Every new President brings a wave of change to D.C., but the first two weeks of the Trump administration have been busier and more controversial than usual — to put it very mildly. While much attention has been paid to the public response to the White House’s newest tenant, there are federal employees who can’t be so vocal about their concerns, particularly when chatting over government-supplied devices. That’s why some federal staffers are turning to new encryption technologies to keep their discussions away from unwanted scrutiny. [More]
federal government
Feds Order Debt Relief Schemes To Cease Misleading Use Of Government Logos
By 1.29.16
Even though it’s incredibly easy to slap a government agency’s logo on your website, that doesn’t make it okay. Just ask the two debt relief companies that have been ordered to stop using Department of Education logos to mislead student loan borrowers. [More]
Federal Data Breach Included 5.6M Compromised Fingerprints, Five Times The Original Estimate
By 9.23.15
Federal investigators underestimated the number of fingerprints stolen in a massive breach of the Office of Personnel Management earlier this year: the agency announced Wednesday that 5.6 million individuals’ finger prints were stolen, nearly five times the original estimate of 1.1 million compromised prints. [More]
Office Of Personnel Management Director Steps Down Following Massive Data Breach Affecting 21M People
By 7.10.15
Yesterday, the Office of Personnel Management – essentially the federal government’s giant human resources office – announced that 21 million current and former employees, as well as prospective employees, their families and others who applied for federal background investigations in the last 15 years were the latest victims of hackers. Today, the head of that agency announced she would no longer be leading the department. [More]
Federal Data Breach Reportedly Affects An Additional 21 Million People
By 7.9.15
Remember when it was announced that more than four million federal employees in the country were part of a massive data breach last month? Well, turns out that was just one of two rather large data breaches to hit the Office of Personnel Management, with the newly announced second, larger hack affecting upwards of 21 million current and former employees, as well as prospective employees, their families and others who applied for federal background investigations in the last 15 years. [More]
4 Million Federal Employees Are The Latest Victims Of A Massive Data Breach
By 6.5.15
There are millions of federal employees in the country, and not just in Washington, DC. The government is a big bureaucracy and a big employer — and that makes it a nice, juicy target for a big data breach. [More]
Healthcare.gov Open Enrollment Extended As Uninsured File Taxes
By 2.20.15
If you went without health insurance during 2014, you’re now facing a modest financial penalty of $95 or 1% of your income. Next year, that penalty will increase. All of this is news to some uninsured people. That’s why, as predicted, the federal government and some state exchanges are creating an extra open enrollment period to help these people out. [More]
Prize-Linked Bank Accounts Combine Savings And Playing The Lottery
By 2.12.15
Would you pay to enter a sweepstakes that it’s impossible to lose? Late last year, our representatives in Congress and the President all agreed on something, a bill called the American Savings Promotion Act. It made prize-linked savings accounts, something that serves as a combination lottery and savings vehicle, legal for United States banks. [More]
Govt. Paid Over $600 Million In Benefits To Dead Workers
By 9.28.11
A new report by the Office of Personnel Management’s inspector general say the federal government has paid out over $600 million in benefits in the past five years to dead people. The money was meant to go to retired or disabled federal workers. [More]
Consumer Protection Agency May Exempt Payday Lenders, Pawn Shops, Entire Point
By 3.11.10
The Washington Post reports that thanks to legislative compromise, banks and mortgage brokers may be the only financial institutions regulated by the proposed federal Consumer Financial Protection Agency–leaving entities that loan money but don’t hold bank charters, such as auto dealers, pawn shops, and payday lenders, unregulated by the industry. Now an unholy alliance of banking industry groups and consumer advocates are fighting the proposal, each for their own reasons. [More]
Health Care Reform Bill Passes House – What's In It?
By 11.8.09
The House version of the health care reform bill passed the House on Saturday night. Now it needs to be merged with some sort fo Senate version of the bill and signed by the President to become law. So how does this reform bill actually affect consumers?
Homebuyer Tax Credit Extended To June 2010, Woot!
By 11.8.09
As anticipated, President Obama signed the 8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit extension into law on Friday. You can now collect the credit if your home purchase is complete by June 30, 2010. But wait, there’s more! The extension also offers a tax credit for people who are purchasing a new residence, but aren’t first-time homeowners.
13 More Weeks Of Unemployment Benefits For Some Americans
By 9.24.09
On Tuesday, the House voted to extend unemployment benefits for Americans who live in states where the unemployment rate is greater than 8.5 percent. 400,000 people were set to run out of benefits at the end of September, and will now continue to receive them until the end of the year if the bill passes.
Comcast Wins Right To Own More Than 30% Of Cable Market
By 8.30.09
Comcast is the biggest cable provider in the United States, and now a U.S. Court of Appeals decision states that it can grow even bigger. Yay! Yay?
Here Comes The Consumer Financial Protection Agency!
By 6.30.09
Shhh, everyone, gather near and listen to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner deliver the most beautiful, wonderful mandate we could give to a new federal agency: “The agency will have only one mission—to protect consumers.” And with that, the Treasury Department sent to Congress legislation that will create the brand new Consumer Financial Protection Agency.
Reminder: Don't Pay Private Companies For Postal Jobs
By 5.27.09
For those readers who are job-hunting for the first time, or for the first time in a long time, let this serve as a reminder: you do not need to pay a private company to get a job with the post office. No study guides. No sample exams. As T.J. learned, these companies will be happy to sell you all kinds of unnecessary exam-taking supplies…whether there are any postal jobs available or exams planned near where you live, or not. Multiple companies are masquerading as hiring for the post office.
Federal Government Orders GMAC To Raise $13.1 Billion
By 5.7.09
The U.S. government has ordered GMAC to raise $13.1 billion in new capital. Likely source for that capital? Uh, the U.S. government.
Why Is A.I.G. Using Our Money To Sue The Government For $306 Million?
By 3.22.09
A.I.G. is suing the government to recover over $300 million in tax breaks that the insurance company says were improperly denied. What sort of tax breaks? The sort otherwise known as illegal Cayman Island tax shelters.
