Federal government

Read the latest news, analysis, and current events related to the federal government on Newser.com

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Feds Admit: We Share Terror List More Than We've Indicated

After years of insisting the list isn't generally shared with private sector

(Newser) - The federal government has conceded it shares its terrorist watchlist with more than 1,400 private entities, including hospitals and universities, prompting concerns from civil libertarians that those mistakenly placed on the list could face a variety of hassles. The government's admission that it shares the list so broadly...

What the Shutdown Means Now
The Shutdown: What Not to Eat
the rundown
Jan 12, 2019 10:39 AM CST

The Shutdown: What Not to Eat

And other ways the partial closure is affecting Americans

(Newser) - Welcome to day 22: Starting Saturday, the partial government shutdown became the longest such closure in American history. About 800,000 federal workers received blank pay statements Friday as politicians in both parties continued to maneuver and consider their options, the AP reports. President Trump pressed Congress to find a...

Federal Government's Interest Costs Set to Triple in 10 Years

US may soon be shoveling out more to pay for interest on debt than on Medicaid, military

(Newser) - If, in the year 2028, the US needs to fix a bridge or combat a potential recession, Uncle Sam might have to dig around in the Treasury Department's couch cushions. That's because the US is on track to need much more money to pay off interest on its...

White House Polls Public on Which Departments to Cut

One option is the White House

(Newser) - The White House is holding a public poll on what departments, agencies, and commissions to cut as part of what it says is an effort to make the government more "efficient, effective, and accountable." The options in the "Reorganizing the White House" poll include the CIA, the...

Oregon Occupier Wants $666B From 'Works of Devil'

That would be the federal government

(Newser) - If Shawna Cox wanted to make a point in her lawsuit against the federal government, she's most effectively doing so via the amount she's suing for. Cox, one of the first people indicted in the takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge , filed her eight-page "counter criminal...

Your Driver's License May Not Work at Airport Security Next Year

The Real ID Act is coming

(Newser) - Traveling by air within the US in 2016? You may need to show more than a driver's license. That's because the feds are threatening to finally enforce a 10-year-old law requiring states to have higher standards when issuing those licenses, the New York Times reports. Called the Real...

New Hack May Be Biggest US Government Breach Ever

China suspected as records of 4M workers are compromised

(Newser) - In what might be the biggest breach of government data in history, the Department of Homeland Security says hackers busted into the computers of the Office of Personnel Management and the Interior Department, reports the AP . The New York Times quotes the president of the American Federation of Government Employees...

Want a Lighthouse? Feds Giving Them Away

100 sold in 14 years, unknown number still available

(Newser) - Ever wish your man cave or summer retreat was in a lighthouse? You may be in luck, now that the federal government is selling or giving away dozens of them, the AP reports. They've shed 100 obsolete or unneeded lighthouses in 14 years, 68 of them freebies handed off...

N. Korea Picks on Kerry's ... Jaw

So nanny nanny boo boo, dumb Americans and your military drills

(Newser) - North Korea is upset with America for staging an "invasion rehearsal" (read: military drills) with South Korea, so naturally it gracefully and diplomatically ... No. It diplomatically did nothing. Instead, Pyongyang opted for playground antics, blasting Secretary of State John Kerry as a "wolf donning the mask of sheep"...

Govt. to Family: 'Dead' Dad Actually Alive, So Pay Up

Donald Miller disappeared in 1980s, was declared dead, returned last year

(Newser) - Though very much alive, Donald Miller Jr. is still legally a dead man ... and yet now his daughters are being hit up for $47,000 in Social Security benefits they received as teens because of his death, the AP reports. It all started when Miller, a jobless alcoholic at the...

Obama Makes Gay Marriage More Like Straight Marriage

A host of federal benefits to be extended to same-sex couples

(Newser) - The White House is rolling out a slew of reforms today that will extend to same-sex married couples many of the federal benefits long reserved for straight couples. And in "almost all instances," the couples will get those benefits whether the state they live in recognizes same-sex marriage...

As Sequester Nears, Workers Brace for Furloughs

Unions, agencies scrambling to work out details ahead of Friday

(Newser) - At this point, it's all but certain that no last-minute deal will emerge by Friday to avoid the sequester and the automatic spending cuts of $85 billion that go along with it, reports the Wall Street Journal . And while some think the doomsday scenarios are being overblown , try telling...

Poll: If State Legalizes Pot, Feds Should Be Cool With It

But Americans still split on legalization itself

(Newser) - It's now legal to smoke pot while watching a Lord of the Rings marathon in Washington state, but questions persist over how the pot-prohibiting federal government should react. A new USA Today /Gallup poll clarifies how Americans feel about two of the biggies: Respondents remain split on the issue...

Bank Fires Worker Over Minor Offense 49 Years Ago

Wells Fargo cans 68-year-old over use of phony dime in laundromat

(Newser) - In the past year and a half, the federal government enforced tough new rules against banks and mortgage-lenders, designed to eliminate executives and mid-level employees with prior convictions for serious offenses such as fraud. But the banks, eager to avoid the $1-million-a-day fines, are firing even low-level workers over minor...

Owe Student Loans? Your Social Security Might Be Cut

Feds taking up to 15% of some retirees' checks

(Newser) - If you're retired and owe student loans, your Social Security benefits might not be as big as you thought. More and more retirees who are in student loan default are seeing a chunk of their monthly Social Security checks being grabbed by the federal government. Since January, the feds...

Feds Plan 'Garage Sale' to Raise $22B

Sale of airwaves, unused properties eyed as deficit reduction measure

(Newser) - The federal government is going through its stuff looking for things it doesn't use much anymore and can sell off to raise some cash. A "garage sale" included in President Obama's deficit reduction plan could see the government selling off unused land, roads, vehicles, and even airwaves,...

Record 81% Unhappy With Way US Is Governed
Record 81% Unhappy With
Way US Is Governed
gallup poll
Sep 26, 2011 9:29 AM CDT

Record 81% Unhappy With Way US Is Governed

And the record numbers don't stop there

(Newser) - We are not a very content bunch. Majorities of Democrats and Republicans alike are unhappy with the US government, leading to a record high of 81% who are dissatisfied with the way America is bring governed, the latest Gallup poll shows. A whopping 92% of Republicans are dissatisfied, as are...

Feds Can't Fix Economy: Poll
 Feds Can't Fix Economy: Poll 
Aug 11, 2011 10:58 AM CDT

Feds Can't Fix Economy: Poll

New survey shows many of us agree with S&P

(Newser) - Another day, another poll about how much we hate Congress . This latest poll shows, in particular, that just one in four of us believes the federal government can fix the economy. That's down 21 points from October, notes the Washington Post . And a whopping 71% of respondents believe S&...

Feds Axing Half of .Gov Websites

Sites cut in campaign to cut waste

(Newser) - The federal government is planning to ax or consolidate nearly half of its 2,000 websites in an effort to cut waste and make it easier to find information online. The plan, part of a larger campaign to cut waste, will see close to a quarter of the .gov sites...

Feds Hit States With Interest on Unemployment Loans

Tax-free provision ended with first stimulus

(Newser) - With most states already swinging in the recessionary winds, more bad news—many will have to start paying interest on the money they borrow to pay unemployment benefits. When jobless levels hit the unthinkable, with some states seeing 14%-15%, many had to go cap in hand to the feds to...

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