Federal Eye - February 7, 2010

The Federal Eye on the week in politics and the federal snow days

Is bipartisanship dead in Washington? And how much make up work will the federal government have after four snow days? Those were the topics du jour when The Federal Eye guested on Friday's "Top Line" show at ABCNews.com, co-hosted...

By Ed O'Keefe | February 12, 2010; 5:00 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Video Report
Save & Share:

OPM chief John Berry defends Friday work decision

Despite a difficult Friday commute for many federal workers, Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry defended his decision to keep federal offices open Friday, saying safety and government operations are the only factors he considers when making such decisions.

By Ed O'Keefe | February 12, 2010; 3:21 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (102)
Categories: Agencies and Departments, Workplace Issues
Save & Share:

CDC: Swine flu made 57 million Americans ill

About 57 million Americans, or slightly over 18 percent of the population, have contracted pandemic H1N1 influenza since April, federal public health officials said Friday.

By Ed O'Keefe | February 12, 2010; 2:52 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Agencies and Departments
Save & Share:

Commandant: Coast Guard will reduce operations to overhaul its fleet

The U.S. Coast Guard will risk a drop in readiness to fulfill its top priority -- replacing obsolescent ships and planes -- within its slimmed-down 2011 budget proposed by President Obama, its commandant, Adm. Thad W. Allen, said Friday.

By Ed O'Keefe | February 12, 2010; 2:48 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Agencies and Departments
Save & Share:

After four days away, federal workers report a frightful commute

Federal workers who attempted to get to the office on Friday faced poorly plowed roads, lengthy backups and then, most nerve-wracking of all, a Metro derailment in downtown Washington.

By Ed O'Keefe | February 12, 2010; 1:20 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (57)
Categories: Workplace Issues
Save & Share:

The IRS as a TV star?

The Internal Revenue Service is set to appear as the backdrop for a new Fox television series produced by "Happy Days" alum Ron Howard, according to news reports.

By Ed O'Keefe | February 12, 2010; 12:50 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Agencies and Departments
Save & Share:

Friday Feedback: Federal snow days, Scott Brown and the feds, nominees confirmed

Some of the best reader feedback from The Federal Eye's most popular week ever.

By Ed O'Keefe | February 12, 2010; 10:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: About the Blog
Save & Share:

Eye Opener: Support for 'don't ask' repeal grows

Happy Friday! Americans are increasingly comfortable with gay men and lesbians openly serving in the U.S. military, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

By Ed O'Keefe | February 12, 2010; 6:08 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Eye Opener, Workplace Issues
Save & Share:

Senate confirms 27 nominees after Obama threatens recess appointments

The Senate confirmed 27 executive branch nominees on Thursday night after President Obama threatened earlier in the day to use recess appointments for some of the long-stalled picks.

By Ed O'Keefe | February 11, 2010; 9:36 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Congress, Revolving Door
Save & Share:

Back to work for the feds on Friday

Washington area federal offices will open on Friday with a two-hour delayed arrival and with unscheduled leave policy in effect, following a week of record snow fall.

By Ed O'Keefe | February 11, 2010; 6:52 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (157)
Categories: Workplace Issues
Save & Share:

OPM's John Berry: President's Day holiday not cancelled

Monday's President's Day federal holiday will not be cancel, Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry said Thursday during a washingtonpost.com live chat.

By Ed O'Keefe | February 11, 2010; 12:00 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Administration
Save & Share:

Eye Opener: Talking telework

After four straight snow days, now seems as good a time as any to talk seriously about teleworking options for federal workers.

By Ed O'Keefe | February 11, 2010; 8:40 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Eye Opener
Save & Share:

Federal government shutdown extends to Thursday

Federal agencies in Washington will close on Thursday for a fourth straight day -- taking the week-long shutdown of the government into uncharted territory.

By Ed O'Keefe | February 10, 2010; 6:56 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (138)
Categories: Workplace Issues
Save & Share:

What should OPM do about Thursday?

Near white-out conditions at the U.S. Capitol as employees try to clear snow from stairs and walkways. (Linda Davidson/Post) We've only got a few hours left before the Office of Personnel Managment is likely to decide what to do...

By Ed O'Keefe | February 10, 2010; 2:26 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (35)
Categories: Workplace Issues
Save & Share:

ACLU suit says TSA detained student over Arabic flashcards

A Pomona College student filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday alleging that he was abusively interrogated, handcuffed and detained for five hours at Philadelphia International Airport in August because he carried a set of English-Arabic flashcards as part of his college language studies.

