Federal program managers may be breathing a little easier this afternoon after the Senate killed an amendment that would have ordered the Obama administration to zap at least $10 billion from this year’s budget. Although the provision, sponsored by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., received a simple majority of 52 votes, that total fell short of the 60-vote supermajority needed to add it to a highway spending bill. Under the amendment, the Office of Management and Budget would have had to use its administrative authority to “eliminate, consolidate and streamline” duplicative and overlapping programs singled out by the Government Accountability Office…
Browsing: Senate Appropriations Committee
The large industry association is asking Senators to oppose House bill provisions that would automatically debar contractors with unpaid tax debts or criminal convictions. Companies should be held accountable when they violate federal laws, Professional Services Council President Stan Soloway wrote in a June 28 letter sent to members of the Senate Appropriations Committee. However, federal suspension and debarment officials are required by federal regulations to consider if the company took remedial actions, such as whether the contractor voluntarily reported the activity to the government and took appropriate disciplinary action against the responsible individuals. Automatically debarring contractors ignores their due process rights, Soloway said in his letter. The PSC represents around 350 businesses that contract with…