Federal Eye: July 12, 2009 - July 18, 2009

No-Bid Contracts to Alaska Native Corporations Raise Eyebrows

Alaska Native Corporations have scored billions of dollars in no-bid government contracts in the last decade, leading lawmakers to suggest Thursday that the firms, created to provide economic benefits to Alaska's native populations, have exploited a loophole at the expense...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 16, 2009; 4:38 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (11)
Categories:  Contracting, Oversight  
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McCaskill: Oversight a 'Hand in Glove Fit for Me'

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), chairwoman of the Senate subcommittee on contracting oversight. (Getty) Between health care reform, energy and climate change and the Supreme Court nomination, the last thing lawmakers probably want to hear about is hundreds of millions...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 16, 2009; 11:29 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (3)
Categories:  Congress, Oversight  
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More Storm Clouds for FAA-Weather Service Plan

More storm clouds brewing over the FAA and National Weather Service plans to consolidate forecasting offices at air traffic control centers? (Getty) The back-and-forth between the FAA and National Weather Service hit turbulence today, when a government expert suggested...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 16, 2009; 11:22 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (6)
Categories:  Agencies and Departments, Oversight, Turf War  
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Eye Opener: July 16, 2009

Happy Thursday! The Eye and many others will attend tonight's "Summer of Gov" event here in Washington to mark the one-year anniversary of GovLoop.com, the so-called "Facebook for Feds" that's attracted more than 14,000 members, mostly public sector employees...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 16, 2009; 6:03 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Eye Opener  
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Congress Set to Focus More on Alaska Firms

The number of government contracts awarded to Alaska Native Corporations skyrocketed 1,386 percent between 2000 and 2008, according to a new federal audit, even though they account for only a small portion of companies participating in a Small Business Administration...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 15, 2009; 3:17 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (2)
Categories:  Congress, Contracting  
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Eye Opener: Making Overseas Voting Easier

Military servicemembers like these ones will find it easier to vote from overseas in future elections if a new Senate bill passes. (Nikki Kahn - Post) UPDATE 2:26 p.m. ET: The measure cleared the Senate Rules Committee unanimously. It...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 15, 2009; 5:59 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (3)
Categories:  Eye Opener, Workplace Issues  
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People on the DHS Color-Coded Review Panel

Richard Ben-Veniste, David Bradley, William Webster, Frances Frago Townsend and Manny Diaz will serve on a new homeland security advisory board (AP, Reuters, Post) Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano today named a bipartisan task force to consider changes to...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 14, 2009; 4:35 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Agencies and Departments  
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Study: Nation's Scientific Assets Poorly Maintained

Hundreds of thousands of animals and plants -- or their remains -- can be found in storage at the Natural History Museum (Post) SEE MORE PHOTOS: From The Eye's Behind-the-Scenes Tour at the Natural History Museum (By The Post's...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 14, 2009; 10:15 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Agencies and Departments, From The Pages of The Post  
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Eye Opener: 3 Cabinet Secretaries Overseas

Secretaries Steven Chu, Timothy Geithner and Gary Locke are overseas today. (Wires) Happy Tuesday! Three Cabinet secretaries embark on important overseas missions today, with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner continuing his trip to Europe and the Middle East while Gary...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 14, 2009; 6:00 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Eye Opener  
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What's Next for Federal Building Security?

Federal Protective Service vehicles parked outside a Virginia federal courthouse in 2006. (Photo by AP) The release last week of a jaw-dropping report on security at federal buildings has prompted little public comment from federal authorities, but congressional sources...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 13, 2009; 3:57 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  Agencies and Departments, Workplace Issues  
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Robert Groves Confirmed as Census Director

Updated 6:14 p.m. ET The Senate confirmed Robert Groves as director of the U.S. Census Bureau tonight following more than a month of objections from Republican lawmakers. Robert Groves, President Obama's nominee to lead the U.S. Census Bureau. Groves previously...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 13, 2009; 12:52 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (8)
Categories:  Census, Congress  
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Obama Selects Alabaman as Surgeon General

By Michael D. Shear in The Post's 44 blog: Updated 12:34 p.m. ET President Obama has chosen Regina Benjamin, a family physician from Alabama, to be the next surgeon general, filling a key public health post ahead of an expected...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 13, 2009; 10:59 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  Agencies and Departments, Revolving Door  
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Eye Opener: NASA in the News

Happy Monday! More stormy weather may keep Space Shuttle Endeavour on the ground yet again today, but NASA plans to try for the fifth time to launch the shuttle into space, on a mission to the International Space Station....

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 13, 2009; 6:00 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Eye Opener  
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