Federal Eye: January 23, 2011 - January 29, 2011
New members named to Senate governmental affairs panel
Four new senators are joining the Senate committee chiefly responsible for oversight of the federal workforce, government operations and management.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| January 28, 2011; 5:26 PM ET |
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Congress, Oversight
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Pentagon: Training on 'don't ask, don't tell' starts in Feb. for troops, commanders
Military commanders and troops will start receiving training next month on the formal end of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, beginning the formal process of ending the 17-year ban on gays in the military, officials said Friday.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| January 28, 2011; 4:00 PM ET |
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Military
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Challenger's lessons 25 years later (Video)
Friday marks the 25th anniversary since the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion, which killed seven astronauts, including the first teacher picked to fly in Space, Christa McAuliffe. A quarter century after the Challenger exploded, lessons from the tragedy continue to influence NASA's decisions.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| January 28, 2011; 10:00 AM ET |
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Agencies and Departments
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Obama meeting with award-winning fed on Friday
In between his usual mix of speeches and briefings Friday, President Obama will take a few minutes to meet with an award-winning federal worker.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| January 28, 2011; 8:15 AM ET |
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Eye Opener, Workplace Issues
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OPM chief John Berry says he made the right call on letting fed workers off early for snow
Personnel director John Berry says he would have made the same decision to dismiss the government two hours early on Wednesday if he had to do it again.
By
Lisa Rein
| January 27, 2011; 3:02 PM ET |
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Administration, Agencies and Departments
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When did you leave the office on Wednesday?
As the snow starts to melt, tempers are still hot about Wednesday's historically awful commute home.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| January 27, 2011; 2:39 PM ET |
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Workplace Issues
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History shows Obama's effort to reorganize government could be an uphill battle
If you want to know what President Obama is up against with his pledge to reorganize the federal government, consider what happened to the last such endeavor.
By
Karen Tumulty and Ed O'Keefe
| January 27, 2011; 2:36 PM ET |
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Administration, From The Pages of The Post
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Archivist of the United States on altered Lincoln document
David S. Ferriero, archivist of the United States, took questions Thursday the removal of a pardon issued by President Abraham Lincoln, in which dates were changed by a Woodbridge historian to amplify its significance and promote the historian's career.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| January 27, 2011; 12:52 PM ET |
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Agencies and Departments
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Military to accelerate training for end of 'don't ask'
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he was "confident" the military will meet all requirements to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" law this year, adding that the Pentagon will accelerate training programs to pave the way for gays and lesbians to serve openly.
By
Craig Whitlock
| January 27, 2011; 12:08 PM ET |
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Military
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Jefferson the Hawk leaves the Library of Congress (Video)
After avoiding capture by traps, bait or nets for a week, the Cooper's hawk, "Jefferson," that took shelter in the Library of Congress has finally been captured by the Raptor Conservancy of Northern Virginia and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She will rehabilitated and then released into the wild.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| January 27, 2011; 10:00 AM ET |
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Agencies and Departments, Video Report
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U.S. Capitol, Visitors Center opening at 10:30 a.m.
For those of you working in or visiting the legislative branch today, the U.S. Capitol and the Capitol Visitors Center are scheduled to open late at 10:30 a.m., according to a spokeswoman.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| January 27, 2011; 8:24 AM ET |
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Congress, Workplace Issues
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2-hour delay, unscheduled leave for federal workers
Federal agencies in the Washington area are open Thursday with a two-hour delayed arrival. Workers may also take unscheduled leave or telework from home, according to the Office of Personnel Management. "Emergency," or essential personnel should report as normal....
By
Ed O'Keefe
| January 27, 2011; 3:59 AM ET |
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Categories:
Administration, Eye Opener
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Where did Obama's salmon joke come from?
President Obama's State of the Union address focused on the future, competitiveness and sustaining the American dream. But everyone's talking about the salmon.
By
Ed O'Keefe and Karen Tumulty
| January 26, 2011; 4:27 PM ET |
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Administration
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2 hour early dismissal for federal workers
Federal employees in the Washington area may leave work two hours earlier than normal today because of the inclement weather.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| January 26, 2011; 11:00 AM ET |
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Workplace Issues
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How would you reorganize the federal government?
President Obama said Tuesday night that he wants to dramatically overhaul the federal government by merging some agencies and departments together.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| January 26, 2011; 6:00 AM ET |
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Administration, Eye Opener
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State of the Union 2011: Obama calls for reorganization of federal agencies
President Obama called Tuesday for what aides describe as the most aggressive reorganization of the federal government in at least half a century, asking Congress for the authority to merge agencies and departments if necessary.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| January 25, 2011; 10:04 PM ET |
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Administration
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State of the Union 2011: Obama says 'don't ask, don't tell' to formally end this year
President Obama vowed Tuesday to formally end the ban on gays in the military this year.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| January 25, 2011; 9:03 PM ET |
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Categories:
Military
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State of the Union: Ken Salazar to serve as 'designated survivor'
Which Cabinet secretary was asked to stay home from the State of the Union address?
