Oversight
IG finds flaws in DHS contract award to limo company
Firm was ill-equipped to carry out the work, and the department did not foster enough competition, investigators find.
Defense
Funding, technology cited as key to speeding security clearances
Defense agency is once again facing a budget shortfall; last year it had to suspend processing of clearance applications.
Defense
Pentagon official says list of banned Web sites could grow
Popular sites such as YouTube were blocked because they were "bandwidth hogs," official says.
Oversight
Lawyers prepare for October hearing on Indian trust fund accounts
Inquiry will judge adequacy of Interior-proposed accounting plan.
Defense
NSA seeks to open classified network to allies
Under plan, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and New Zealand would get access to Secret Internet Protocol Router Network.
Pay & Benefits
OMB orders measures to limit abuse of transit benefit
Agencies will have to ensure that they take basic precautions such as checking that applicants aren’t simultaneously using free parking.
Oversight
Watchdog group seeks probe of Education Department use of e-mail
Organization says it was told some Education employees use private e-mail accounts for official business; department says that's not the case.
Pay & Benefits
Still Pushing
Short-term disability benefits and electronic retirement records remain high priorities for OPM Director Linda Springer.
Oversight
Mine safety agency under fire for slow compliance with 2006 law
Watchdog agency report cites failure to routinely assess inspectors, consistently perform emergency simulation drills or regularly educate staff on new technologies.
Pay & Benefits
Union negotiates foreign language pay for customs, border officers
Agreement comes as election for representation of more than 20,000 non-Border Patrol employees remains in dispute.
Defense
Resource shortages not limited to reserve units
The increased funding provided by the normal defense budgets and war-related supplemental spending bills is not meeting active-duty needs either, Defense officials say.
Oversight
Study complicates debate on women’s procurement set-aside
Analysis finds that depending on how you measure, women-owned businesses are underrepresented in 87 percent of industries, or none.
Defense
Report: DHS unit fails to fully disclose use of personal information
To comply with privacy laws, agency must detail how data collected from international air travelers is used, GAO says.
Defense
Bill would bar contractors from running Defense programs
Provision in Defense authorization bill would curb use of "lead systems integrators."
Defense