Rep. Darrell Issa

Data Act Could Usher In Era Of Real Transparency In Government

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A coalition of technology companies on Tuesday launched a major lobbying effort aimed at showing members of Congress that data transparency in federal spending is not only possible, but could be achieved in short order using standard markup languages and electronic identifiers that the commercial world has been leveraging for years.

But Congress must first pass into law the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act, or Data Act, before the deployment of such industry standard technologies could put an end to fraud, waste and abuse in federal spending by making detailed information about where and how every tax dollar is being spent. Keep reading →

 /  Published July 11, 2012 at 3:25 PM

GSA Hearing Reveals Bribery Investigation, Employee Travel Suspended

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The first congressional hearing into the GSA’s Las Vegas conference scandal revealed investigations into possible bribes and kickbacks and that the agency is forcing two employees to pay the government for private parties they held. And, as Monday’s hearing began, GSA employees were informed that all non-essential travel was suspended.

GSA officials testified at the House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform in the first of four hearings this week on Capitol Hill into the scandal over the $823,000 four-day retreat for 300 employees in 2010. Keep reading →

 /  Published April 16, 2012 at 6:00 PM

Video Boasting Lavish Las Vegas Outing Released

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GSA staffers who went on a posh Las Vegas retreat paid for by the federal government produced a video about their exploits that has made its way onto YouTube.

The video showed a staffer in a parody about their four-day extravaganza that cost $823,000 and is now the subject of a congressional probe. Among the lyrics: Keep reading →

 /  Published April 6, 2012 at 10:30 AM

Technology Tools Capture Hidden Essence Of State Of The Union Speech

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Few events are more thoroughly parsed for what is said and not said than the President’s annual State of the Union speech, and last night’s speech was no exception.

The advent of Twitter and a variety of technologies and analytic tools, however, have made it easier than ever to track the president’s every word — and the reactions of the public listening to them. Two good examples come to mind. Keep reading →

 /  Published January 25, 2012 at 10:35 AM