By Ed O'Keefe | February 10, 2010; 1:24 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Agencies and Departments
Save & Share:

Republicans mail another 'Census' form

The National Republican Congressional Committee again has sent supporters a mailer with the word "Census" featured prominently throughout the document.

By Ed O'Keefe | February 10, 2010; 11:55 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (31)
Categories: Census, Congress
Save & Share:

Op-ed knocks Scott Brown's comments on federal workers

Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) should consider federal workers a useful resource instead of a taxpayer expense, according to an op-ed published in today's Boston Globe.

By Ed O'Keefe | February 10, 2010; 10:20 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Congress, Workplace Issues
Save & Share:

Would you telework if you could?

As a blizzard bears down on the Washington region and the federal government remains closed for a third day, it's worth asking again: Does your federal office encourage telework? What would be the effect on the workforce and productivity if...

By Ed O'Keefe | February 10, 2010; 8:58 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (17)
Categories: What Would You Do?, Workplace Issues
Save & Share:

Eye Opener: Mail service suspended in D.C. area

A drop in holiday mail volume contributed to a $297 million net quarterly loss for the Postal Service in late 2009, officials said Tuesday.

By Ed O'Keefe | February 10, 2010; 6:43 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (26)
Categories: Administration, Eye Opener
Save & Share:

Eye on the woman who signs your money

The Federal Eye relaunches the "Eye On..." series today with a video profile of Treasurer of the United States Rosie Rios.

By Ed O'Keefe | February 10, 2010; 5:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Eye On..., Video Report
Save & Share:

Federal government closed on Wednesday

Federal offices will close on Wednesday for a third straight day, the longest run of snow days for Washington-area federal workers since 1996.

By Ed O'Keefe | February 9, 2010; 6:53 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (133)
Categories: Workplace Issues
Save & Share:

Craig Becker, nominated for NLRB, rejected by Senate

Craig Becker, one of President Obama's nominees to serve on the National Labor Relations Board, was rejected by the Senate on Tuesday afternoon.

By Ed O'Keefe | February 9, 2010; 5:05 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (38)
Categories: Congress, Revolving Door
Save & Share:

New GSA administrator answers the call -- literally

Talk about phoning it in! Newly minted General Services Administrator Martha N. Johnson was formally sworn into office on Sunday evening -- by telephone.

By Ed O'Keefe | February 9, 2010; 3:27 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Agencies and Departments
Save & Share:

OPM Web site crushed by high traffic

The OPM site had more than 6.1 million visits on Monday between 3:30 p.m. and 9 p.m., according to White House Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra.The site earns approximately 500,000 hits on a normal day.

By Ed O'Keefe | February 9, 2010; 1:21 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Agencies and Departments, Workplace Issues
Save & Share:

Postal Service plans normal Tuesday service

The U.S. Postal Service plans to deliver the mail as normal across the Washington region on Tuesday, despite the snowbanks, slushy roads and a perilous forecast.

By Ed O'Keefe | February 9, 2010; 11:24 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (43)
Categories: Agencies and Departments
Save & Share:

Eye Opener: For the feds going to work today

A man rides his bicycle towards the Capitol Building in Washington on Monday. (Reuters) Updated 9:12 a.m. ET Happy Tuesday! And Happy Federal Snow Day 2.0! But many federal employees still have to show up for work today, despite...

By Ed O'Keefe | February 9, 2010; 6:39 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (30)
Categories: Congress, Eye Opener
Save & Share:

Federal government closed on Tuesday

Victor Zabielski cross country skis past the White House on Monday. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg) Here we go again: The federal government will close Tuesday, as the region continues to clean up after the weekend snowstorm and prepares for another round...

By Ed O'Keefe | February 8, 2010; 7:17 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (156)
Categories: Workplace Issues
Save & Share:

The Federal Eye makes a Tuesday prediction...

Your Browser DoesNot Support IFrames. Watch the video above as The Federal Eye predicts the federal government's operating status for Tuesday. Will D.C.-area offices close again? Or operate with unscheduled leave? Maybe an early dismissal? Watch above then leave your...

By Ed O'Keefe | February 8, 2010; 2:03 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (28)
Categories: Video Report, Workplace Issues
Save & Share:

NOAA reorganizes to provide more info on global warming

By The Post's environment reporter Juliet Eilperin: The Obama administration proposed a new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Service on Monday, reorganizing the agency so it can provide Americans with predictions on how global warming will affect everything from...

By Ed O'Keefe | February 8, 2010; 2:00 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Agencies and Departments
Save & Share:

Network News

Federal Eye: February 7, 2010 - February 13, 2010