elon Musk and some of his employees gained access to Treasury Department data. House Democrats said they’re expecting a Senate companion bill for…

Fiscal Service using death data to reduce improper payments

October 6, 2024 reduce, using, data, Payments, Improper, fiscal, death, Service0 comment

The Bureau of Fiscal Service in the Treasury Department has a stretch goal — help prevent $ 12 billion in improper payments by 2029. Luckily for the bureau, Congress gave it some much needed help to improve its Do Not Pay database. The Fiscal Service now has access to the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File, which contains over 83 million records of deaths that have been reported to SSA. Tim Gribben, the commissioner of the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, said Congress gave the agency access on a pilot…

Better data protests could benefit, agencies, vendors alike

December 7, 2023 Better, data, Agencies, benefit, Protests, Alike, vendors, could0 comment

When it comes to data on bid protests, the data is lacking to say the least. Beyond the annual bid protest report to Congress from the Government Accountability Office, agencies track few other outcomes from protests. David Drabkin, a fellow at the Stevens Institute of Technology Acquisition Innovation Research Center and a former senior procurement executive for the General Services Administration, said by not collecting and understanding this data, agencies are missing a host of opportunities to improve the acquisition process, the contracting workforce and industry response to solicitations. Dave…

Data brokers selling veterans’ sensitive health, financial data online, study shows

November 9, 2023 Online, Selling, study, sensitive, shows, veterans, health, data, brokers, Financial0 comment

A historic year of hiring at the Department of Veterans Affairs has lead to a record year for veteran care and benefits. The VA is staffing up its health care and benefits workforce to levels never seen before in the department’s history. It provided more than 116 million health care appointments to veterans and their survivors in fiscal 2023. That is three million more appointments than its previous record. VA also processed nearly two million benefits claims, a nearly 16% increase from the year prior. VA Secretary Denis McDonough said…

GSA’s commercial platforms gaining steam, but data, other concerns persist

August 9, 2023 Commercial, concerns, data, Persist, Platforms, Steam, Gaining, GSA’s0 comment

Three years into the Commercial Platforms Initiative, the vision Congress had for the initiative isn’t necessarily coming to fruition. But new data and analysis shows that doesn’t mean it’s a failure by any means. The number of agencies using the platform more than quadrupled between 2020 and 2022 to 27 and the spending, while far below initial estimates of $ 6 billion have increased to $ 40 million last fiscal year. And beyond the raw numbers, agencies told the Government Accountability Office in a new report that it is saving them…

Dissatisfied with OPM’s data, Republicans ask individual agencies for telework details

May 25, 2023 Republicans, details, data, Agencies, dissatisfied', Individual, OPM’s, telework0 comment

With many agencies’ return-to-office plans still uncertain, Republicans on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee want to take matters into their own hands. GOP committee leaders changed their strategy for trying to get more federal telework data, now reaching out directly to agency heads. In a series of 25 letters, the lawmakers asked for up-to-date numbers of teleworking federal employees, after saying the Biden administration was “not adequately tracking the specific levels of telework.” The Biden administration “has not provided current data about the specific amount of telework occurring within…