Phillip Swarts
Articles by Phillip Swarts
Pilot shortage could put strain on airline industry: report
The nation's airline industry could be hitting some turbulence, according to a government report that found pilots might be in short supply. Published February 28, 2014
Golden Hammer: Watchdog says power plant cost overruns poorly managed
The oft-criticized Energy Department is again in the spotlight, as a government watchdog says the agency has done a poor job of managing cost overruns at the agency's South Carolina Savannah River Site. Published February 27, 2014
Investigator: FDA tracked employees online
The Food and Drug Administration monitored employees' activities online without ever considering the legality of the surveillance, a federal investigator said Wednesday. Published February 26, 2014
Report: Delays in providing hearing aids put veterans at risk
The Veterans Affairs Department is taking weeks to provide or repair hearing aids for its patients, leaving hearing-impaired veterans at risk in the latest failure by the agency charged with caring for America's war heroes. Published February 23, 2014
Veterans forced to wait weeks for hearing aids from Veterans Affairs
The Veterans Affairs Department is taking weeks to provide or repair hearing aids for its patients, leaving hearing-impaired veterans at risk in the latest failure by the agency charged with caring for America's war heroes. Published February 21, 2014
Golden Hammer: Too much tech on fed dime, GAO finds
At a time when computers and access to the Web are ubiquitous, an outdated Commerce Department office is wasting taxpayer money by duplicating Internet search engines, fiscal watchdogs said. Published February 20, 2014
Treasury Department not evaluating how TARP mortgage providers treat minorities, watchdog says
Despite pouring billions into programs designed to help families deal with troubled mortgages since the 2008 housing meltdown, the Treasury Department still is doing too little to help some minority applicants facing discrimination in the financial marketplace, investigators have found. Published February 18, 2014
Report: Operating room at Connecticut VA facility often went unscrubbed
A Veterans Affairs medical center in Connecticut risked harm to both patients and employees by exposing them to infectious diseases and unsanitary conditions, according to a new report. Published February 18, 2014
Snowden’s lawyer says she was ‘interrogated and harassed’ at London airport
An attorney for Edward Snowden says she was questioned by officials at London's Heathrow Airport over her relationship to the whistleblower. Published February 17, 2014
Golden Hammer: Medicare overpaid by $8.9M for lung transplants
This Valentine's Day, it might not just be your date that takes your breath away, but also the fiscal waste in the government's lung-transplant program. Published February 13, 2014
Surgical problems at VA hospital in South Carolina leave veterans at risk
Care at one Veterans Affairs hospital was so disorganized that officials didn't inform some patients they were scheduled for surgery, while doctors planned for surgeries they knew would never take place. Published February 10, 2014
Medicare paid millions in drug benefits to prisoners
Medicare paid $11.7 million dollars for prescription drugs to prisoners because there was no oversight at the federal program to stop it, a new watchdog report has found. Published February 10, 2014
Dino-chicken? Scientists fix fowl with fake tails to strut like dinosaurs
Ever wondered what a chicken looks like with a dinosaur tail strapped to its back? Published February 7, 2014
Golden Hammer: Indian Affairs Bureau’s real estate spree went too far
The 2007-09 recession was caused in part by a real estate bubble. Now it looks like the federal government is dealing with a bubble of its own. Published February 6, 2014
Harder to assess Afghanistan’s local forces once U.S. troops leave, report says
Fewer U.S. troops in Afghanistan means it will be harder for military leaders to assess the readiness of local security forces; and the Pentagon currently has no plan on how to address the difficulties it might face in making sure Afghan forces are prepared before international troops leave, a new report found. Published February 5, 2014
VA lacks control over own data, leaks could occur: audit
While the VA has been working to improve its computer systems, it still has large problems that "could jeopardize the data integrity and confidentiality of VA's financial and sensitive information," said an annual audit of the agency's internal finances from an independent auditor working with the department's Inspector General. Published February 3, 2014
VA hospital lax on surgery deaths: report
Key officials at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Kentucky never met to review patient records over what was behind an unusual number of deaths during surgery in the first half of 2013, federal investigators said. Published February 3, 2014
Golden Hammer: $350 million NASA project to be completed, then mothballed because of lack of need
NASA is supposed to build machines that launch into space, not structures that stay grounded on Earth and send spending into the stratosphere. Published January 30, 2014
Contractor paid despite shoddy work at Afghan hospital
A contractor building a U.S.-financed hospital in Afghanistan was paid nearly $600,000 despite the fact the facility had no clean water, little medical equipment and only enough electricity to power three lightbulbs, an investigation found. Published January 29, 2014
President Obama uses rosy math in his State of the Union
President Obama promised a touch of optimism for his fifth State of the Union address, but Tuesday night he was a bit too positive about his record of accomplishments. Published January 28, 2014