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President Donald Trump once again threatened the possibility of a government shutdown, this time over funding for the construction of a wall along the southern border.
Budget experts say it's only prudent for federal contractors to start preparing now for a possible government shutdown on Oct. 1.
The House passed a "minibus" of 2018 spending bills before leaving town for a month-long recess. Budget experts say the possibility of sequestration isn't the only reason why the minibus has little chance of survival.
Ten House Republicans reiterated their concerns for the recent fiscal 2018 budget proposals that would make significant changes to the federal retirement system for current and future employees and retirees. Eighteen senators, nearly all Democrats, also wrote their own letter to Senate leadership voicing their opposition.
The Republican Study Committee released its own take on the fiscal 2018 budget, which includes several cuts to federal pay, retirement and health benefits. Here's how the committee's budget proposal measures up to other recommendations from the Trump administration and other House lawmakers.
Both the Trump administration and Congress are offering new goals to cut government improper payments over the next five to 10 years. Experts in the field say the targets aren't impossible but need attention and investments in agency technology and personnel.
A 2018 budget proposal from the House Budget Committee asks federal employees to contribute more toward their retirement as a way to find $203 billion in mandatory spending cuts next year.
For federal contractors, summer vacations can be problematic. That's because the start of summer also brings the last fiscal quarter and the scramble to use funds before they run out. It's a more concentrated issue this year because of how late Congress approved the 2017 budget. David Berteau, president and CEO of the Professional Services Council, provides an overview of the next 11 weeks on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.
The House Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee stayed quiet on federal pay in its 2018 bill. Without action from Congress, federal civilian employees would receive a 1.9 percent raise next fiscal year. The appropriations bill also includes significant spending cuts to key priorities at the General Services Administration and Office of Personnel Management.
Some Republicans are joining about 100 House Democrats in voicing their opposition to the president's proposed changes to federal retirement.
About 100 House Democrats wrote to Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), voicing their opposition over the president's four major proposed changes to federal retirement. The administration included the proposals in the fiscal 2018 budget proposal and would have a significant impact on both current and future federal employees and retirees.
If you want to get an inkling of why the federal budget process takes so long, just watch a typical budget hearing.
Defending his department’s $52 billion budget increase for the first time on Capitol Hill this week, Defense Secretary James Mattis ran into heavy skepticism from the committee members who might normally be his most natural allies for a Pentagon plus-up.
Staffing shortages, attrition and low morale cause perpetually ongoing problems at every level of the Secret Service, said the Homeland Security Department's inspector general. The president's 2018 budget request calls for more funding and employees, but neither the IG nor members of Congress say it's enough to turn around the beleaguered agency.