After delay, Senate confirms Sam Brown to lead VA memorial affairs
The combat-wounded veteran and former Senate hopeful will oversee operations at hundreds of VA cemeteries and memorial sites.
Watchdogs
Watchdog agency’s closure could lead to more military financial scams
The White House moved to close the Consumer Financial Protection Board, which fielded 100,000 consumer complaints every month from veterans and troops.
VA secretary tapped to temporarily lead 2 federal oversight offices
VA Secretary Doug Collins will lead the Office of Government Ethics and the Office of Special Counsel until new directors are named.
Federal watchdog investigates Secret Service handling at Trump rally
President Joe Biden already had directed an independent review of the security at the rally.
Next-gen homeland defense interceptor plans are risky, watchdog says
In a report, the Government Accountability Office said there are technical, schedule and cost risks associated with the MDA's next-gen interceptor.
Pentagon’s contracting speed lane sometimes no faster, says watchdog
The "middle-tier acquisition" pathway is running into some of the same issues affecting the Pentagon's regular contracting process, a report found.
Pentagon mulls special pay boost to fix health care personnel shortage
Officials blamed the shortage on an inability to set competitive pay and other instances of bureaucratic red tape slowing the onboarding of workers.
More than two-thirds of federal buildings need repair, watchdog finds
Critical maintenance for fire suppression, generators and emergency lighting had gone unaddressed, the report finds.
Grassley grills Pentagon over improper use of government credit cards
A watchdog concluded DOD cardholders made $52 million worth of "questionable" purchases at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jury deliberating in Abu Ghraib case; contractor casts blame on Army
A lawyer for a military contractor being sued by three survivors of the notorious Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq says the plaintiffs are suing the wrong people.
Young veterans more likely to get dangerous jobs than civilian peers
Young veterans are more likely to work in jobs with significant physical demands and health risks than civilian peers, new research found.
Hip replacements, other orthopedic devices not properly tracked by VA
A watchdog warned that VA medical officials may not be able to respond to problems with implantable medical devices because of poor tracking systems.
Two-thirds of federal buildings miss required asbestos checks
There are more than 8,000 properties in GSA’s care, with the average building reaching 50 years of age.
New Navy council to tackle foreign investment risks
The new council is tasked with protecting the Navy from foreign adversaries' economic and industrial threats.
Supervisors less likely to be disciplined at Homeland Security: report
A survey found 21% of the department’s non-supervisory workers think senior leaders "tolerate" unethical managers.
Missile Defense Agency boss had affairs with subordinates: IG report
The agency's executive director was found to have used her position to get one of her partners promoted.
Some vets got double housing stipends due to flaw in jobs program
Officials have no plans to try and recoup the money, noting that no laws appear to have been violated by the doubled stipend payments.
