Topic:
Federal Budget
Latest Headlines
Latest Headlines
Sequestration eroded GAO ability to produce reports, Comptroller says
Staffing cuts due to sequestration severely eroded the Government Accountability Office's ability to produce reports and make recommendations to Congress about the efficiency of government agencies, GAO Comptroller Gene Dodaro said at a May 21 Senate Appropriates Committee hearing .
TANF hasn't evolved with changing state programs, GAO says
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program hasn't evolved with changing state programs and there isn't enough information to understand how that has impacted the families needing assistance from the program, a May 15 Government Accountability Office report (.pdf) says.
Treasury will temporarily stop investing in retirement to free up money for federal debt, Lew Says
The Treasury Department will stop investing in federal worker retirement and disability funds since Congress only suspended the debt ceiling until May 18, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said in a May 17 letter (.pdf) to Congress. Congress has not approved normal borrowing authority after May 18, Lew said.
Millions could be saved if agencies stop duplicating services, Dodaro tells the Senate
Agencies don't do enough to stop program and services duplication, which costs the government millions of dollars, Government Accountability Office Comptroller Gene Dodaro told the Senate Budget Finance Committee during a May 16 hearing . For example, if the military services jointly purchased uniforms, they could collectively save up to $80 million, Dodaro said.
Federal courts ask OMB for $72.9 million in additional funds
The federal courts system needs $72.9 million in supplemental funding this year to prevent layoffs and other repercussions from sequester-related budget cuts, says the Judicial Conference of the United States. "The judiciary is confronting an unprecedented fiscal crisis that could seriously compromise the constitutional mission of the United States courts," the letter says.
Draft funding bill proposes $147.6 billion for Veterans Affairs
Under House Appropriations Committee spending bill for the coming fiscal year marked up in subcommittee May 15, the Veterans Affairs Department would be funded at a topline of $147.6 billion, with $63.1 billion of that being discretionary spending.
DHS discretionary funding totals $38.9 billion in House Appropriations subcommittee proposal
A House Appropriations subcommittee bill released May 15 would provide the Homeland Security Department with $38.9 billion in discretionary funding for fiscal 2014, a $617.6 million decrease from the fiscal 2013 enacted level. But, based on preliminary scoring from the Congressional Budget Office, that would be a $981 million increase above post-sequestration levels, the committee says in an overview of the bill (.pdf).
House Appropriations proposes $786 million DHS cybersecurity budget
The House Appropriations homeland security subcommittee fiscal 2014 spending bill, to be marked up by the subcommittee May 16, proposes spending $786 million for Homeland Security Department cybersecurity operations, says a committee statement . That amount would total $24 million below the White House request and $30 million above the fiscal year 2013 enacted level, the committee adds.
Chained CPI takes better account of consumer spending habits, report says
The chained consumer price index method of tracking price inflation takes consumer spending habits into account better than the standard consumer price index currently in place, a May 8 Congressional Research Service report (.pdf) says.
DoD to furlough civilian workforce for 11 days, Hagel says
The Defense Department will furlough its civilian employees for 11 days due to sequestration cuts, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in a prepared statement May 14. Furloughs will begin July 8 at a rate of one day per week.
