Oversight
Enzi wants answers on Census IT costs
by Chase Gunter
In a letter to new Census Director Steven Dillingham, Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) raised concerns about how the nearly $5 billion in IT spending is being managed by the bureau. To that end, Enzi pointed to the number of vacancies in a key program management office that oversees the bureau's IT integration contract. That contract, worth $890 million and awarded to the technology provider T-Rex Corporation, is Census' largest IT deal. As of June 2018, 33 of the 58 positions in the office charged with… Continue Reading
01.29.19
Chairman Enzi: CBO Report Highlights Need for Congress to Confront Out of Control Spending
WASHINGTON D.C. - During a Senate Budget Committee hearing on the Congressional Budget Office's Budget and Economic Outlook for fiscal years 2019 through 2029, Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY) said the CBO report highlights the need for Congress to confront the threat of the nation's out of control spending. "Trillion dollar deficits are within sight, they are real, and it is time for us all to have an honest conversation as to how we are going to address them," said Chairman Enzi. "I believe that m… Continue Reading
01.09.19
Enzi Returns as Senate Budget Committee Chairman, Welcomes Senators Braun, Scott, and Cramer
WASHINGTON D.C. - Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) today was again elected by his colleagues as Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, and welcomed new GOP Senators Mike Braun (R-IN), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) to serve on the Committee during the 116th Congress. "I am honored to return as chair of the Senate Budget Committee as we focus on addressing the debt and overspending challenges facing our country," said Chairman Enzi. "I will continue to lead the charge to fix the broken bu… Continue Reading
12.19.18
Enzi Pressing Customs and Border Protection Over Millions Wasted on Hiring Contracts
WASHINGTON D.C. - Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, is pressing U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin McAleenan for more information about a CBP hiring contract worth millions of dollars that only resulted in two new agency hires. The Homeland Security Department's Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently found that CBP paid a private contractor millions to help hire 7,500 Border Patrol agents and officers, but the contractor only hired tw… Continue Reading
12.19.18
Enzi Pressing Customs and Border Protection Over Millions Wasted on Hiring Contracts
WASHINGTON D.C. - Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, is pressing U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin McAleenan for more information about a CBP hiring contract worth millions of dollars that only resulted in two new agency hires. The Homeland Security Department's Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently found that CBP paid a private contractor millions to help hire 7,500 Border Patrol agents and officers, but the contractor only hired tw… Continue Reading
12.18.18
Chairman Enzi: Budget Process Reform Efforts Will Continue
WASHINGTON D.C. - During a speech on the floor of the United States Senate, Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, outlined his plans to begin fixing the broken budget and appropriations process in the new Congress. "I have always believed that changes to the broken budget and spending process must be guided by two core principles. Reforms should end brinksmanship and the threat of government shutdowns, and they should guide us to create enforceable plans to stop th… Continue Reading
12.13.18
Chairman Mike Enzi has some additional questions about VA’s IT strategy
by Tajha Chappellet-Lanier
Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., wants to know what contingency plans the Department of Veterans Affairs has in place should its efforts to "reset" development of a critical piece of benefits delivery software fail to go according to plan this time around as well. The chairman of the Senate Budget Committee sent yet another missive today in what is now a robust series of volleys between his office and the VA. This latest letter is a response to another VA Secretary Robert Wilkie sent on Dec. 10, which i… Continue Reading
12.12.18
Chairman Enzi: More Action Needed from VA on GI Benefits Problems
WASHINGTON D.C. - Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY) today said more action is needed from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on problems that have prevented thousands of veterans from receiving their full GI Bill benefits. Since August 1, hundreds of thousands of veterans have either not received their monthly housing allowance (MHA) for the fall 2018 semester or received an incorrect amount. Chairman Enzi pressed the agency recently on what actions it was taking to addres… Continue Reading
12.12.18
Chairman Enzi: More Action Needed from VA on GI Benefits Problems
WASHINGTON D.C. - Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY) today said more action is needed from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on problems that have prevented thousands of veterans from receiving their full GI Bill benefits. Since August 1, hundreds of thousands of veterans have either not received their monthly housing allowance (MHA) for the fall 2018 semester or received an incorrect amount. Chairman Enzi pressed the agency recently on what actions it was taking to addres… Continue Reading
12.11.18
Republicans and Democrats Unite on at Least One Issue: Oversight of the V.A.
