Could whistleblower support prevent a future Snowden?

Some say that better protections for employees and contractors would give them another route to speak up.

Federal Eye

2-hour delayed arrival for feds on Wednesday

Federal offices will be open on Wednesday with a two-hour delayed arrival.

How safe are feds with their work mobile devices?

A new survey from an industry group sheds some light on how well feds are protecting their mobile devices.

Federal offices closed in D.C. region

Federal government offices are closed because of the weather.

Agency-by-agency breakdown of the spending bill

EYE CATCHERS | Our recommended stories from The Washington Post and across the Web.

What’s an ‘industrial organizational psychologist’?

They’re not exactly what people might think of when they hear the word psychologist.

Federal Diary

Top federal contractor official leaves administration

Top Obama contracting official leaves for a position with a firm that facilitates federal procurement.

Staples sells postal products without USPS workers

Empty crates site next to a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mail box in New York, U.S., on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012. The U.S. Postal Service said its net loss last year widened to $15.9 billion, more than the $15 billion it had projected, as mail volume continued to drop, falling 5 percent. Photograph: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg

Mini-post offices in Staples stores cause worries about possible privatization of U.S. Postal Service.

OMB official touts cuts in travel while defending its importance

The OMB deputy director says travel spending is down $3 billion, but warns against overcutting.

In the Loop

Washington’s finest head to Swiss Alps mega-gabfest

The World Economic Forum, the premier global conclave of the uber-rich and famous, gathers in Davos in the Swiss Alps this week.

Minnie Lou Awaits Obama

President Obama’s speech Friday at the Justice Department on surveillance policy will be under Minnie Lou’s watchful eye.

John Kerry’s finding it lonely at Foggy Bottom

John Kerry, with a third of his senior staff jobs still vacant, implores Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell to confirm nominees.

Fine Print

Fine Print: Congress manipulates defense dollars

Lawmakers have their own agenda when handling Pentagon funding, regardless of department’s requests.

Fine Print: Missing a moment of fiscal, nuclear courage

The Cold War is over, but the expense of that fight is still with us.

The Company and a question of trust

A CIA veteran’s book shows how agency missteps and misdeeds have helped erode trust in government.

The High Court

High Court: Unions circling wagons on court case

Labor is at the center of a court case about how to classify employees.

Did Scalia nail the court’s opinion on same-sex marriage?

The Supreme Court justice’s dissent is being quoted by judges striking down same-sex-marriage bans.

Getting personal before the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court building stands in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, Nov. 7, 2011. U.S. Supreme Court justices questioned today whether police officers should have unbridled freedom to place GPS devices on cars to track criminal suspects. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

On a rare personal note, a lawyer tells the justices that he had faced a court custody hearing as a child.

The Influence Industry

K Street profits fall as Hill stalls

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 6: From left, Lee Moua, , Mai Moua, Ka Lee and Wang Moua - a Laosian family that lives in Minnesota - take pictures outside the U.S. Capitol on the first day the Senate convenes for 2014 on Monday, January 6, 2014, in Washington, DC. Mai Moua, who is visiting DC with her parents and aunt, said, 'We just found out that Congress is in session, but we're very excited because, on our tour, we went by the House and the Senate and they were actually in session…We couldn't go inside…but it was great for them to see the door and be like, 'Oh my god, this is where legislation is made. These are the people we elected to office.'' (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

Lobbyists poised for another drop in profits, but they are finding ways to shapeshift to keep business moving.

Federal Player of the Week

IRS agent traced illicit finances of notorious Boston mob boss

Sandra Lemanski was the IRS criminal investigator assigned to look into the hidden financial activities of James (Whitey) Bulger.

The Federal Coach

Managing a bigger workload with fewer employees

Advice for federal leaders on how to minimize the fallout from heavy workloads, given the many staff reductions in agencies.

On running the EPA

An interview with deputy administrator Robert Perciasepe.

Useful resolutions for federal leaders

illustration of a dart and bullseye

Sure, the old problems have not gone away, but your management approach has room for growth in 2014.

Latest Federal News

2-hour delayed arrival for feds on Wednesday

2-hour delayed arrival for feds on Wednesday

Federal offices will be open on Wednesday with a two-hour delayed arrival.

Column

In the Loop: Talk of the poor from the slopes of Davos

In the Loop: Talk of the poor from the slopes of Davos

Income inequality is the theme for the annual gathering of the rich, the powerful and the famous.

Justices weigh big change in public-employee unions

Justices weigh big change in public-employee unions

States requiring workers to pay fees is at issue.

How safe are feds with their work mobile devices?

