The ticking sound you hear is the final days of the fiscal year

Indecision mixed with turmoil and partisan politics. That’s the familiar brew on Capitol Hill this week. With precisely two weeks until the fiscal year ends, there’s no clear path to any budget deal at the moment. So it’s a busy week as we heard from Bloomberg Government deputy news director Loren Duggan on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Interview transcript: Loren Duggan Here we are. Every September, we have to do this dance where we figure out if the government will stay funded going into the new fiscal year.…

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We dissect the final buy-American guidance out from the White House

When Congress passed the so-called Bipartisan Infrastructure law two years ago, it also strengthened buy-American requirements for construction projects. Now the final guidance is out from the White House on the BABA part of the law, Build American, Buy American. For analysis, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin  with Haynes Boone procurement attorney Dan Ramish. Interview Transcript:   Dan Ramish So, Tom, the final guidance. There was hope that it would clarify some of the points that came up in the proposed guidance, which was issued back in February. But I think…

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The Final Days

August 1 August is the month when oppressive humidity causes the mass evacuation of official Washington. In 2021, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki piled her family into the car for a week at the beach. Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed to the Hamptons to visit his elderly father. Their boss left for the leafy sanctuary of Camp David. They knew that when they returned, their attention would shift to a date circled at the end of the month. On August 31, the United States would officially complete its…

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‘OPM sent a signal’: Still no final regulations on 2017 administrative leave law

After six years, agencies are still missing the final regulations they need to make significant changes to federal administrative leave policy. Congress gave the Office of Personnel Management 270 days to implement new federal leave regulations under the Administrative Leave Act, a provision included in the fiscal 2017 National Defense Authorization Act. But OPM has missed that deadline by far — at least for some of the more complicated changes to the leave policy. Congress passed the Administrative Leave Act to create three categories of administrative leave, or paid leave…

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Before his retirement, Anthony Fauci makes final pitch to Americans to get updated COVID booster

Dr. Anthony Fauci defended his legacy and made a final plea for Americans to get an updated COVID-19 booster Tuesday in a White House sendoff after nearly 40 years as the top infectious diseases researcher at the National Institutes of Health. The Washington Times stories: White House

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