Archive for August 23rd, 2009
DorobekInsider: What’s the deal with GSA administrator nominee Johnson? The Kansas City Star finds out
One of the key Obama administration posts still vacant is the role of GSA administrator. Of course, Martha Johnson was nominated in April, and she made it through the Senate committee in June, but her nomination has been… on hold… literally.
There have been several stories flying around — one was that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) had actually pulled her name off the nomination list because, as the story goes, GSA had told agencies that the government could not travel to Las Vegas in Reid’s home state. In fact, the WSJ had this report on July 22:
Government Meeting? Stay Away From Fun City
What do Reno, Orlando and Las Vegas have in common? To some pockets of the federal government, they just seem like too much fun.
Instead, employees at some big agencies, like the U.S. Department of Agriculture, are being encouraged to host meetings in more buttoned-down places such as St. Louis, Milwaukee or Denver….
Earlier this month, Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, the chamber’s majority leader, expressed concern to the White House about a prohibition on government travel to resort destinations. White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel wrote back saying that government travel “is not focused on specific destinations,” but on cost and efficiency.
The General Services Administration, which sets the amount government employees can spend per day at each destination, has no ban on locations.
But some agencies appear to be instituting their own guidelines that dictate where events should be held.
According to an Agriculture Department employee familiar with the guidelines, the agency issued internal travel guidelines in the spring that encourage employees to hold meetings in cities that display three key attributes: a travel hub; low in cost; and “a non-resort location.” The employee said cities on the list with those three attributes included Chicago; Denver; Portland, Ore.; St. Louis; Washington, D.C.; Milwaukee; Phoenix and Fort Collins, Colo.
Resort locations aren’t banned, “but you have to provide robust justification” to supervisors for approval to hold an event there, the employee said.
Apparently there never was a ban on travel to the hurting Las Vegas — although there is a lot of mis-information out there about travel.
But it appears that the hold on Johnson’s nomination is by Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO), as reported Friday by the Kansas City Star:
Bond blocks GSA nominee in action tied to downtown KC federal building
By KEVIN COLLISON
The Kansas City StarPosted on Fri, Aug. 21, 2009
Sen. Kit Bond is blocking approval of the president’s choice to lead the General Services Administration, adding pressure on Washington to approve a proposed downtown federal office building.
Bond, who has been a leader in the effort to build the estimated $175 million project since it was first proposed in 2006, has placed a hold on the appointment of Martha Johnson.
Johnson, a former GSA chief of staff, was recommended for the post by President Barack Obama in April and was endorsed by the Senate Government Affairs Committee in June.
The GSA acts as the federal government’s landlord and also buys goods and services for federal agencies.
Bond could not be reached for comment Friday, but an aide confirmed his decision to block Johnson’s appointment.
Of course, it still is a bit remarkable that senators can put holds on nominations without having to be up front about it.
We’ll continue to track the story. One can assume that this will get resolved soon — one way or another.
DorobekInsider: The most read items for the third week of August 2009
The most read items on DorobekInsider and Federal News Radio 1500 AM’s Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris…
First off… for the DorobekInsider:
- DorobekInsider: The buzz of federal government IT: Two scorching IG report on VA IT… sex, lie
- DorobekInsider: GSA names Dave McClure to lead the Office of Citizen Services
- DorobekInsider: The FCC joins the blogsphere — and Twitter
- DorobekInsider: Most read items for second week of August 2009
- DorobekInsider: CGI’s official announcement about Molly O’Neill
- DorobekInsider: Clearing the desk – and stories mentioned on the Daily Debrief
- DorobekInsider: What’s behind the cyber-czar Hathaway resignation? And why is this post so dif
- DorobekInsider: It’s my birthday, but… you get the gifts
- DorobekInsider: A summer Friday extra – my favorite birthday gift
- DorobekInsider: Robertson to be named to head GSA’s OGP and CAO
- DorobekInsider: GSA names a OGP-CAO leader — and then merges the organizations
- DorobekInsider: 24-hour deal – get Federal News Radio Book Club book Fired Up or Burned Out
- DHS director of the National Cybersecurity Center resigns
- Ed DeSeve to join the Obama administration
- DorobekInsider: CGI Federal scores a coup hiring former EPA CIO Molly O’Neill
- DorobekInsider: 1105 Media cuts pay 20 percent — temporarily
- DorobekInsider: Management of Change panel: The changing role of the CIO – the liner notes
- DorobekInsider: More GSA changes — Leeds as senior counselor and Peck returning at PBS
- DorobekInsider: The real story behind the Recovery.gov contract: The need for govt contracting trans
- DorobekInsider: 1105 GovInfo names government IT vet Weiss as group publisher
… and the most read items for the week from Federal News Radio 1500 AM’s Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris…
- The latest TSP news
- The Daily Debrief
- Update: NSPS recommendations
- USPTO gets new director
- NASA responds to criticisms of various programs
- DoD and Web 2.0: A blogger’s take
- NSPS update: Unions speak before Board final recommendations
- Will Maryland be the new home of cybersecurity?
- Registry starts at federalreporting.gov
- Management at the GSA: Looking from the outside
- Why you might want to be wary of cloud computing
- Cybersecurity challenges
- GAO: Missile defense systems in Europe could exceed cost estimates
- What next, if not Networx? Word from GSA’s conference
- New federal guidelines on fighting the flu
- President asks Congress to increase troop levels
- Cybersecurity concerns from Congress
- Navy CIO: Cyber czar needed soon
- New NIH director speaks about goals
- The possibilities of cloud computing in the federal government
- Making procurement easier and more transparent
- Fortess Technologies helps the warfighter go wireless
- Power IT Down at your agency . . . and help the troops
- BRAC update from two local congressmen
- DoD seeks guidance from public about Web 2.0 technologies
- The 2009 Roosevelt Scholars Act
- Mike Causey reports from annual FDR conference
- Meet the Innovators: Jay Nath
- TSP Talk: Tobacco Bill signed into law
- An argument for broadband across the U.S.
- TSP Talk: Where is the market going?
- TSP changes and automatic enrollment updates
- GSA helping to preserve lighthouses
- Friday Afternoon Newsstand
- The health care debate and militias
- SEA speaks about recent report
- LandWarNet Conference continues
- Friday Fun Day!
- GAO examines process concerning EEO complaints
- FAI releases 2008 Workforce Competency Survey results
- Erroneous reporting: Marines did not ban social networking
- OPM issues new hiring policies for military spouses
- Federal Dispute Resolution conference wraps up
- IG reports cite abuses, nepotism at VA
- GSA’s Casey Coleman moves into the cloud
- TSA’s Secure Flight changes ready for take off
- Congresswoman: DHS’s NPPD deserves recognition
- DoD’s health IT strategy
- U.S. Army, NIMH team up to stop military suicides
- Meet the Innovators: Does Gov 2.0 matter?