Federal Daily - February 25, 2008

GAO Report Raises More Questions About FS Outsourcing

In the wake of a highly critical government audit, lawmakers are questioning whether Forest Service privatization efforts really achieved the $38 million in savings the agency reported to Congress. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report Feb. 21 that raised troubling questions about the outsourcing contracts the Forest Service awarded from Fiscal Years 2004 through 2006. When challenged by GAO auditors, the Forest Service could not provide GAO with sufficient data or the methodology it used to calculate the $38 million savings the agency said was derived from competitions. In addition, GAO found that the Forest Service did not consider certain costs, which were substantial, in its savings calculations, GAO said. “The administration’s competitive sourcing plan was dubious from the start, and now we see that the program may have actually increased costs for American taxpayers,” said Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis. “Congress needs to take a long hard look at the administration’s competitive sourcing agenda after such a damning report.” The Forest Service is currently under an outsourcing moratorium imposed by the omnibus FY 2008 spending measure. Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., said she intends to extend that moratorium next year with the Fiscal Year 2009 Interior Appropriations bill. To see more, go to: http://feingold.senate.gov/~feingold/releases/08/02/20080221.html or the report at www.gao.gov/new.items/d08195.pdf.

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Akaka Urges Succession Plan for Veterans Oversight at DoD, VA

Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, last week urged the oversight committees at DoD and the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop a transition plan as the Bush administration winds down and prepares to leave office. Akaka, chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, asked Senior Oversight Committee (SOC) chairmen DoD Deputy Secretary Gordon England and VA Deputy Secretary Gordon Mansfield to work together on the plan. “While the current administration approaches its end, there is a great deal of unfinished business before the Senior Oversight Committee,” Akaka said. “Alongside its important work to help servicemembers transition from the military to veteran status, it must also prepare for its own transition from this administration to the next.” Since last May, DoD and VA have been working together to implement many of the recommendations from various studies, as part of an effort to provide a seamless transition from military service to veteran status, Akaka pointed out. To see more, go to: http://veterans.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?pageid=12&release_id=11551.

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CPI Increase Means $479 Annual Pay Hike for APWU Members

The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) noted Feb. 21 that APWU-represented employees will see an annual Cost-of-Living (COLA) raise of $479 following the rise of the Consumer Price Index in January. The COLA will be effective March 15, and will be reflected in workers’ April 4 paychecks. The adjustment will amount to a $0.23 per hour increase, or $18.40 per pay period. The January index represents the completion of the third of eight six-month COLA measuring periods in the union’s 2006-2010 Collective Bargaining Agreement, APWU said in a statement. “Coming just one month after across-the-board upgrades, the COLA means our members will enjoy a substantial increase in pay,” said APWU President William Burrus. To see more, go to: www.apwu.org/news/webart/2008/webart-0818-cola-080221.htm.

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