How safe are feds with their work mobile devices?

A new survey from an industry group sheds some light on how well feds are protecting their mobile devices.

Washington’s finest head to Swiss Alps mega-gabfest

Washington’s finest head to Swiss Alps mega-gabfest

The World Economic Forum, the premier global conclave of the uber-rich and famous, gathers in Davos in the Swiss Alps this week.

Managing a bigger workload with fewer employees

Managing a bigger workload with fewer employees

Advice for federal leaders on how to minimize the fallout from heavy workloads, given the many staff reductions in agencies.

IRS agent traced illicit finances of notorious Boston mob boss

IRS agent traced illicit finances of notorious Boston mob boss

Sandra Lemanski was the IRS criminal investigator assigned to look into the hidden financial activities of James (Whitey) Bulger.

Federal offices closed in D.C. region

Federal offices closed in D.C. region

Federal government offices are closed because of the weather.

Column

Fine Print: Congress manipulates defense dollars

Lawmakers have their own agenda when handling Pentagon funding, regardless of department’s requests.

Column

Top federal contractor official leaves administration

Top Obama contracting official leaves for a position with a firm that facilitates federal procurement.

Column

High Court: Unions circling wagons on court case

Labor is at the center of a court case about how to classify employees.

Feinstein: ‘We don’t know’ whether Russia helped Snowden

Feinstein: ‘We don’t know’ whether Russia helped Snowden

The Senate Intelligence Committee chairman said a connection is possible but not certain.

Giuliani: Investigation of Christie a ‘partisan witch hunt’

The former New York mayor defended New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on “Meet the Press.”

Rep. Mike McCaul: Snowden was ‘cultivated by a foreign power’

The House Homeland Security Committee chairman says he believes Edward Snowden acted with a foreign power in the NSA leaks.

Hayden: Obama should ‘keep doing what he’s doing’ on NSA

Hayden: Obama should ‘keep doing what he’s doing’ on NSA

The former spy chief said Obama is largely upholding the surveillance structure established under President George W. Bush.

Hayden on Iran: ‘I like the threat of additional sanctions’

Hayden on Iran: ‘I like the threat of additional sanctions’

Hayden said the threat of new sanctions from Congress could be a “powerful negotiating tool” for the White House.

Supreme Court to decide case on police cellphone searches

Justices will decide how to apply traditional notions of privacy to emerging advances in technology.

Agency-by-agency breakdown of the spending bill

Agency-by-agency breakdown of the spending bill

EYE CATCHERS | Our recommended stories from The Washington Post and across the Web.

Minnie Lou Awaits Obama

Minnie Lou Awaits Obama

President Obama’s speech Friday at the Justice Department on surveillance policy will be under Minnie Lou’s watchful eye.

Column

Staples sells postal products without USPS workers

Staples sells postal products without USPS workers

Mini-post offices in Staples stores cause worries about possible privatization of U.S. Postal Service.

Column

In the Loop: Justice Dept. prepares for presidential visit

In the Loop: Justice Dept. prepares for presidential visit

Obama is making his first trip there since taking office; he’s likely to cross paths with an infamous statue.

Spending bill short on funding for DHS headquarters

The measure provides about $164 million less than requested by the agencies overseeing the project.

Some cost cuts in spending bill cross philosophical divide

Some cost cuts in spending bill cross philosophical divide

Groups that rarely agree on cost-cutting measures find common ground on proposals in the bill.

John Kerry’s finding it lonely at Foggy Bottom

John Kerry’s finding it lonely at Foggy Bottom

John Kerry, with a third of his senior staff jobs still vacant, implores Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell to confirm nominees.

Federal employment dropped again in December

Federal employment dropped again in December

The latest numbers from BLS show that the federal government lost another 2,000 employees in December.

On running the EPA

On running the EPA

An interview with deputy administrator Robert Perciasepe.

Things that are certain: death, taxes. . . and bereavement payments?

Things that are certain: death, taxes. . . and bereavement payments?

Time to end six-figure “bereavement” payments to the families of lawmakers who die in office?

Justices question abortion clinic buffer zones

Justices question abortion clinic buffer zones

Several Supreme Court justices signal they feel the law unfairly targets those who want to interact with pregnant women.

Spending bill trims funding for new DHS headquarters

Spending bill trims funding for new DHS headquarters

The omnibus appropriations bill provides about $200 million less than the project asks for in 2014.

Agencies increasingly borrow border-patrol drones

Agencies increasingly borrow border-patrol drones

EYE CATCHERS | Our recommended stories from The Washington Post and across the Web.