Some Transportation Department workers got an even sweeter pay day today. Last night’s vote to extend jobless benefits until June also provided compensation for the almost 2,000 Transportation Department workers furloughed last month amid disagreements about how to pay for the bill. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood applauded the move on his blog this morning. “ItRead… Read more »
Happy Friday! President Obama decision to mandate visitation rights to the partners of gay men and lesbians adds to a growing list of actions — big, small and ceremonial — taken by the federal government at the behest of gay rights groups eager to extend various rights and benefits to the LGBT community. Let’s review:Read… Read more »
As Postmaster General John E. Potter met with lawmakers Thursday to discuss his plans for restructuring the U.S. Postal Service, he acknowledged that the mail agency could reduce its workforce further. Asked by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) whether postal employees at all levels are being fully utilized, Potter said, “The answer is no, but areRead… Read more »
Happy Wednesday! Following a recent study that found a serious lack of minorities on Capitol Hill, House Democratic and Republican leaders plan to tackle rank and file concerns with a series of moves. On Tuesday leaders established a diversity task force that will sponsor training courses, build a resume bank of potential job candidates andRead… Read more »
Happy Friday! The Federal Eye gets mail and hears from plenty of readers. One of the most commonly heard complaints is that the federal job application process is too long and confusing. But a new set of government databases promises to help federal agencies cut three weeks from the hiring process, potentially making it fasterRead… Read more »
Officials are urging nonessential federal workers who work in downtown Washington to take leave, telework or work at an alternate site in the suburbs Monday and Tuesday when President Obama’s big nuclear safety summit is expected to tie up downtown traffic. Federal agencies will open and operate as normal on Monday, but the Office ofRead… Read more »
Happy Thursday! As rescuers prepare to enter West Virginia’s Upper Big Branch Mine and investigators prepare to probe the cause of Monday’s blast, attention is beginning to focus on whether the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration did everything in its power to help avoid the disaster. Though Congress passed major mine safety reforms followingRead… Read more »
In the complicated web that is the federal government, mine safety concerns fall to the Mine Safety and Health Administration, which is part of the Labor Department. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis e-mailed MSHA workers Tuesday morning to thank them for their response to Monday’s deadly mine blast in West Virginia. “The last 20 hours haveRead… Read more »
Happy Tuesday! A new government audit faults the federal government’s mine inspection agency for poorly retraining veteran mine safety inspectors in recent years. The watchdog report was published just days before a West Virginia mine explosion Monday that left at least 25 mine workers dead. The Mine Safety and Health Administration hired more than 350Read… Read more »
Happy Monday! The Obama administration on Monday will open a new office at the Treasury Department designed to help federal agencies pay their bills more efficiently. The Treasury Department and Office of Management and Budget will merge some financial management responsibilities into the new Office of Financial Innovation and Transformation (FIT). The office’s 10 toRead… Read more »