Tech
Agriculture Department makes progress on IT consolidation
Agency also supports governmentwide shared services initiative, technology executives say.
Pay & Benefits
Medicare ABCs
The first in a two-part series on the relationship between Medicare and FEHBP.
Defense
Senate to debate war funding next week
Fiscal conservatives have objected to bill’s $106.5 billion price tag.
News
Medicare surpassing goals for prescription drug benefit enrollment
Officials say they still plan to press for millions more to sign up in the 25 days remaining.
News
Political climate unfriendly to ID devices, backers say
Advocates argue that radio-frequency identification technology would dramatically benefit the nation’s security infrastructure.
Defense
Immigration enforcers want to mine databases
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff wants Congress to pass legislation letting ICE investigators access Social Security data.
Management
Number of federal jobs opened to contractors to jump this year
Agencies plan to announce public-private competitions for more than 25,000 positions in fiscal 2006, OMB says.
Management
Mixed personnel systems can help uphold merit principles
Managers say having employees under traditional civil service rules blended with those in more flexible systems embeds a culture of merit.
Pay & Benefits
Impasse continues in FAA-union negotiations
Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, calls for the two sides to return to the negotiating table.
Pay & Benefits
Now or Later
Adding a Roth 401(k) option to the Thrift Savings Plan would enable participants to pay taxes upfront, but this choice comes at a cost.
Management
White House staff changes continue
Press secretary announces his resignation and Karl Rove gives up some of his responsibilities.
Defense
Industry officials discuss plans for meeting federal ID standards
Officials say they are content with the standards and optimistic about meeting them.
News
Senator seeks Bush’s help controlling supplemental spending
Bill currently exceeds White House request for extra 2006 funding by $14.3 billion.
Defense
Intelligence director’s refusal to cooperate with GAO irks lawmakers
GAO report calls for less restriction of sensitive but unclassified data.
Defense
DHS to look at alternatives to defend jets from missiles
So far program has been aimed at adapting military technology, but a new solicitation indicates DHS is expanding its options.
Management
Labor and State performance reports earn top ratings
Annual evaluations by policy institute measure quality of reports rather than performance outcomes.
Tech
Union pushes for more telework at Justice agency
Only nine out of more than 800 agency employees represented by the union would be allowed to telework under an ATF proposal.
Management
Natural resources programs hit hard in push for fiscal austerity
Programs funded by the Interior-EPA spending bill are facing cuts for the second year in a row.
Defense