Budget Plans Offer Some Insight into 2016 Spending Priorities
March 23, 2015
Congress and the White House are giving some indications about how they want to spend revenues next fiscal year. Albeit, we must note that nowadays budget plans from Congress and the White House are just that: plans. And often these plans are merely a set of idealistic and ideological principles rather than a true accounting […]
Your Retirement is a Chip on Washington’s Roulette Wheel
March 18, 2015
Uncle Sam is gambling with your retirement money again. Here’s the story, which unfortunately serves as yet another reminder why you can’t rely on Washington to guarantee you will have a safe and secure retirement. On March 16, the U.S. government hit its debt limit of $18.1 trillion. In order prevent a major default on […]
Another Debt Ceiling Crisis May Be In The Works
March 18, 2015
Is another government shutdown on the horizon? Whether manufactured or not, at the very least another budget showdown and debt ceiling crisis is in the works as we approach our debt limit yet again. We’ve been here before. And more than likely, we’ll be here again. As always, your pay and benefits will no doubt […]
DoD Proposes Another BRAC Round
March 18, 2015
Here’s another reminder why you must begin managing your money and retirement today if you are in the service or work in the military as a civilian: The Pentagon is calling for another round of base realignments and closures (BRAC) as part of more sweeping efforts to cut back on costs. If you’ve worked for […]
USPS IG: Prefunding Benefit Mandate Must Go
March 3, 2015
The United States Postal Service won’t be able to climb out of the red unless Congress nixes a law that forces the USPS to prefund its projected healthcare and pension liabilities, according to a recent USPS Office of Inspector General report. According to the report, the USPS suffered “staggering” losses from fiscal years 2007 to […]
Federal Agencies Will Be Hit Hard by Sequestration in 2016
March 3, 2015
Federal agencies will be facing some tough decisions if sequestration caps remain in place in fiscal 2016. According to an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) report released this month, federal agencies will have to cut back on nearly $90 billion in discretionary spending unless Congress acts in favor of removing the caps or modifying […]
Maryland Congresswoman Proposes Rolling Back Pension Contribution Increases
February 20, 2015
A Maryland congresswoman recently introduced a bill to roll back pension contribution hikes for new federal workers. Donna Edwards, a Democrat, backed the bill, which is called the Federal Employee Pension Fairness Act. “Federal employees are the backbone of our federal government and agencies,” Rep. Edwards said in a statement released earlier this month. “Whether […]
Republican Lawmakers Propose Law to Cut Federal Workforce
February 20, 2015
Two Republican House representatives have introduced legislation that would cut the federal workforce through attrition and enact hiring freezes if an agency fails to comply with the law. The bill — Federal Workforce Reduction through Attrition Act — was introduced by Cynthia Lummis from Wyoming and Mick Mulvaney from South Carolina. The lawmakers claim it […]
Obama Administration Develops USPS Rescue Plan
February 11, 2015
The Obama Administration is borrowing ideas from both sides of the aisle in an attempt to save the United States Postal Service from financial ruin. The administration released a 2016 budget blueprint earlier this month that calls for major healthcare and other structural changes to help stymie the flood of red ink that is overshadowing […]
Federal Workers Might Get a Raise in 2016
February 10, 2015
The White House has proposed giving federal workers a 1.3 percent pay increase in 2016. Despite the raise trailing the rate of inflation and the rising cost of goods and services in the U.S., it is at the very least a faint recognition by the Obama Administration that federal workers deserve more than the pay […]
