Ronald Sanders, Government Executive -

The former chair of the Federal Salary Council, on behalf of his fellow appointees from the previous administration, discusses why the council should take up unfinished business left over from that administration.

By Eric Katz, Government Executive

The Senate on Thursday passed 72-25 a stopgap measure to keep agencies afloat through Dec. 16, sending to the House a bill to avoid a shutdown Friday evening.

The continuing resolution, which would keep the government open past the Sept. 30 expiration of current appropriations, received bipartisan support after Democrats agreed to drop controversial provisions aimed at speeding up the permitting process for certain energy projects. The House is expected to quickly send the measure to President Biden—over the objections from Republican leadership in that chamber—with a vote occurring either Thursday evening or Friday.

Eric Katz, Government Executive -

The Senate on Tuesday reached an agreement to keep agencies afloat through Dec. 16, dropping controversial provisions from a stopgap funding bill in order to win bipartisan support.

By Eric Katz, Government Executive

The Senate is set to cast its first in a series of votes for a funding bill on Tuesday to keep agencies afloat through Dec. 16, though the prospects for passage in its current form are dim.

The continuing resolution, which would keep the government open past the Friday evening expiration of current appropriations, includes a controversial measure to speed up the permitting process for some major energy projects. Republican leadership has said it will not support the CR with that language included, and a handful of Democrats have said the same. Still, when lawmakers unveiled the bill late Monday, it included the permitting language.

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive

As of Thursday, lawmakers and the White House had just eight days to complete negotiations and pass a short-term measure to fund the government and avert a shutdown beginning next weekend.

Although lawmakers generally seek to avoid lapses in appropriations in election years, a number of issues have prevented them from reaching agreement thus far, including requests from the Biden administration for additional aid for Ukraine, coronavirus response funding, and the permitting reform proposal from Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V. Appropriators also are reportedly at odds over how long a continuing resolution should run, with conservatives urging the deal to go until 2023 in the hopes that Republicans gain majorities in the House and Senate.

By Natalie Alms, Federal Computer Week

Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) have introduced a new bill they say would improve collaboration between federal government offices outside the capital by authorizing existing federal executive boards meant to do just that.

These federal executive boards were created by a presidential directive in the 1960s, but aren't currently authorized by Congress, meaning their funding isn't stable. Currently, administrative funding for each board comes from "a voluntary host department or agency, while project funding is covered by local member agencies," according to a government website about the boards.

Eric Katz, Government Executive -

A bipartisan pair of senators is looking to boost oversight of how agencies spend money to meet the president’s management goals, introducing a bill to give expanded authorities to a federal office that helps administer implementation of the White House’s vision.

Frank Konkel, Government Executive -

About 36% of government employees say they haven’t taken a vacation in the last 12 months, according to a survey of 1,000 local, state and federal employees regarding workforce trends.

FEDweek -

The latest guidance on covid-related leave policies tells agencies to cut back on the use of weather and safety leave, a form of administrative leave that already is much less used than it was early in the pandemic.

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive

Following months of complaints surrounding the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program’s transition to a new recordkeeper, one Democrat in Congress is calling for more permanent oversight of the Thrift Savings Plan.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., announced Tuesday that she has introduced legislation that would establish an inspector general’s office for the agency that administers the TSP. The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board Inspector General Act (H.R. 8763) simply adds the FRTIB to the list of agencies required to have inspectors general in federal law.

Staff Cuts and Budget Increases Are Both on Tap for 2019

By Eric Katz, Government Executive

The Trump administration has provided federal agencies with the latitude to request up to a 5 percent funding boost in fiscal 2019, saying the White House may accommodate a “limited number” of programmatic increases in its final blueprint.

Generally, Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said in a memorandum to department and agency heads, agencies should keep their 2019 spending requests in line with what the White House spelled out in the fiscal 2018 budget submission. They should also, however, “identify additional investments in effective programs that further support their mission and fill a clear federal role.”