Management
Legislation Would Designate a Civilian Official to Oversee Acquisition of Medical Supplies, Bolster Transparency
Process of getting equipment to front-line workers during the coronavirus pandemic has been “absolute chaos” so far, bill sponsor says.
Defense
Pentagon's 'Willingness to Kiss the President's Ass' Worries Top Lawmaker
"I am worried about a culture developing," says House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., after the latest delay in Navy captain’s fate.
Oversight
Did He Talk About Her? VA Secretary Changes His Story Amid Allegations He Sought Dirt on House Staffer.
Robert Wilkie is under investigation after a complaint that he sought information to discredit a House staffer who said she was sexually assaulted in a VA hospital. Wilkie denied discussing her with Rep. Dan Crenshaw. But an email indicates he did.
Oversight
House Approves Creation of a Select Panel to Oversee Pandemic-Related Spending and Response
Critics have said the committee will be duplicative, but one transparency expert said that "overlapping oversight jurisdictions can be a good thing if managed correctly."
Oversight
GovExec Daily: Removing Barriers to Innovation in COVID-19 Legislation
Stan Soloway joined the podcast to explain how the pandemic is an opportunity for legislation modernizing some aspects of government.
Workforce
Senate Democrats Propose Creating Hundreds of Thousands of New National Service Jobs
Proposals would expand the public health workforces across federal agencies to deal with the coronavirus outbreak.
Oversight
Congress Is Investigating Whether a Ventilator Company Is Gouging the U.S. — and Why the Government Is Letting It Happen
A congressional subcommittee is questioning a federal decision to pay quadruple the price for the commercial version of a ventilator Royal Philips N.V. had developed with taxpayer funds.
Oversight
GovExec Daily: Overseeing Agencies' Pandemic Response
Katherine McIntire Peters and Courtney Bublé join the podcast to discuss how IGs, agencies and Congress can account for the money in the CARES Act will be
Management
Democratic Senators Demand Answers on Trump’s Secretive Border Expulsions
After ProPublica’s report, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee ask the Department of Homeland Security to explain why it thinks emergency powers granted to the CDC allow it to bypass existing asylum laws.
Oversight
Proposed Legislation Seeks to Protect Inspectors General From Political Firings
Bill would establish seven-year terms and only allow “for cause” removals.
Oversight
How OSHA Has Failed to Protect America’s Workers From COVID-19
Efforts to create a federal rule to protect workers from infectious diseases were put on ice in President Donald Trump’s first year in office.
Management
Industry Groups Welcome Stimulus Provisions for Federal Contractors
Agencies may reimburse contractors for paid or sick leave if they can’t telework.
Oversight
‘I'll Be the Oversight,’ Trump Says as His Political Appointees Protect Wall Street, Real Estate
Banks, real estate investors and large corporations all got help even before President Donald Trump signed the COVID-19 stimulus package, as bank regulators quietly handed billions to Wall Street.
Oversight
Reports of the Death of Congressional Oversight Are Greatly Exaggerated
Congress wanted an aide to President Trump to testify; Trump ordered him not to. Congress went to court over it, and the court told both sides to leave the courts out of it and negotiate a solution.
Oversight
Viewpoint: Congress Desperately Needs a Contingency Plan
What will happen if lawmakers can no longer meet because of the coronavirus?
Oversight
Bipartisan Bill Would Make It Easier for the Public to See How Agencies Plan to Spend Their Budgets
House and Senate panels advanced the legislation last week.
Pay & Benefits
House Democrats Reintroduce Bill to Protect Telework at Federal Agencies Amid Coronavirus Fears
The measure would prohibit agencies from making across-the-board cuts to telework programs, and require annual goals for participation in such programs.
Oversight
New Bill Would Strengthen Protections for Whistleblowers Who Expose Classified Information
The legislation would make it so that a narrower group of people could be prosecuted for revealing such information.
Management
House Democrats Probe Faulty Test Kits’ Role in Delaying Coronavirus Response
The House Oversight Committee cited ProPublica’s reporting in requesting documents from the Trump administration.
Pay & Benefits