Federal government

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

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Feds Push Fingerprint 'Dragnet' for Illegal Immigrants

Obama administration moves to expand program

(Newser) - The federal government is quietly expanding a program that could have a bigger impact on immigrants' rights than the controversial Arizona law that goes into effect this week. Under the program, the fingerprints of everyone who is booked into jail for any crime—whether or not they are convicted—are...

Thousands Protest Arizona Immigration Law

'We are human,' reads marcher signs

(Newser) - Some 2,500 people marched to the state capitol yesterday to protest Arizona's new immigration law, with one speaker warning that the controversial bill has "awakened a 21st century civil rights battle." It was the third day of protest against the law, which is the first in the...

78% of Americans Don't Trust Their Government

Poll finds 'perfect storm' of discontent destroying faith in government

(Newser) - Americans who trust their government are becoming increasingly few and far between, according to a Pew Research Center poll that found that just 22% of those surveyed said they trust the government "just about always" or "most of the time." This is highest level of distrust in...

US May Toss 75M Doses of Swine Flu Vaccine

Unused shots are near expiration date

(Newser) - More than 71 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine purchased by the federal government to combat an expected flu pandemic will have to be discarded if they go unused, which seems increasingly likely. Those doses were packaged for individual use, which dramatically decreases their shelf life. Of the 229 million...

Sen. Kyl: Jobless Benefits a 'Disincentive' to Find Work

If people are getting aid, they won't look for new job, he says

(Newser) - Federal unemployment benefits that expired over the weekend because of Republican objections in the Senate should maybe stay that way, says Sen. Jon Kyl, the minority whip. They don't “create new jobs,” he argues. “If anything, continuing to pay people unemployment compensation is a disincentive for them...

Gov't Will Slash Greenhouse Emissions: Obama

Executive order requires federal agencies to reduce waste, conserve energy

(Newser) - Federal agencies have until 2020 to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 28% under an executive order President Obama signed today. The order also calls for improvements in energy efficiency, water conservation, and waste reduction. "As the largest energy consumer in the United States, we have a responsibility to...

Nigerians Call on Prez to Prove He's Alive

Adua, abroad for medical treatment, mum on Xmas bomb attempt

(Newser) - Some Nigerians suspect their president, who split the country in late November, complaining of chest pains, and has not made a public appearance since, could in fact be dead. Umaru Yar’Adua has failed to weigh in on critical state decisions, and was even mum on the Christmas terror attempt...

US Spends $340M to Urge People to Get Counted
 US Spends $340M to Urge 
 People to Get Counted 
census kickoff
Jan 4, 2010 12:02 PM CST

US Spends $340M to Urge People to Get Counted

Super Bowl ads and cross-country tour aim to boost response

(Newser) - The Census Bureau today launched a $340 million campaign to publicize this year’s survey, beginning with the rollout of the Census Portrait of America Road Tour, a flotilla of 13 vehicles that will travel across the nation to public events and tout the benefits of being counted. Also in...

Va. Standoff Suspect Angry at Gov't

Warren Taylor sorry about causing holiday trouble

(Newser) - Though the man accused of taking three hostages at a Virginia post office yesterday has no ill will toward the USPS specifically, an official says he is quite angry with the federal government in general. Warren Taylor, 53, of Sullivan County, Tenn., told authorities he had planned the event for...

New 'Cash for Clunkers' Targets Appliances

Feds hope next consumer perk will boost sales

(Newser) - A new federal version of the Cash for Clunkers program will soon target appliances in a bid to convince consumers to replace their leaky dishwashers and grinding refrigerators. The $300 million Cash for Appliances program will offer rebates to buyers who replace worn out appliances with energy efficient models. Just...

Bonuses at Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, Goldman Hit $30B
Bonuses at Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, Goldman Hit $30B
$250K APIECE
Nov 9, 2009 4:55 AM CST

Bonuses at Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, Goldman Hit $30B

Average payout will be five times median household income in US

(Newser) - Recession? What recession? Some Wall Street firms are not feeling any pain this year as record bonuses at just three of the top firms are likely to hit an eye-popping $30 billion. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase, the three biggest banks to be bailed out by the feds,...

'Stupid' Leadership Has Sapped America's Hope

Business is losing faith as government spends like spoiled kids

(Newser) - The economy's growing again but the people Peggy Noonan talks to—"the American leadership class who are not in Washington, most especially those in business"—have lost their confidence that a turnaround is coming. That's because they don't think the government has any solutions to America's problems other...

29-Year-Old SEC Honcho Came From Goldman

New COO Adam Storch did 'business intelligence' at connected Wall Street bank

(Newser) - The first person named to the new chief operating officer position in the SEC’s enforcement division is a 29-year-old whiz kid who previously worked at uber-connected Goldman Sachs, Bloomberg reports. "Adam’s skill in technology systems, workflow process, and project management will greatly benefit the division," his...

Enough Already! Stop Trying to Grow Government
Enough Already! Stop Trying to Grow Government
noonan to obama:
Oct 16, 2009 3:45 AM CDT

Enough Already! Stop Trying to Grow Government

We're already too crowded with social problems; no room left

(Newser) - The Obama administration hasn't just misjudged the national mood by trying to push through health care reform in the middle of a recession, it's misjudged the whole era we're living in, writes Peggy Noonan. This isn't the '30s, when income tax was new and the federal government was still lean,...

Mr. President, Stop Picking On 'Bureaucrats'
Mr. President, Stop Picking On 'Bureaucrats'
OPINION
Sep 12, 2009 12:55 PM CDT

Mr. President, Stop Picking On 'Bureaucrats'

What happened to making government 'cool' again?

(Newser) - In his admirable quest to make government work for the people, President Obama has stooped to the lowest common denominator and vilified “bureaucrats,” writes Max Stier in the Washington Post. A typical shot from the president recently: “I don't want government bureaucrats meddling in your health care....

Help Wanted: Fed Govt. Needs 600K New Workers

270K new hires deemed critical to make up for retirement

(Newser) - The federal government must hire 600,000 people over the next 4 years to balance a wave of retirement and keep pace with President Obama’s ambitions, the Washington Post reports. Nearly half of those positions are considered absolutely essential for agencies to provide their services, a new report states,...

GM Will Advance Cash to Clunkered Dealers

(Newser) - General Motors will start making temporary loans to dealers who have yet to be reimbursed by the federal government under the Cash for Clunkers plan, the Wall Street Journal reports. Dealers, some now irate, essentially did the same thing for customers participating in the trade-in plan—covering the government rebate...

Ex-AIG Honcho Settles New SEC Case for $15M

(Newser) - The SEC today simultaneously announced a complaint against former AIG chief Hank Greenberg and the resolution of the matter—a $15 million payment to settle the suit, the New York Times reports. Greenberg and a former AIG CFO were accused of “numerous improper accounting transactions” between 2000 and 2005...

Tax Revenue Takes Biggest Dive Since Great Depression

(Newser) - US tax revenue is set to shrink 18% from last fiscal year to the current one, ending in October—the largest falloff since 1932, the AP reports. Individual income-tax receipts are off 22%, and corporate revenues have sunk an astounding 57%. “Our tax system is already inadequate to support...

Awash-in-Red USPS 'High-Risk': Fed Watchdog

(Newser) - The Government Accountability Office has put the struggling US Postal Service on its list of “high-risk” federal programs, the Hill reports. The federal watchdog says the USPS will lose $7 billion this year, and that even the end of the recession will not return business that has migrated to...

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