Oversight
Fauci defends his work on COVID-19, says he has an ‘open mind’ on its origins
The former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases explained to members of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic why guidance shifted so much during the first several months of the pandemic.
Oversight
USPS doesn’t know if it has enough law enforcement protecting mail and employees
Postal inspectors and police are responding to more criminal activity and management should better determine needs, GAO says.
Oversight
Watchdog calls out EPA for continued cybersecurity concerns
The EPA has still not implemented GAO’s 2019 recommendation to develop a process for conducting an organization-wide cybersecurity risk assessment.
Oversight
Is the strategic national stockpile ready for the next emergency? GAO says no.
A new GAO report says HHS hasn’t resolved issues that were exposed when states tried to request stockpile supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Oversight
Lawmakers update proposal to cut down on billions in improper payments
Agencies would be required to include details on their anti-fraud controls and fraud risk management work in annual financial reports.
Oversight
ICE might be incorrectly measuring its resources needs, GAO says
A new GAO report found that the office responsible for managing ICE’s budget had a staff vacancy rate of 25% in fiscal 2023.
Oversight
The Supreme Court has delivered a victory for a financial watchdog, and all agencies with alternative funding
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was facing an existential threat before Thursday's ruling.
Oversight
FDIC's chairman faces bipartisan criticism following a report about the agency’s toxic culture
Many House Financial Services Committee Democrats expressed doubt about FDIC Chairman Gruenberg’s ability to make workplace culture changes across the agency.
Oversight
An inspector general warned the Justice Department of gaps in its security clearance appeals process
The department and its component agencies have failed to implement a provision of the 2014 Intelligence Authorization Act guaranteeing federal employees of the right to appeal lengthy security clearance suspensions.
Oversight
Committee member behind independent report on FDIC harassment says recommendations don’t go far enough
Despite a 2023 expose into systemic sexual harassment allegations within the agency, one official said accusations of troubling behavior continue to permeate the regulator.
Oversight
GSA failing to monitor building maintenance contracts, watchdog says
A new report from the GSA inspector general found that contractors did not complete a majority of maintenance work orders sampled in six federal buildings.
Oversight
Biden to replace embattled acting Commerce IG
Jill Baisinger, current chief of staff in the Interior Department’s Office of the Inspector General, will take over for Roderick Anderson at the end of May.
Oversight
New bill would establish an IG for the Supreme Court
The Judicial Ethics Enforcement Act calls for a new inspector general’s office to investigate alleged misconduct and prevent waste, fraud and abuse across the judicial branch.
Oversight
Senate rejects impeachment articles against DHS Secretary Mayorkas
In a 51-49 vote along party lines, Senate Democrats dismissed impeachment charges Wednesday against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for not meeting the threshold of high crimes and misdemeanors.
Oversight
When -- and how often -- are SBA staffers going into the office? A senator wants the agency's IG to find out
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, continued her criticism of federal agencies’ use of telework, calling for the Small Business Administration’s inspector general to investigate its office utilization rates after its administrator disputed the GAO’s findings.
Oversight
HHS removed Login from its grantee payment system after funding theft
Hackers used data from a federal contracting hub to steal funding from seven grantee organizations in an HHS breach that occurred last year. Both HHS and GSA say that Login.gov was not compromised or connected to the theft.
Oversight
Russian hackers accessed federal agencies' emails in Microsoft breach, CISA says
The alert comes a week after Microsoft was faulted in a Homeland Security Department report for fostering a security culture that enabled a similar China-backed cyberattack last year.
Oversight
VA claims appeal board errors are the target of a new House bill
The Veterans Claims Quality Improvement Act seeks to mitigate errors made by the Board of Veterans’ Appeals with new training, performance evaluations and required reports to Congress.
Oversight
Contentious FBI headquarters plan looms over House hearing on real estate footprint
The House Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management sought to examine the FBI’s strategy for managing its overall office space requirements, but the ongoing controversy over its potential new headquarters again took center stage.
Oversight