A few black Capitol cops protest agency bias

(Sarah L. Voisin / THE WASHINGTON POST)

Black Capitol police officers protested workplace bias while pursuing a 12-year-old lawsuit. Planners of the event expected it to draw 50-200 people, but fewer than a dozen people participated.

Federal Diary

Feds don’t look good draped in the Fifth

Lois Lerner, head of the IRS unit that decides whether to grant tax-exempt status to groups, listens on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, May 22, 2013, during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing to investigate the extra scrutiny the IRS gave to Tea Party and other conservative groups that applied for tax-exempt status. Lerner later invoked her constitutional right to not answer questions and was dismissed by House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif.    (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Feds who take the Fifth Amendment about the public’s business undermine the public’s confidence.

Who is responsible for IRS scandal?

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 19: The Internal Revenue Service, on May, 19, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

House hearing may reveal more information about who is to blame. Lois Lerner, director of exempt organizations for the Internal Revenue Service, is at the center of the IRS scandal about targeting conservative organizations for extra scrutiny.

Federal workers who died on the job honored

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reflects during dedication ceremonies at the State Department for new names inscribed on the American Foreign Service Association Memorial Plaque in Washington May 3, 2013. The plaque with names of those who have fallen during service to the State Department is behind Kerry.  REUTERS/Gary Cameron  (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS)

FEDERAL DIARY | Earlier this month, Vice President Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry participated in the American Foreign Service Association ceremony, which honored government workers slain abroad.

In the Loop

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright raises her arms at the unveiling of her official portrait as the 64th Secretary of State at the State Department in Washington, Monday, April 14, 2008. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)

In the Loop: Losing planes, framing Cabinet members

It’s all a matter of perspective inside the Beltway.

U.S. President Barack Obama, left, greets Penny Pritzker, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Pritzker Realty Group LLC and Obama's nominee as secretary of commerce, as U.S. President Barack Obama makes an announcement in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, May 2, 2013. In nominating Pritzker, the Chicago billionaire and Hyatt Hotels Corp. heiress, Obama is choosing someone who potentially will face aggressive questioning from Republicans during confirmation hearings because of her complex financial portfolio. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg *** Local Caption *** Penny Pritzker; Barack Obama

$80M? Chump change

Obama’s billionaire commerce chief nominee, Penny Pritzker, understated her income... by quite a lot.

In this photo taken Monday, May 6, 2013, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., arrives at the Senate chamber for a vote, on Capitol Hill in Washington.  One of the immigration bill’s authors, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has already acknowledged that the bill will face a tough road to passage if the border security elements are not improved. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Any way you slice it

Sen. Marco Rubio knocks the idea of making key lime pie the nation’s official confection.

The High Court

Same-sex marriage isn’t waiting for the Supreme Court to weigh in

A crowd gathers at the State Capitol where Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton signed the gay marriage bill, Tuesday, May 14, 2013, in St. Paul, Minn. Dayton’s signature on the bill ended an intense two years for gay marriage supporters and opponents in this Midwestern state, which swung from a failed push to constitutionally ban same-sex weddings into a successful bid to becoming the 12th state to affirm them. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

HIGH COURT | Views are quickly changing across the country, but will that influence the justices’ ruling?

A chief justice not in the headlines sparks censorship controversy

Justice John Roberts (right), Judge Diarmuid O'Scannlain (middle) and Judge Anna Brown presided over Lewis & Clark Law School's first environmental moot court Thursday April 4, 2013. Three top students argued a case to the panel before an audience of 500. College officials think it's the first time a sitting chief justice has visited an Oregon law school. (AP Photo/The Oregonian, Thomas Boyd)

College officials said student paper must get Supreme Court’s approval, though court says that’s not so.

Supreme Court’s usual teams change sides in some criminal cases

A policewoman stands at her post in front of the Supreme Court on March 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. The rights of married same-sex couples will come under scrutiny at the US Supreme Court on Wednesday in the second of two landmark cases being considered by the top judicial panel. After the nine justices mulled arguments on a California law that outlawed gay marriage on Tuesday, they will take up a challenge to the legality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The 1996 law prevents couples who have tied the knot in nine states -- where same-sex marriage is legal -- from enjoying the same federal rights as heterosexual couples. AFP PHOTO/Jewel SamadJEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

COLUMN | Justices are taking a deep look at Fourth Amendment’s protection against “unreasonable” searches.

Fine Print

Fine Print: For Senate panel, there’s power and limitations on Syria

Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., right, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speak to reporters just after the Senate voted 99-0, for a resolution that would affirm support for Israel if it is forced to take military action to defend itself from an Iranian nuclear threat, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, May 22, 2013. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Despite passage of bill calling for aid, Foreign Relations Committee should watch its step on pushing Obama.

Fine Print: The press and national security

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 15: Attorney General Eric Holder enters the hearing room to face the House Judiciary committee about journalists phone records and IRS improprieties, on May, 15, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

The Associated Press leak investigation isn’t as clear-cut as the uproar makes it out to be.

In sexual assault crisis, brass didn’t act, so Congress may

FILE - In this March 27, 2008, file photo, the Pentagon is seen in this aerial view in Washington. Is the U.S. spending enough money on defense, and is it spending it in the right ways? In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks the money spigot was turned wide open, pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and expanding the armed forces. Now that’s changing, and an important issue in the election is whether budget cuts have gone too far. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

FINE PRINT | The festering issue jeopardizes the military’s chain of command.