By
Ed O'Keefe
| January 25, 2011; 8:05 PM ET |
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Administration
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Live chat on federal workforce on Wednesday
Join us on Wednesday at 11 a.m. as we team up with GovLoop, the social network for feds, for a live web chat on federal workers
By
Lisa Rein
| January 25, 2011; 5:00 PM ET |
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Administration, Workplace Issues
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Federal agencies running up big utility bills (Video)
A big kudos to WUSA-TV reporter Andrea McCarren, who works the late shift and noticed that most of downtown Washington's large federal buildings leave the lights on after hours.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| January 25, 2011; 3:09 PM ET |
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Categories:
Agencies and Departments, Oversight
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Postal union ready for 'new direction'
One of the nation's largest postal unions wants it members to focus less on griping and more on making sure the U.S. Postal Service secures the changes it needs to stay afloat.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| January 25, 2011; 1:20 PM ET |
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Categories:
Postal Service, Workplace Issues
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Jobless rate dips in D.C., steady in Md., Va.
The unemployment rate in December fell slightly in the District but stayed steady in Maryland and Virginia, according to Labor Department data released Tuesday. Some experts say the numbers signal the beginning of a slowdown in the area's bread-and-butter industry, the federal government.
By
V. Dion Haynes
| January 25, 2011; 12:04 PM ET |
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Workplace Issues
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Obama 'strongly opposes' bill to cut federal funds for presidential campaigns
The White House "strongly opposes" a Republican-backed bill to stop federal funding of presidential campaigns and political conventions and suggests the public financing system should "be fixed rather than dismantled."
By
Ed O'Keefe
| January 25, 2011; 10:48 AM ET |
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Administration
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How much did 'don't ask, don't tell' cost? (Video)
The Washington Post's Federal Eye outlines a new GAO report that reveals how much money it took to enforce the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| January 25, 2011; 10:30 AM ET |
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Military, Video Report
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USAID leader outlines his change in strategy
"This agency is no longer satisfied with writing big checks to big contractors and calling it development."
By
Walter Pincus
| January 25, 2011; 9:00 AM ET |
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Administration, Agencies and Departments, From The Pages of The Post
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Bush officials violated Hatch Act, agency concludes
At least seven Cabinet secretaries to President George W. Bush took politically motivated trips at taxpayer expense while aides falsely claimed they were traveling on official business, the independent Office of Special Counsel said Monday night in concluding a three-year probe.
By
R. Jeffrey Smith
| January 25, 2011; 8:30 AM ET |
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From The Pages of The Post, Oversight
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Cutting federal workforce also means cutting taxpayer services
If you thought the two-year pay freeze President Obama and Congress imposed on federal employees would mollify Republican calls for harsher worker sacrifices, you would be wrong.
By
Joe Davidson
| January 25, 2011; 8:00 AM ET |
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Categories:
Budget, Congress, From The Pages of The Post, Workplace Issues
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Darrell Issa vs. Elijah Cummings feud heats up
Congress may be getting ready for a big bipartisan kumbaya moment at tonight's State of the Union address, but don't expect many smiles between Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Elijah Cummings (D-Md.).
By
Ed O'Keefe
| January 25, 2011; 6:00 AM ET |
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Categories:
Congress, Eye Opener, Oversight
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Historian accused of altering Lincoln document at National Archives
It was the largest find in Civil War history in a generation: Just hours before going to Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln pardoned a Union soldier court-martialed for desertion and saved him from execution.
By
Lisa Rein
| January 24, 2011; 5:18 PM ET |
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Agencies and Departments
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Postal Service to close 2,000 sites in next two years
The U.S. Postal Service plans to save up to $500 million in the next two years as it works to close or consolidate about 2,000 mostly small, rural and rarely-visited retail locations, according to senior postal officials. Another 500 sites are slated to close by June.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| January 24, 2011; 2:27 PM ET |
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Postal Service
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Water main break closes Census Bureau
A water main break disrupting traffic on the Inner Loop of the Capital Beltway is also keeping some federal workers away from the office today.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| January 24, 2011; 8:30 AM ET |
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Categories:
Census, Workplace Issues
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Federal worker union membership drops
Union membership among federal workers dropped last year to fewer than 1 million employees, according to new federal statistics.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| January 24, 2011; 6:00 AM ET |
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Eye Opener, Workplace Issues
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