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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Trump Is Getting What He Wants

At today’s hearing on Donald Trump’s claim of absolute immunity from criminal prosecution, the Republican-appointed Supreme Court majority appeared poised to give him what he most desires in the case: further delays that virtually preclude the chance that he will face a jury in his election-subversion case before the November election. But the nearly three hours of debate may be even more significant for how they would shape a second Trump term if he wins reelection. The arguments showed that although the Court’s conservative majority seems likely to reject Trump’s…

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Technology Modernization Fund getting a legislative facelift

The Modernizing Government Technology Act, the most significant federal IT law in the last decade, is on tap to get a renovation. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), the chairwoman of the Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on cybersecurity, IT and government innovation, will introduce the MGT Reform Act today, and the full committee is expected to mark it up on Wednesday. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), has signed on as a co-sponsor of the bill, Federal News Network has learned. “This reauthorization bill is a welcome demonstration of support for the MGT Act…

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Now at 9.1%, Biden’s Inflation Keeps Getting Worse

The June inflation numbers are a disaster, coming in at a 40-year high of 9.1%. After the Biden administration’s repeated victory laps crowing about “the fastest-growing economy in the world” and how we’re “stronger economically” than ever, the downward spiral is feeding a growing consensus that President Joe Biden and his Democrats in Congress are actively making things worse. According to official numbers, prices rose 1.3% on the month, which translates to an annualized pace of nearly 17%. Controlling for manipulated housing statistics, the numbers are even worse: 1.7% on…

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New obstacles emerge to any hope of Congress getting a budget in time for fiscal 2023

<p><em>Best listening experience is on Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Subscribe to Federal Drive’s daily audio interviews on </em><a href=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/federal-drive-with-tom-temin/id1270799277?mt=2″><i>Apple Podcasts</i></a><em> or <a href=”https://www.podcastone.com/federal-drive-with-tom-temin?pid=1753589″>PodcastOne</a>.</em></p> <p>China can&#8217;t do anything to prevent Congress from passing a budget on time for 2023. But the China competitiveness bill could do just that. With the year-end just three months away now, legislative arguments over the bill threaten budget talks. For how, the <a href=”https://federalnewsnetwork.com/category/temin/tom-temin-federal-drive/”><em><strong>Federal Drive with Tom Temin</strong></em></a> turns to WTOP Capitol Hill correspondent Mitchell Miller.</p> <p><em>Interview transcript:</em></p> <blockquote><p><strong>Tom Temin: </strong>Mitchell, what is going on with the China bill and the…

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