Government Executive recently reported that the Department of Health and Human Services has announced a $1 billion grant program to identify innovations that both improve medical care and create jobs. In a press conference, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the Health Care Innovation Challenge and said that “in recent weeks, Congress has failed to act [...]

With three years left to cut energy use by one-third, budgetary threats and rising cost, the measure to save seems to be in rescuing money spent to light, heat and cool government buildings. According to a report from Federal Times, green may be the way to go since fuel costs are causing spending to go up [...]

President Obama will announce an expansion of U.S. military presence in Australia during his first-ever trip to the country starting Wednesday, according to a report from Reuters. The trip comes three days after Obama hosted world leaders in Hawaii at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. According to the report, Obama will address Australia’s parliament in [...]

With time running out until the federal government is forced to a halt after the plug on its funding is pulled, lawmakers in the House and Senate are scrambling to pass appropriations bills before the Nov. 18 deadline. With four days left, lawmakers have yet to agree on legislation regarding spending measures that set annual [...]

All will not be lost if negotiations go nowhere and the deficit reduction supercommittee fails to reach an agreement, according to Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.). During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” program Sunday, Warner expressed hope that the supercommittee succeeds in delivering a proposal before Thanksgiving. However, if it does not, Warner [...]

Multiple NASA locations, including its headquarters in Washington, are offering buyouts and early retirement packages to employees,” according to a report from Government Executive. The Kennedy Space Center in Florida offered 150 buyouts to departments including budget and legal offices, information technology and general administrative personnel. NASA Spokesman Allard Beutel told Government Executive the buyouts [...]

It seems material weakness in information security controls has become an issue, but perhaps not a new one in the history of the Internal Revenue Service. A recent audit from the Government Accountability Office made 182 total recommendations, of which 105 involved improving internal information security control, according to InformationWeek. The report says “deficiencies remain concerning material [...]

The Energy Department is using federal energy savings performance contracts to reach sustainability goals. Jake Wooley, deputy director of the department’s information technology management office, told Nextgov.com these contracts “in the past have been something the facilities managers and energy managers have been aware of, but this is the first time in IT.” Wooley said the department [...]

Congress got one step closer Thursday toward repealing a 3 percent withholding tax on all government contracts as the Senate voted 95-0 to approve the measure. However, businesses will have to wait until at least next week to see the requirement taken off the books. The Senate also included an amendment that offers businesses tax [...]

The Defense Department could wrap up its internal discussions on cutting $260 billion from its budget over the next five years “in the coming weeks,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday. More than $450 billion is to be cut from the defense budget over the next decade and the Pentagon has established a working group [...]