Watchdogs

News about the people who keep watch on the government

Government needs more info on private-sector pension plans, investigators say

The federal government has little hard data on private-sector pension "multiple employer plans" or MEPs, said the Government Accountability Office, making it difficult to regulate or evaluate the plans.

The GAO recommended that the Labor Department and Internal Revenue Service should further study and get more information on MEPs.

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UPDATED 17:16 PM EDT, October 12, 2012

Airplane safety should target smaller planes, investigation says

Airplane crashes and accidents decreased between 1999 and 2011, and the Federal Aviation Administration has set a goal to reduce further incidents by ten percent by 2018.

However, setting a general goal may distract the FAA from focusing on the area that most needs improvement in safety: small airplanes, said investigators from the Government Accountability Office, Congress' watchdog arm.

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UPDATED 11:15 AM EDT, September 18, 2012

Boy asks girl out with government helicopter, says Washington Post

A high school boy asked a girl to go to a dance by having a helicopter fly over the school and drop a stuffed animal bearing the message.

But the stunt has caught not only the girl's attention, but also the government's. The boy's father is a senior air operations official at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, and federal officials are saying the date proposal used a CBP helicopter without permission, according to the Washington Post.

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UPDATED 13:24 PM EDT, July 21, 2012

GSA spent thousands on cooking classes, CNN says

The General Services Administration spent more than $20,000 on cooking classes for employees according to CNN.

The agency is already facing a congressional investigation related to extravagant and wasteful spending at taxpayer expense, including more than $800,000 at a Las Vegas conference.

The classes were designed to be team-building experiences for the GSA's Kansas City, Mo. office the article said.

"These events indicate a pattern of misjudgment, which spans several years and administrations," said GSA spokeswoman Betsaida Alcantara in a statement to CNN.

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UPDATED 19:00 PM EDT, July 18, 2012

Obama on whistleblowers

Acting ATF Director B.
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UPDATED 22:24 PM EDT, July 18, 2012

Agriculture research program misreports Recovery funds

The Agriculture Department's Agricultural Research Service misreported $23,915 in funds from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, The Agriculture Department inspector general found.

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