by Jennifer Steinhauer
WASHINGTON - Even before the next Congress convenes, Republicans are joining Democrats in a vigorous examination of failings by the Department of Veterans Affairs, a rare area of bipartisan oversight in a blistering political environment. The unity was emphasized in recent weeks when lawmakers in the House and Senate from both parties sharply criticized the response of V.A. officials after it was revealed that the agency failed to make housing and tuition payments under the G.I. Bill after its c… Continue Reading
11.30.18
Congress Probes FEMA For Paying Huge Markups On Puerto Rico Recovery Supplies
by Tim Pearce
GOP Sen. Michael Enzi of Wyoming is pressing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to explain the stiff markups it is paying on supplies and labor to help rebuild Puerto Rico. Enzi, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, sent a letter to FEMA administrator Brock Long Thursday requesting information on the Tu Hogar Renace program. The program is FEMA-funded and run by the Puerto Rico Department of Housing and has roughly $1.2 billion to dole out to Puerto Ricans for the purpose of hel… Continue Reading
11.29.18
Chairman Enzi Concerned with Excessive Markups on FEMA Hurricane Relief Funds
WASHINGTON D.C. - Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) Administrator Brock Long expressing his concerns about significantly marked-up prices FEMA contractors charged for repairs to homes damaged by Hurricane Maria. Recent news stories report that more than 60 percent of what a FEMA-supported program spends on repairs to homes damaged by Hurricane Maria is spent on overhead and markups, rather than a… Continue Reading
11.29.18
Chairman Enzi Concerned with Excessive Markups on FEMA Hurricane Relief Funds
WASHINGTON D.C. - Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) Administrator Brock Long expressing his concerns about significantly marked-up prices FEMA contractors charged for repairs to homes damaged by Hurricane Maria. Recent news stories report that more than 60 percent of what a FEMA-supported program spends on repairs to homes damaged by Hurricane Maria is spent on overhead and markups, rather than a… Continue Reading
11.29.18
VA to ‘reset’ efforts around new GI Bill housing stipend software
by Tajha Chappellet-Lanier
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced on Wednesday that its going to need a whole year to properly implement a piece of software that will make sure student veterans get appropriate GI Bill housing benefits. The Veterans Benefits Administration will "reset" its efforts to develop and deploy the software that was originally expected on July 16 of this year, the agency said in a press release. The new estimated date of deployment is Dec. 1, 2019. This extra time will "give the department … Continue Reading
11.20.18
Veterans Affairs unexpectedly canceled overtime work to address GI Bill claim backlog
by Phil McCausland
The VA's regional offices reopened on Monday, but the canceled work came less than two days after a House committee demanded answers on delayed payments to veterans. Nov. 20, 2018 / 8:32 AM EST By Phil McCausland Less than two days after a House committee demanded answers on why computer problems were delaying veterans' GI Bill payments, the Veterans Benefits Administration unexpectedly canceled its weekend work at three regional processing centers at the last minute on … Continue Reading
11.19.18
Senate Budget Committee also has some questions about those VA software issues
by Tajha Chappellet-Lanier
The Department of Veterans Affairs is now facing tough questions from the Senate Budget Committee about a software glitch that's causing delays in GI Bill benefits payments. Chairman Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., sent a letter to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie on Friday in which he demands answers to questions on how much money the VA has spent to fix the IT issue and when the problem will, finally, be solved. "What is the current status of the IT upgrades?" Enzi demands, in question number three of seven. "… Continue Reading
11.19.18
Enzi Presses Veterans Affairs for Answers on Problems with GI Benefits
WASHINGTON D.C. - After recent reports that the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) information technology (IT) systems have prevented thousands of veterans from receiving their full GI Bill benefits, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY) pressed the agency on what actions it was taking to address this significant problem. Since August 1, hundreds of thousands of veterans have either not received their monthly housing allowance for the fall 2018 semester or received an incorrect am… Continue Reading
11.19.18
Enzi Presses Veterans Affairs for Answers on Problems with GI Benefits
WASHINGTON D.C. - After recent reports that the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) information technology (IT) systems have prevented thousands of veterans from receiving their full GI Bill benefits, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY) pressed the agency on what actions it was taking to address this significant problem. Since August 1, hundreds of thousands of veterans have either not received their monthly housing allowance for the fall 2018 semester or received an incorrect am… Continue Reading
10.10.18
Enzi Pushes GSA to Better Manage Federal Property
WASHINGTON D.C. - Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, contacted the Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA) about how effectively the agency manages the federal government's real property. The agency operates a vast portfolio of federal property including approximately 267,000 buildings, 496,000 structures, and 42 million acres of land, at a cost nearly $26 billion. Federal real property managed by GSA does not include public lands, which are pr… Continue Reading
10.10.18
Enzi Pushes GSA to Better Manage Federal Property
WASHINGTON D.C. - Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, contacted the Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA) about how effectively the agency manages the federal government's real property. The agency operates a vast portfolio of federal property including approximately 267,000 buildings, 496,000 structures, and 42 million acres of land, at a cost nearly $26 billion. Federal real property managed by GSA does not include public lands, which are pr… Continue Reading
