Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has frequently called the national debt the biggest threat to U.S. security. At his last press briefing before retirement Tuesday, Mullen again said the debt was the country’s biggest security threat and said decisions regarding force structure, personnel and operations will be necessary. “It [...]

The White House deficit reduction plan would cap reimbursements for federal contractor executives and also would have federal civilian employees pay more towards their retirement plans. Currently, contractor executives are reimbursed for their private sector salaries. The plan calls for capping highly-paid contractors to Executive Schedule Level 1 pay, or no more than $200,000. The [...]

The White House’s deficit reduction proposal calls for increases in Tricare pharmacy co-pays for military beneficiaries and includes charging an enrollment fee for older retirees using Tricare for Life benefits. However, any changes in benefits for military retirees would not happen immediately. Another commission will study the issue before changes are made. In July, a Defense [...]

A former Securities and Exchange Commission lawyer who handled Bernard Madoff’s legal matters for the agency should face a criminal investigation, the SEC’s top watchdog said Tuesday. Recently, it was revealed David Becker, formerly SEC general counsel, was allowed to work on the Madoff case despite inheriting profits by liquidating an account his late mother [...]

A proposed rule from the Office of Government Ethics would require federal employees to refuse all gifts from lobbyists and lobbying firms. The OGE released the rule for comment in the Sept. 13 Federal Register, extending the rule to employees not considered political appointees. Under current policy, federal employees cannot receive gifts worth more than [...]

The Labor Department has signed agreements with the Internal Revenue Service and nine states in an effort to crack down on the business practice of misclassifying employees to avoid paying benefits and taxes. According to a release issued Monday, the Labor Department will share information and coordinate law enforcement with the IRS and participating states. [...]

The Defense Department plans to expand the sharing of classified cyber threat intelligence between the Pentagon and certain contracting firms to better secure commercial networks used for military purposes, Pentagon officials said. A test program, which ran from May 9 through Sept. 15, prevented hundreds of attempted breaches at 20 participating industrial defense firms, officials said. “This fall, following completions [...]

NASA plans to spend $1.6 billion over the next two years assisting industry development of space taxis, the space agency announced Monday. NASA outlined a contract that will be awarded to multiple companies that can provide a complete design — launchers, spaceships, mission operations and ground support — to ferry astronauts to the International Space [...]

The Obama administration’s plan to reduce the deficit includes ideas the White House claims will rescue the Postal Service, which is facing default. The Postal Service would be allowed to sell non-postal products, the plan says. Saturday mail delivery would end, as postal officials have long desired to do. The plan also would restructure a [...]

The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy on gays and lesbians serving in the military has officially been repealed and is no longer in effect. The Defense Department sent a memo Tuesday announcing the policy change, which takes effect 60 days after President Barack Obama certified the military’s readiness for repeal based on advice from military [...]