Phillip Swarts

State Department bureau’s climate change data can’t be relied upon, audit says

While President Obama is expected to tout his progress on environmental issues in Tuesday's State of the Union address, a recent government audit exposed serious organizational problems that continue to lurk beneath the surface of the administration's effort to confront climate change. Published January 28, 2014

Illiteracy plagues Afghan forces despite $200M Uncle Sam tutoring program

A $200 million program to teach Afghanistan troops how to read is still leaving almost half of all security forces illiterate, a new report found. Published January 28, 2014

D.C.: The invisible ‘state’ of America for infographics

A rise in the popularity of infographics has ushered in a raft of new visual ways to present data, and even a quick Internet search reveals a variety of images to illustrate topics including CEO pay scales and the adventures of various "Star Wars" characters. Published January 27, 2014

Golden Hammer: Federal flood program $24B in debt

As the federal flood insurance program drowns in billions of dollars worth of debt, Congress' top watchdog is proposing a novel solution: Have the private property owners — not taxpayers — foot the insurance bill. Published January 23, 2014

U.S. taxpayers pour billions of dollars down the drain in Afghanistan

In the latest evidence of costly nation-building gone awry, government investigators found that a U.S.-funded school built for Afghans at the expense of U.S. taxpayers is still incomplete after five years of work, and now needs repairs to fix "a leaking roof, defective electrical wiring, and an improperly sloped terrace roof." Published January 22, 2014

Golden Hammer: VA hit for waste, lack of oversight on medical implants

The Veterans Affairs Department wasted more than $3 billion over 10 years on medical implant purchases — and is now losing track of those implants once they've been put into patients, potentially putting veterans' health at risk, according to a new watchdog report that's drawing attention from members of Congress. Published January 16, 2014

State Dept. computers open to hackers: report

An investigation from the State Department's internal watchdog has found that the agency's computer systems have inadequate security and could easily be breached. Published January 16, 2014

Appeals Court strikes down ‘net neutrality’ enforcement

In a battle that could determine the future of the Internet, a federal appeals court Tuesday struck down federal rules blocking large Internet providers from charging higher rates for the biggest online users, raising the prospect of higher costs and slower connections for popular consumer services such as Amazon.com, Netflix and eBay. Published January 14, 2014

Medicare overpaying millions on ‘erection pumps,’ report says

A government investigator found that Medicare is paying twice the amount for erection assistance devices compared to private providers. Published January 13, 2014

One small step for the State Dept.: 30 nations meet to discuss space travel

Diplomats from more than 30 nations visited the State Department this week for a conference focused on fostering international cooperation in space travel, the first meeting of its kind the agency has held. Published January 10, 2014

Feds recognize same-sex couples in Utah

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said that any same-sex marriages performed in Utah before the Supreme Court put a hold on the practice will be recognized, and couples will be eligible for federal benefits. Published January 10, 2014

Golden Hammer: GSA’s bad connection delays phone technology

The government wasted $395 million because many agencies that were supposed to switch to a new, cheaper communication system dubbed Networx did not do so in a timely way and because the General Services Administration kept paying for parts of the old system, an investigative report says. Published January 9, 2014

Court rules Yelp must ID negative reviewers; no constitutional protection

In a decision that could reshape the rules for online consumer reviews, a Virginia court has ruled that the popular website Yelp must turn over the names of seven reviewers who anonymously criticized a prominent local carpet cleaning business. Published January 8, 2014

Is your car spying on you? GPS tracks ‘consumers,’ identity theft at risk

Consumers' locations and other data are at risk of being leaked by companies that run automobile navigation services like GPS, a report has found, putting the national debate on privacy behind the wheel. Published January 7, 2014

Virginia Gov.-elect Terry McAuliffe accepts coal money to fund inauguration despite pledge

Virginia Gov.-elect Terry McAuliffe has taken tens of thousands of dollars from coal companies to fund his inaugural celebration despite promoting an environmentally friendly agenda on the campaign trail that called for stricter regulation of the industry. Published January 6, 2014

VA hospital’s release of delirious veteran latest in string of failures

Doctors at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Puerto Rico released a patient who was suffering from delirium and barely able to function, ignoring evaluations by staff nurses, an investigation found — the latest in a string of high-profile incidents at the department's medical facilities. Published January 5, 2014

Golden Hammer: Ag Dept. fails to punish stores that aid food stamp cheaters

Failure to police the store owners who served as enablers for food stamp fraud cost the government at least $12 million on top of the money lost to scams, according to investigators looking into problems in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Published January 2, 2014

13 taken to hospitals after Minneapolis fire

A fire at an apartment building in Minneapolis has sent 13 people to the hospital on the first morning of the new year. Published January 1, 2014

A year in waste: Top examples of government fiscal follies

Even in an age of government belt-tightening, one thing Washington featured in abundance once again in 2013 was waste. Here are five top examples culled from reporting in The Washington Times over the past 12 months, examples of misguided and pointless spending of taxpayer dollars so egregious they earned the coveted "Golden Hammer" award. Published December 31, 2013

Government tried to change coal regulation numbers: probe

The Obama administration tried to edit a report on new coal regulations to lower analysts’ estimates of serious job losses, an official investigation has found, backing up reports that the Interior Department pressured a private contractor to change information in order to make the data more acceptable. Published December 30, 2013