Phillip Swarts

Golden Hammer: Agencies stock up on scientists with superpay

The normal federal worker can't earn a salary of more than $130,000 a year under the civil service system, but Uncle Sam has been hiring an increasing number of scientists, medical researchers and doctors at salaries double that amount under a special program to attract better private-sector talent. Published April 3, 2014

Report finds major problems at Miami VA rehab site

A Department of Veterans Affairs drug rehabilitation facility was so poorly run that some patients were actually on drugs during their stay there — culminating in the death of a veteran from an overdose of cocaine and heroin. Published March 28, 2014

Poor leadership at key diplomatic post in Bahrain, State Department watchdog warns

U.S. Ambassador to Bahrain Thomas C. Krajeski has engaged in a "seat of the pants" leadership style that has left his employees to fend for themselves and has damaged Washington's reputation in the Persian Gulf island kingdom, the State Department's inspector general says in a new report. Published March 27, 2014

Golden Hammer: Interior Department spends $50K for computers to sit in storage

Like uncovering buried treasure, investigators have found a stash of computers purchased by the government but never used. Published March 27, 2014

Probe finds abuses among N.Y. dentists

Investigators at the Health and Human Services Department are warning that some dentists are starting to perform unnecessary procedures on kids — and turning a profit by billing the government for it. Published March 27, 2014

Inspection scams on foreclosed properties still a problem, IG finds

Property inspectors are likely scamming taxpayers out of millions by submitting false reports to federal officials in charge of mortgage delinquencies, a new report has found. Published March 25, 2014

Golden Hammer: Feds ran up $1.3 million booze tab last year

Move over, "Animal House," Hollywood's got nothing on the federal government when it comes to buying booze. Published March 20, 2014

Federal officials regularly using executive jets for everyday travel

Federal officials have no qualms flying the friendly skies in style, regularly using executive jets and other planes in the government's fleet of 1,700 aircraft for everyday travel. Published March 19, 2014

Justice Department overstated mortgage fraud successes

Justice Department officials used misleading data to argue that their efforts to fight mortgage fraud were more effective than they actually were, a new internal report has concluded, faulting officials for using the incorrect data for ten months after it was learned the information was inaccurate. Published March 18, 2014

IG has questions about Pentagon’s Afghan incinerator review

The nation's top investigator in Afghanistan is questioning just how thoroughly Defense Department officials tried to correct issues related to a problem-plagued $5.4 million trash incinerator, and announced they are launching their own investigation. Published March 18, 2014

Obamacare youth push escalates with meme-themed website

The White House is relying on new spokespeople to pitch Obamacare: a dog that can't jump over a hedge, a panda cub that won't give up its ball, an Elmo doll flying off a shelf and a cat that jumps so high it knocks out a light. Published March 17, 2014

Golden Hammer: Mess-less base leaves a mess in Afghanistan

The latest spending mishap in Afghanistan probably left a lot of soldiers hungry. That's because a $4 million base built for the Afghan National Army (ANA) was constructed without a dining hall. Published March 13, 2014

Saving trees? EPA wastes $1.5 million storing unneeded pamphlets in warehouse

For an agency with a mission to protect the environment, the EPA sure can waste a lot of paper. Published March 13, 2014

Education Department botching loan-amnesty program: GAO review

Thousands of people attempting to pay back student loans could be suffering because the Education Department can’t control its contractors in charge of the loans, a new watchdog report says. Published March 12, 2014

IG questions EPA stimulus spending on train refurbishing in California

Government officials can't be sure that a nearly $9 million grant from President Obama's 2009 stimulus law has actually created jobs and reduced air pollution in southern California, a new watchdog report says. Published March 11, 2014

VA employee sentenced for trading vets’ info for crack cocaine

A former Veterans Affairs employee is facing six years in prison after it was revealed he traded veterans' personal information in exchange for crack cocaine. Published March 11, 2014

FCC targets black conservative in TV station fight

For years, the Federal Communications Commission has allowed TV stations to execute joint operating agreements allowing themselves to outsource tasks such as advertising sales to group owners with more resources. Published March 10, 2014

CPAC 2014: Conservatives say Ukraine crisis fueled by Obama weakness, ‘diplomatic babble’

The Crimean Parliament voted this week to officially join Russia, deepening the international diplomatic crisis that stepped onto the world scene following the conclusion of the Sochi Olympics. At CPAC 2014 and surrounding events, conservatives claimed the Crimean crisis has been the logical conclusion of the White House weakening U.S. foreign policy. Published March 8, 2014

Golden Hammer: Feds spend millions to train executives in luxury

A stay at a quaint inn nestled in the woods of Virginia. A visit to the lovely Harvard campus in Massachusetts. A trip to the ski slopes in the mountains of Colorado. Published March 6, 2014

Obamacare harbinger? One-third of nursing home patients suffer from medical errors

One-third of all Medicare patients treated at skilled nursing facilities suffered some form of harm from medication errors, medical mistakes or infections, according to a government investigation that raises red flags about the quality of America’s health care as the industry transitions to Obamacare. Published March 3, 2014