The Senate just voted to confirm Timothy Geithner as Treasury secretary. Senators on both sides of the aisle praised his financial expertise, but some Republicans withheld their support over a problem with some back taxes. The final vote was surprisingly close, 60-34; several Democrats were among the “nay” votes, including Sens. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., and Tom Harkin, D-Iowa.
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I reported last year on Citizenship and Immigration Services’ struggles with fees and backlogs. So I was interested to see a new GAO report (pdf) on the agency’s user fees. GAO found a few problems, most of which are easily correctable. An example: CIS charges $1,000 for “premium processing,” one of its largest sources of revenue. Most of that revenue is used for business process modernization, not the actual costs of premium processing; GAO is concerned that regular applicants are subsidizing premium processing. Seems there’s an easy fix: Figure out the extra costs of premium processing, and make sure those…
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said modernizing agency information technology systems and addressing the aging work force will be top priorities for him. He said during a teleconference earlier today: It is important to me that the USDA be also a place of a modern workforce and a modern workplace. We’ll be focusing on IT improvements, process improvements and an empowered and diverse workforce to make that happen.â€
A busy week ahead here at Federal Times, and around Washington: The House votes on the stimulus package, new Cabinet secretaries get to work, and President Obama starts his first full week in office. First, though, we go a couple hundred miles north to New York, where Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar says he wants to reopen the Statue of Liberty’s crown to visitors. The whole statue, you’ll remember, was closed for security reasons after 9/11; the base was reopened in 2004, but the crown has remained closed. Not for security reasons, though; the narrow, 168-step staircase leading to…
In a memo sent to all Environmental Protection Agency employees today, newly minted administrator Lisa Jackson promised to “make respect for the EPA work force a bedrock principle of my tenure.†She said: I will look to you every day for ideas, advice and expertise. EPA should once again be the workplace of choice for veteran public servants and also talented young people beginning careers in environmental protection – just as it was for me when I first joined EPA shortly after graduate school. She also reiterated promises she made to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to make…
Barack Obama’s Cabinet is filling up. Last night the Senate confirmed: Shaun Donovan to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Ray LaHood to be Secretary of Transportation. In other confirmation news: Susan Rice, Obama’s choice for U.N. ambassador, was approved. Nancy Sutley was confirmed as chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. And finally, Lisa Jackson was given the green light to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, after Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., lifted his objection to a vote by unanimous consent.
Update: Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., has lifted his objection to allowing a vote on Lisa Jackson’s nomination for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator by unanimous consent, Greg Keeley, Barrasso’s spokesman said. This means the vote could come as soon as this evening. Barrasso’s change of heart came after he spoke with Carol Browner, Obama’s energy and environment czar. The pair will meet next week to discuss Barrasso’s concerns about her new role and how it may affect the  independence of EPA.  Original Post: EPA Confirmation Delayed The Environmental Protection Agency may have to wait a while to see the changes Lisa Jackson, Obama’s…
General Services Administration officials have confirmed that acting Rocky Mountain Regional Administrator Paul Prouty, is now the new acting chief of the entire agency. Prouty, a Public Building Service career official, replaced Jim Williams in the role of acting GSA administrator on Jan. 20, according to GSA. The White House did not immediately respond to questions about the appointment. Williams has returned to his former job as commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service. He was nominated by former President Bush to run the agency last summer, but was never confirmed by the Senate. Williams had been running the agency on an acting basis ever since.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was greeted like a rock star today when she made her first appearance at the department’s D.C. headquarters. Clinton arrived this morning to thunderous applause outside the C Street entrance and, once inside, waded through a camera-toting crowd numbering well into the hundreds, taking time to shake hands with employees eager to get their first look at the new boss.  The applause didn’t die down for more than three minutes, at which point the brief lull gave way to another round of hoots and hollars. “We love you Madam Secretary!” one female employee shouted. “Thank you,” a…
The biennial Government Accountability Office high-risk list was released today, and it’s good news for the Federal Aviation Administration — it’s been removed from the list, where it’s languished since 1995. Everybody else, not so much. The list is up to 30 agencies and programs, including three additions this year: the federal financial regulatory agencies (shouldn’t this have been on here a few years ago?), the Food and Drug Administration’s medical products oversight and the Environmental Protection Agency’s processes for assessing, cataloguing and controlling toxic chemicals. Take a look at the list here. Then come back and tell us what…