People
White House steps up federal recruiting efforts
The Obama administration will start programs to establish clear paths for the recruitment and hiring of students and recent graduates for entry-level federal jobs.
Digital Government
Dodaro is new comptroller general
Gene Dodaro was sworn in Dec. 30 as the comptroller general of the United States and head of the Government Accountability Office.
People
Obama issues pay freeze order
President Barack Obama issued an executive order late Dec. 22 to carry out the two-year federal employee pay freeze that was signed into law that day.
Digital Government
White House deputy CTO leaves, will target state and local collaboration
Andrew McLaughlin is resigning from his job as deputy White House chief technology officer to start two companies, one of them to develop collaboration tools for state and local governments.
Digital Government
Air Force blocks sites that provide WikiLeaks information
The Air Force blocks its personnel from accessing media sites publishing WikiLeaks material.
People
Public experts could become on-demand resources
GSA wants feedback on ExpertNet, a draft concept for soliciting and collecting advice on specific topics from experts in the public.
Digital Government
No, not death panel … DEBT panel
Well, it doesn’t look like the president’s bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility ventured too far from the recommendations released last month by the two chairmen of the panel.
Digital Government
Panel urges cutting federal employment as part of major spending cuts
The White House-led debt reduction panel seeks to save $4 trillion by 2020 by cutting the federal workforce, changing the tax code and imposing annual limits on war spending.
Digital Government
Cass Sunstein remembers a special date
The administrator of the White House's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs shared a special personal memory in his keynote speech at the Brookings Institution.
Digital Government
Bad timing for feds nearing retirement
With the leaders of the president’s debt reduction panel calling for a three-year freeze on federal civilian pay, and with budget hawks about to take control of the House, chances are probably good that President Obama’s proposed two-year civilian pay freeze will get through Congress and make its way back to his desk.
People
E-rulemaking efforts expanding, OMB official says
E-rulemaking is helping to bring a diversity of views to the regulatory process, according to OMB official Cass Sunstein.
Digital Government
Feds could see pay freeze
Administration officials hope for $2 billion in savings for fiscal 2011 and more in the coming years.
Digital Government
Never a dull moment
Well, it looks like feds are being asked by the White House to share the pain of the private sector with a two-year pay freeze.
People
Open government beats FOIA for information access
People are being encouraged to bypass the lengthy legal process to request government data and go directly to agency open government offices, according to White House Deputy CTO Beth Noveck.
Modernization
OMB to push for big changes in IT management
The federal government is doing a major rehab on how it oversees and manages the $70 billion in annual IT spending.
People
Data.gov sets up open data communities page
White House officials have added a community participation feature to the Data.gov site.
Digital Government
Privacy czar coming soon
The Obama administration is about to appoint a privacy czar, and other measures are also in the offing to protect people online.
Digital Government
White House creates new policy for controlled unclassified information
A new policy will reduce the confusion caused by multiple categories of protected but unclassified information, according to transparency advocates.
Acquisition
IT innovation might be at risk under new Congress, former Rep. Davis warns
Former Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) predicts that the new House GOP majority will be zealous in scrutinizing agency IT innovations for possible cuts.
Digital Government