Latest Federal News

Column

In the Loop: Losing planes, framing Cabinet members

In the Loop: Losing planes, framing Cabinet members

It’s all a matter of perspective inside the Beltway.

Legal battle over contraceptive mandate intensifies

Legal battle over contraceptive mandate intensifies

Religiously devout business owners says mandate in health-care law violates their faith.

Column

Feds don’t look good draped in the Fifth

Feds don’t look good draped in the Fifth

Feds who take the Fifth Amendment about the public’s business undermine the public’s confidence.

Column

Fine Print: For Senate panel, there’s power and limitations on Syria

Fine Print: For Senate panel, there’s power and limitations on Syria

Despite passage of bill calling for aid, Foreign Relations Committee should watch its step on pushing Obama.

Meet the new Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner

Meet the new Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner

We're working very hard to do more with less, but if funding continues at the present level, we will certainly have to cut more programs.

$80M? Chump change

$80M? Chump change

Obama’s billionaire commerce chief nominee, Penny Pritzker, understated her income... by quite a lot.

Lerner taking Fifth undermines confidence in IRS

Lerner taking Fifth undermines confidence in IRS

When a federal employee refuses to answer questions about the public's business, it clashes with the public's expectations.

Hagel directs Pentagon to seek new software for health records

Hagel directs Pentagon to seek new software for health records

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on Wednesday directed that the Pentagon develop-- via competitive bid --new healthcare management software that would better integrate military health care records with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Any way you slice it

Any way you slice it

Sen. Marco Rubio knocks the idea of making key lime pie the nation’s official confection.

Brush with glory

Brush with glory

Some former Cabinet officials get official portraits done in lightning time, while others may take years.

The case of the Army’s ‘invisible’ plane

The case of the Army’s ‘invisible’ plane

Defense inspector general report cites “confusion” over who was to oversee a C-12 aircraft.

Report: Power grid vulnerable to cyber attacks

Report: Power grid vulnerable to cyber attacks

A report from Ed Markey and Henry Waxman supports calls for greater federal authority over power-grid protections.

President to nominate acting chief Dan Tangherlini to lead GSA

President to nominate acting chief Dan Tangherlini to lead GSA

President Obama will nominate Acting Administrator Dan Tangherlini to the full position Wednesday

Column

Obama is out of the loop on IRS policy?

Obama is out of the loop on IRS policy?

That IRS thing? The White House employed its “Don’t tell Dad” policy.

FEMA puts boots on ground in Okla.

FEMA puts boots on ground in Okla.

FEMA sent personnel including search-and-rescue teams to Oklahoma. Its disaster-relief fund still contains $12 billion.

Bonjour, Congress!

Bonjour, Congress!

A report finds lovely destinations like France and Spain were among the tops for travelling lawmakers.

Group sues IRS for stricter tax-exemption rules

Group sues IRS for stricter tax-exemption rules

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed its lawsuit on Monday in the U.S. District Court for D.C.

Obama White House policy: ‘Don’t tell Dad’

Obama White House policy: ‘Don’t tell Dad’

Seems President Obama was just about the only one in town who didn’t know of IRS probe.

Low-wage contractors picket outside fed buildings

Low-wage contractors picket outside fed buildings

About 50 workers began day-long picketing at Reagan building and blocked traffic.

TSP investment fund again used for debt ceiling relief

TSP investment fund again used for debt ceiling relief

The government once again plans to resort to a financial maneuver involving federal employee retirement savings pending an increase in the national debt limit.

Scalia’s footnote funny

Scalia’s footnote funny

The Supreme Court justice cracks an obscure joke.

Federal aid headed to Oklahoma

Federal aid headed to Oklahoma

The president declared a federal disaster on Monday, designating federal funds to help Oklahoma recover from the massive tornado that tore through the state.

Trash talking at the Park Service

Trash talking at the Park Service

In a victory for the small-government types, the Park Service is outsourcing trash removal at some local sites — to visitors.

Should White House preview IG results?

Should White House preview IG results?

How much should the White House know about IG audits before the results become public?

Improving cataract surgery outcomes for VA patients

Improving cataract surgery outcomes for VA patients

David Vollman,an ophthalmologist, helped organize and implement a pilot project for tracking cataract surgery results that will lead to the creation of a national VA database.

Column

Will no trash cans mean no trash?

In the Loop: The Park Service takes a novel approach to keeping America beautiful.

Justices will review whether prayer violates separation of church, state

Justices will review whether prayer violates separation of church, state

Town of Greece, N.Y., almost exclusively recruited Christian chaplains to deliver remarks.

Column

Who is responsible for IRS scandal?

Who is responsible for IRS scandal?

House hearing may reveal more information about who is to blame. Lois Lerner, director of exempt organizations for the Internal Revenue Service, is at the center of the IRS scandal about targeting conservative organizations for extra scrutiny.

Column

Fine Print: The press and national security

Fine Print: The press and national security

The Associated Press leak investigation isn’t as clear-cut as the uproar makes it out to be.

Tips for hiring STEMM talent into government

Tips for hiring STEMM talent into government

About one-quarter of all federal employees work in STEMM occupations today, and the number of people needed with these skills will steadily increase in the years ahead.