Federal Drive

Monday Morning Federal Newsstand

Written by Ruben Gomez Edited by Suzanne Kubota This morning’s federal news as heard on WFED: Red ink is pushing the postal service to offer early retirem...

Federal News Network Staff

March 23, 2009 7:49 am

2 min read

Written by Ruben Gomez
Edited by Suzanne Kubota

This morning’s federal news as heard on WFED:

Red ink is pushing the postal service to offer early retirements to 150,000 workers. Postal officials say the agency will also cut 1,400 management positions and close six district offices. USPS lost $2.8-billion dollars, and they’re headed toward even bigger losses this year.

The general pubic has a chance to shape the agenda for a new contracting oversight panel in the Senate. Missouri Senator Clare McCaskill chairs the panel and she’s asking for advice on where its members should focus their efforts. Government Executive reports that as of Friday, 129 people had submitted comments. According to GovExec, the “senator encouraged recipients to offer their opinions through an online discussion forum or by e-mailing the subcommittee at contracting_oversight@mccaskill.senate.gov or whistleblowers@mccaskill.senate.gov.”

The White House wants your agency to know without a doubt how you can spend stimulus money. The president has issued a memo with steps to make sure the money is spent properly. The document covers, among other things, rules for lobbyists and steps to avoid funding imprudent projects. You can read more about it from GovExec.

The credit crunch is putting a crimp on at least 21 federal leasing projects. A representative from the General Services Administration telling lawmakers in a hearing that the projects were either delayed or terminated. He says it’s because landlords were unable to secure credit. Eight of the 21 projects are temporary space for the Census Bureau. FederalTimes reports the GSA says it will change its solicitation process to force bidders to disclose terms of their financing agreements with lenders.