Administration

The president is asking federal officials for a new strategy to reduce the discrepancy between what men and women earn.

The majority of experts say federal regulations for higher education are too burdensome, according to a study released on Friday.

In a yearlong survey, the Government Accountability Office held meetings and interviews with nearly 70 education experts, trade association representatives, researchers and school officials. Participants generally concluded that higher-education regulations as a whole were “costly, vague, complicated or unnecessary.”

Despite a dwindling enforcement staff, the Internal Revenue Service investigated more tax fraud and convicted more criminals than in recent years, a new report says.

The State Department imposed sanctions on four companies and one person on Thursday for their work aiding Iran's development of a nuclear weapon.

The sanctioned person and companies, all of which are Iranian, provided centrifuge components, equipment and research to the government's uranium enrichment and nuclear programs.

In a letter shared with The Hill, Issa demands information from newly installed OMB director about plans to issue its regulatory agenda. 

The federal database with records on deceased people is filled with thousands of errors, a GAO study concluded.

The Treasury Department on Tuesday said it has identified eight key members of a Mexican drug cartel after a yearlong investigation, setting off a chain reaction of enforcement measures.

Pinpointing and calling out plaza bosses of the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel is an “important” victory, federal officials said on Tuesday, but they say actions are only beginning.

The eight men are strategically located along a 375-mile stretch of the Arizona-Mexico border and act as gatekeepers for drugs and other illegal goods smuggled into or out of the United States.

The Obama administration is seeking public input to develop its negotiating position in upcoming trade talks with Japan.

In a notice to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) wants the public's views on items to address and the posture the administration should take in both group and bilateral talks with Japan. 

The federal government will spend millions of dollars on research and projects that help people with disabilities find jobs, stay healthy, participate in their communities and access the Internet.

The priorities for the 2013 grant funding, outlined in rules to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, affect how a Department of Education grant program pays for studies, training and programs for people with disabilities.

"We intend these priorities to improve community living and participation, health and function, and employment outcomes of individuals with disabilities," the department said in one of the rules. 

The Internet funding will be directed to projects that "contribute to the development of an inclusive cloud and Web infrastructure that incorporates options for disability access within its general structure," DOE said.

Vacancies in the powerful Office of Management and Budget start at the executive level and go even deeper.