Federal Daily - February 19, 2008

Comptroller General Will Resign

The head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on Feb. 15 announced he would resign his position effective March 12. David M. Walker, who has been Comptroller General since November 1998, said he would accept the position of president and chief executive officer of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, a new public policy organization. The GAO release announcing the move noted that under Walker’s oversight, “GAO has undergone a major transformation during which the agency’s role has expanded while its visibility, viability and performance have improved significantly.” The statement called Walker an “outspoken advocate of the need for federal policymakers to address the fiscal and other key sustainability challenges and government transformation needs facing the United States.” Walker said the move will allow him to advocate public policy solutions more freely than he now can in public office. Gene Dodaro, GAO chief operating officer, will serve as acting comptroller general on Walker’s departure. To see more, go to: http://www.gao.gov/press/cgdeparture2152008.pdf.

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Unions Protest at Justice Department

Members of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the Council of Prison Locals (CPL) protested Feb. 14 outside the Justice Department to draw attention to what it said is “a continued lack of funding and inadequate staffing” throughout the federal Bureau of Prisons. AFGE National President John Gage and CPL President Bryan Lowry were among the protesters. Lowry cited what he called a “critical situation” inside federal prisons. “We need more staff to get the job done; it’s as simple as that,” Lowry said. “A decrease in staffing levels makes our prisons and communities less safe. We are here today to make sure we get the staffing and funding we need.” The groups also drew attention to the need for the Federal Prison Industries program, a federal work program that keeps inmates occupied throughout the day. The groups said that without the program, which has been targeted for elimination by some legislators, federal correctional officers would be at greater risk of attacks by inmates. To see more, go to: http://www.afge.org/index.cfm?fuse=content&contentID=1450.

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Former Park Police Chief Wins Appeal

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has ruled in favor of the former chief of the U.S. Park Police, upholding her challenge of her removal for alleged misconduct. Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER)—which represented the former chief, Teresa Chambers, in the case—posted the ruling on its Web site, and said the decision affirms that police and other public servants are legally protected when raising warnings about “a risk to public safety.” The federal circuit panel, in a 2-1 decision, remanded the case to the Merit Systems Protection Board to correct its error in failing to recognize that Chambers was removed “in reprisal for making a protected disclosure” under the Whistleblower Protection Act. The Interior Department removed Chambers after she confirmed reports of staffing shortages in an interview with The Washington Post. Chambers now heads the police department for Riverdale Park, a town in Prince George’s County, Md. To see more, go to: http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=990.

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