Exposing Corruption : Exploring Solutions
POGO is an independent nonprofit that investigates and exposes corruption and other misconduct in order to achieve a more effective, accountable, open, and ethical federal government.
Dodd Said to Propose Removing Fed, FDIC Bank-Supervision Roles [Bloomberg]
Pentagon Learning Lessons From MRAP Program [Ares]
White House Won't Rescind Lobbyist Board Ban [Under the Influence]
FHA's reserve fund hits 7-year low [The Washington Post]
Companies using offshore tax havens look to bill for windfall [The Hill]
The Reinvention of Robert Gates [The New Republic]
Tactical Air's Gloomy Future [Military.com]
One of the great things about the stimulus bill, or the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), is that it requires the recipients and sub-recipients of federal funds to report the names and compensation levels of their top five officials. This provision is now helping to lift the curtain on the secretive world of contractors who run the labs that make up the U.S. nuclear weapons complex.
Last week, John Fleck reported in the Albuquerque Journal that Sandia National Laboratories Director Tom Hunter makes a whopping $1.7 million per year, and that Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Director Michael Anastasio makes $800,348 per year. As Dan Hancock of the Southwest Research and Information Center pointed out, this means that Hunter makes four times as much as the President of the United States, and that Anastasio makes twice as much.
We found Sandia’s defense of the high salaries quite laughable. “They are making complex decisions that are actually affecting the security of the United States,” Sandia spokesman Neal Singer said. “They’re paid for the difficult decisions they make.” Unlike the President??
A disclaimer: a Department of Energy contracting regulation caps the taxpayer-funded portion of the executives’ annual compensation at $684,000. This is still nearly $300,000 more than the President’s salary.
-- Ingrid Drake
UPDATE: NNSA contacted POGO to say that it reimbursed the lab directors at far less than the $684,181 cap, and provided these figures for the amounts that the Department of Energy contributes to certain lab directors salaries (with the rest coming from the private companies that share in the management of the labs): LANL's Michael Anastasio, $397,341; Lawrence Livermore National Lab's George Miller, $348,400; and Sandia's Tom Hunter, $366,119.
FAM Whistleblower Appeals His Termination; Says He Protected National Security [Security Management]
Personnel agency cracks down on appointees 'burrowing' in [Government Executive]
With Feds, BofA's Lewis Met His Match [The Wall Street Journal]
I'm doing 'God's work'. Meet Mr Goldman Sachs [The Sunday Times]
Reforming from the bottom up [Federal Times]
FDA on Pharma Ads 2.0 [nextgov]
CIA answers FOIA request... 20 years later [The FOIA Blog]
Amtrak appoints new inspector general [Federal Eye]
DCAA caught in the crossfire [Federal Computer Week]
Break for Companies in Bailout's Fine Print [The New York Times]
Fannie's Draws From Emergency Treasury Fund Reach $60 Billion [Bloomberg]
Treasury OKs Another Firm for Toxic Asset Program [Associated Press]
New alliance hopes to spur new talent in procurement field [Government Executive]
Is the BLM practicing unsafe CX? [High Country News]
Flu outrunning vaccine, experts say [Washington Post]
GAO to report on GSA [Fedline]
Clash Looms on Banks [The Wall Street Journal]
HUD audits: $220M to go to at-risk agencies [USA Today]
Your Bailout Update (Nov. 2009): $400 Billion Outstanding [ProPublica]
Texans mount campaign to keep Army truck contract [Government Executive]
Hedge Fund Counsel to Lead SEC's New York Examinations Group [The Wall Street Journal]
Blankfein, Dimon Met Feinberg Ahead of Pay Order, Records Show [Bloomberg]
Barney Frank On Financial Regulation Overhaul [Real Time Economics]
Some Sense on Defense Spending [New York Times]
KC-X Appeal [Air Force Magazine]
Wartime commission scrutinizes contractors' role in Iraq drawdown [Government Executive]
GE, Rolls To Redesign Part Of F-35 Engine [Reuters]
Chairwoman of FDIC raises concerns about new federal regulatory panel [The Hill]
Taxpayers Lose $2.3 Billion with CIT Bankruptcy [ProPublica]
Cost-Plus Questions Persist [Fedblog]
Proposal Circulates on New Civilian-Military Agency [The Washington Independent]
Holder’s Invocation of State Secrets Privilege Shields Government From Accountability [The Washington Independent]
'Paulson’s Gift' (to Everyone Except J.P. Morgan) [Real Time Economics]
Meet the Crooks Behind Your New Knee [Mother Jones]
Emanuel Said to Press for Sarbanes-Oxley Exemption [Bloomberg]
Dick Cheney and the use of classified information [The Washington Post]
This Is the TARP That Never Ends... [Mother Jones]
Contract Management: Extent of Federal Spending under Cost-Reimbursement Contracts Unclear and Key Controls Not Always Used [Government Accountability Office]
Bad news for Democrats in revelation of ethics probes [Washington Post]
OMB pushes more fixed-price contracts [Federal Times]
Audit warns KBR to cut number of employees in Iraq [Houston Chronicle]
F-35 total may be cut by half, report says [Air Force Times]
How Goldman secretly bet on the U.S. housing crash [McClatchy]
Frank Splits With Obama on Fund, May Face Fight With Some Firms [Bloomberg]
Goldman Looks to Buy Fannie Tax Credits [The Wall Street Journal]
Dozens in Congress under ethics inquiry [The Washington Post]
GAO faults effort to counter roadside bombs [Government Executive]
'Round and 'Round They Go: Lawmakers Leave Congress for Lobbying Posts [Capital Eye Blog]
IG takes a look at DOE's work for DOD [Atomic City Underground]
Doubts greet Obama's financial oversight plan [The Washington Post]
Officials commit to collaborate on performance-based budgeting [Government Executive]
F-22 gets $474 million parting gift [The DEW Line]
OMB’s new procurement guidance inadequate, lawmakers say [Federal Times]
FTC's Powers Would Grow Under Financial Overhaul [The Wall Street Journal]
Bair Breaks With Obama, Urges Prepaying Costs to Unwind Firms [Bloomberg]
GMAC Shows Limits of Resolution, Systemic Risk Proposal [BusinessWeek]
Catch F-22 [Rachel Maddow]
Northrop Criticizing its KC-X Customer, Or Asking for a Fair Fight? [Ares]
Senator: Pentagon must make painful spending adjustments [Government Executive]
SBA proposes major revisions to small business contracting program [Government Executive]
Hearing: "Systemic Regulation, Prudential Matters, Resolution Authority and Securitization" [House Financial Services Committee]
