When is a small business not a small business? When it’s a large business. Confused? So is Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.).
McCaskill thinks the classification standard used by the government to categorize businesses for statistical purposes “simply doesn’t make sense” when applied to the federal small-business contract-award process and wants to do something about it. Keep reading →
The first ever nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System will occur on Nov 9 at 2 pm ET http://go.usa.gov/9nq (cc: @fema @FCC) @DHSgov
Much of what the federal government spends each year are benefit payments to individuals. As a recent inspector general report showed, many times those payments go to the wrong people, or are made in the wrong amounts, and in some cases to people who are no longer alive. Keep reading →
When it comes to proactive law enforcement, intelligence and counterterrorism operations, the New York City Police Department – the NYPD – is viewed by many of its counterparts as one of the most innovative and successful police departments in the nation’s history.
However, the NYPD has also gained another, more insidious reputation in recent years for what many regard as an unprecedented challenge to privacy and civil liberties in America and what others regard as overreach internationally. Keep reading →
The Internal Revenue Service would face a “devastating” loss of $4 billion in revenue collected each year if proposed cuts of up to $600 million are made from the agency’s budget, Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union warned Wednesday.
While the cuts might mean savings on the front end, they would result in far less money available for every federal agency the public depends on for services, she said, including responsible for the health and safety of the public. Keep reading →
After a day-long FDA hearing last week and a published report from NPR this morning, prescription drug shortages have become the latest public health issue with dire consequences.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, federal regulators are asking U.S. drug makers for advance warning of production shortages, saying medicine scarcities are continuing to increase at a rapid pace after reaching a record high in 2010. Keep reading →
A recent story tried to answer this question as follows: If the committee process fails to produce a debt reduction plan, as much as $1.2 trillion in across-the-board cuts would kick in — evenly divided between defense and non-defense spending.
Almost all men — they are the 12-member panel charged with finding an additional $1.5 trillion in debt savings over a ten-year period.
It will be tough work and will likely require political sacrifice on issues like taxes and entitlements if meaningful progress is to be made toward stabilizing the national debt
The members have a range of political experience — from novice to veteran. They are experts in taxes and the budget process. They hail from states as disparate as Texas, Michigan and Arizona. Keep reading →
The Federal Communications Commission has released the FCC Mobile Broadband Test App, which measures mobile data connection quality and speed.
According to USA.gov, the Federal Communications Commission mobile application allows consumers to test the upload speed, download speed, and latency of a mobile broadband connection and share results via email export. Keep reading →
A new report, “Partnership Fund for Program Integrity Innovation: Expanding Ways to Provide Cost-Effective Services,” provides insight into a program through which federal agencies work with states and cities on improving performance and reducing cost in programs that serve citizens.
A new report written by the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA), the Partnership for Public Service (PPS) and the IBM Center for The Business of Government, “Partnership Fund for Program Integrity Innovation: Expanding Ways to Provide Cost-Effective Services,” discusses the goals and progress of the Partnership Fund, a program led by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Keep reading →
President Obama will participate in a town hall discussion on jobs and the economy with LinkedIn, a business-related social networking site, the White House announced.
The discussion, titled “Putting America Back to Work: LinkedIn Presents a Town Hall with President Obama,” will take place at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif. on Sept. 26. Keep reading →