Tag: federal

House-passed reconciliation bill includes more changes to proposed federal benefits cuts

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House lawmakers narrowly passed the GOP’s budget reconciliation bill early Thursday morning in a vote of 215-214, after making one last revision to a series of proposals cutting federal benefits and civil service protections. Four of the six provisions on federal benefits cuts that originated from Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee remain in the House-passed version of the bill, which now heads to the Senate for consideration. But notably, the proposed change to a “high-5” annuity calculation is no longer on the table. The provision was…

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How can DOGE fix federal IT? Lock out vendor lock-in

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In the midst of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency’s headline-making actions, it’s a good time to remember that DOGE’s mandate is to “maximize governmental efficiency and productivity” by “modernizing federal technology and software.” Federal IT is a worthy target for Musk and his team of efficiency hackers. It’s overpriced, with various estimates pegging the government’s costs at two to four times the private sector’s. It underdelivers compared to what’s available outside of government, as anyone who has held positions in both sectors will attest. And it is difficult to…

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Federal benefits face possible cuts in House Republicans’ budget resolution

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Although the details of House Republicans’ narrowly approved budget framework are still up in the air, some initial proposals show the possibility of changes to federal benefits, mainly in retirement and health care. As part of the GOP budget resolution, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is looking at cuts of at least $ 50 billion from its mandatory spending, according to the framework that lawmakers approved in a vote of 216-214 on Thursday. That level of spending cuts would almost certainly dig into federal benefits, the National Active…

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Trump’s RTO gets rid of the wrong federal workers

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President Donald Trump’s recent announcement of a full-time, five-day-a-week return-to-office (RTO) mandate for federal employees has sparked heated debates across the nation. Framed as a strategy to reduce the size of the federal workforce and boost efficiency, this decision overlooks a critical consequence: the potential loss of the government’s most experienced and skilled employees. If history is any indication, this sweeping policy could usher in a new wave of resignations that would undermine the very efficiency it seeks to enhance. We don’t have to speculate blindly about what might happen.…

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House passes bill to fund federal agencies through September, though prospects unclear in Senate

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The House passed legislation Tuesday to avert a partial government shutdown and fund federal agencies through September, providing critical momentum as the measure now moves to the Senate, where bipartisan support will be needed to get it over the finish line. Republicans needed overwhelming support from their members to pass the funding measure, and they got it in the 217-213 House vote. Just one Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, voted against the measure. And just one Democratic lawmaker, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, voted for it.…

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