The Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) has projected the budget deficit for 2017 to be similar to 2016. CBO’s baseline estimate of the 2017 deficit is $559 billion, or 2.9 percent of gross domestic product—less than the $587 billion deficit posted in 2016. Both totals, however, are affected by shifts in the timing of some payments. [...]
The government is being funded by a continuing resolution, which was passed in December 2016, and goes through April 28, 2017. The Senate voted to proceed to debate on a fiscal year (FY) 2017 budget resolution on 4 January 2017. To read the full article and the latest updates please visit the Committee for a [...]
The General Services Administration (GSA) announced that mileage reimbursement rate for federal employees using privately –owned vehicles during official travel will decrease slightly to 53.5 cents from the current level of 54 cents. The new rate will go into effect on January 1, 2017. Mileage reimbursable rates also decreased for official airplane travel (to $1.15 from [...]
Federal civilian employees will get a pay raise equal to that approved for military personnel. After the House and Senate agreed on a 2.1 percent military pay raise in the FY2017 Defense Authorization bill, the president was urged by some in Congress and federal labor groups to provide the same raise for federal civilian employees. [...]
Final action on the 11 remaining FY2017 appropriations bills must wait until the new Congress and the new administration take office in January. With the Dec 9 expiration date for the current continuing resolution (CR) looming, the House voted (326-96) and the Senate went along (63-36) to approve an extension of the CR (H.R. 2028) [...]
The Senate passed the final FY2017 Defense Authorization bill yesterday with broad bipartisan support, 92-7. The bill, which had been worked out by House and Senate committee negotiators, overwhelmingly passed the House (375-34) last week. The bill authorizes force levels, programs, and policies (including military pay raises) for Department of Defense (DoD) budgets and the [...]
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has revised its guidance on policies and practices regarding U.S government employees and agencies participating in conferences. In a memo to federal department and agency heads, OMB Director Shaun Donovan amended the guidance OMB issued in 2012 (OMB Memorandum M-12-12) that reduced travel spending and instituted tough management [...]
With Congress appearing ready to consider a long-term continuing resolution (CR) well into next year (possibly until May 2017), Secretary of Defense Ash Carter warned of the detrimental effects on U.S. national security of such action. In a letter to congressional leaders, Carter called the prospect of operating under a CR for nearly two-thirds of [...]
Funding available for awards for federal non-Senior Executive Service (SES) employees is set to increase for FY2017. Guidance issued to agency heads in a joint memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) increased the amounts agencies can use to pay non-SES/Senior Level (SL)/Senior Professional and Scientific [...]
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has announced a government-wide freeze on Senior Executive Service (SES) hires effective December 7, 2016. Acting OPM Director Beth Colbert said in a memo issued last week that the freeze will “ensure the incoming head of the agency will have the full opportunity to exercise his or her prerogative [...]