Federal Eye - April 19, 2009

Census 2010: Debate On Inmates Is Renewed

The Post's New York bureau chief Keith B. Richburg writes in today's Post about the controversial policy of counting large populations of inmates at state and federal prisons located in sparsely populated rural areas. As an example, Richburg cites an...

By Ed O'Keefe | April 25, 2009; 2:12 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Census, From The Pages of The Post
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Obama Wants Federal Employees' Input

By Michael D. Shear in The Post's 44 blog: President Obama was widely mocked earlier this week for earnestly announcing $100 million worth of cost-saving measures -- an amount that, given the sea of red ink that makes up the...

By Ed O'Keefe | April 25, 2009; 6:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Administration, Workplace Issues
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Napolitano Apologizes Directly to Vets Group for Report

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano meets Friday afternoon with American Legion Commander Dave Rehbein at DHS headquarters (Photo courtesy of American Legion) Updated 6:17 p.m. ET Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano apologized directly today to Commander Dave Rehbein, head...

By Ed O'Keefe | April 24, 2009; 5:05 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Administration
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New Baby for New D.C. Power Couple

By Roxanne Roberts and Amy Argetsinger in the Reliable Source blog: Samantha Power (Walter Chin/Penguin Press via Bloomberg News) Washington's newest power couple is now. . . a power trio. Superstar academics turned top Obama officials Samantha Power and Cass...

By Ed O'Keefe | April 24, 2009; 3:48 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Administration
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Union Reacts to New IRS Contract

Colleague Brian Krebs reports in his Security Fix blog that the IRS has awarded a tax processing contract to a company that recently compromised the security of 1.1 million Social Security numbers and the financial data of 1.5 million payroll...

By Ed O'Keefe | April 24, 2009; 2:10 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Workplace Issues
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Spotted: Singing Bureaucrats

The EPA band performs Wednesday during the agency's Earth Day celebrations. (Photo by EPA) If you hear some big band sounds coming from a conference room at EPA headquarters today, do not be alarmed. It's just the EPA Band,...

By Ed O'Keefe | April 24, 2009; 10:50 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Spotted, Workplace Issues
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Eye Opener: Snip Snip Snip...

Happy Friday! So will Obama's mandated cost cuts have any real impact? "Experts said the cost-cutting measures will do little to restore fiscal responsibility and are at best a symbolic early move," reports The Post's Philip Rucker. "At worst,...

By Ed O'Keefe | April 24, 2009; 6:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Eye Opener
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Michelle Obama Visits, John Berry Sworn In at OPM

First Lady Michelle Obama appears today at Office of Personnel Management headquarters in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Bill O'Leary/Post) Making her ninth visit to a federal agency, First Lady Michelle Obama lent her star wattage today to the ceremonial...

By Ed O'Keefe | April 23, 2009; 4:20 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Administration
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GAO: States Struggling With Stimulus Funding

Most state governments have barely touched their federal economic stimulus money and some state officials have expressed concern that they may not be able to manage the extra money and oversight, according to a report issued today by the Government...

By Ed O'Keefe | April 23, 2009; 2:00 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Administration, Oversight
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Eye Opener: April 23, 2009

Happy Thursday! It's Take Your Child to Work Day and First Lady Michelle Obama will mark the date with a special White House event. Congress authorized the use of "In God We Trust" on U.S. coins on this date...

By Ed O'Keefe | April 23, 2009; 5:52 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Eye Opener
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Administration Seeks Your Recovery.gov Tips

The Obama administration launches a seven-day, "high tech roundtable" on Monday, seeking suggestions on how to build Recovery.gov, the online hub for information related to the distribution of economic stimulus funds. The Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board (RAT), in partnership...

By Ed O'Keefe | April 22, 2009; 4:08 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Agencies and Departments, Oversight
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How Would You Save $100 Million?

President Obama's call to trim $100 million from the federal budget earned criticism from Republicans and good government groups for not going far enough, especially since the administration's proposed budget would balloon the national debt. So how would other folks...

By Ed O'Keefe | April 22, 2009; 2:19 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Agencies and Departments, What Would You Do?
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Census 2010: Latino Pastors Urge Census Boycott

A national coalition of Latino pastors this week urged illegal immigrants to boycott the 2010 Census until Congress passes comprehensive immigration reform, a move criticized by other groups as detrimental to assuring a full count of the nation’s fastest-growing minority...

By Ed O'Keefe | April 22, 2009; 12:55 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Census
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Eye Opener: The Cabinet Marks Earth Day 2009

Happy Wednesday and Happy Earth Day! Several cabinet secretaries will do or say something to mark the holiday with speeches, appearances and Congressional testimony: 9:30 a.m.: Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator...

By Ed O'Keefe | April 22, 2009; 5:47 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Eye Opener
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White House Communications Director to Hop to Commerce

By Michael D. Shear in The Post's 44 blog: White House Communications Director Ellen Moran is leaving her post to become the chief of staff at the Commerce Department, becoming the first of President Obama's top advisers to depart his...

By Ed O'Keefe | April 21, 2009; 8:27 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Administration, Revolving Door
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New Senate Panel Explores the Plight of Watchdogs

A new Senate subcommittee tasked with tracking government contracting heard today from federal watchdogs seeking greater investigatory and enforcement powers and more staffing, common requests now more likely to get matched with legislative action amid the nation’s growing appetite for...

By Ed O'Keefe | April 21, 2009; 5:55 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Congress, Oversight
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Rep. Towns Will Seek Federal Funds for State Auditors

Updated and Corrected 8:52 p.m. ET Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) said today he plans to introduce legislation that would allow state governments to use some of their federal stimulus dollars for statewide auditing efforts, stating that the lack of funding...

By Ed O'Keefe | April 21, 2009; 4:06 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Congress, Oversight
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Federal Eye: April 19, 2009 - April 25, 2009