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Rep. Stephen Lynch just said at the National Treasury Employees Union legislative conference lunch that he has 17, count 'em, 17 family members who work for the Postal Service and the federal government. He joked that he's surprised Ed Towns gave him the Federal Workforce Subcommittee chairmanship, given their influence.

"There’s a decided shared view that we have," he said. "Having so many federal employees in my family, they are not shy about letting me know what’s wrong with what they see in the workplace."

One of the best things about blogging is that if you toss a question or complaint out into the blogosphere, answers come back real fast.

A subcommittee spokesman for the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, wanted me to let y'all know that Rep. Stephen Lynch will be holding his first hearing on March 25, on “Restoring the Financial Stability of the U.S. Postal Service: What Needs to be Done?” I tend to treat Postal Service and federal workforce business separately, but Lynch will also be holding a business meeting on the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act the same day. So business is under way.

That spokesman also noted that the committee isn't all the way staffed up yet, and won't be by the time that hearings start. But they're getting started anyway.

I know I pushed a little hard yesterday. But, like I said in my post on Tom's 40th anniversary column, I've come to believe this stuff is important. Working on leave law isn't as sexy as ending the war in Iraq, but federal employee issues are key foundational issues. It's good to see that the folks who work on those issues are treating them like priorities.

Just curious: when do folks think Stephen Lynch will hold his first hearing as chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Federal Workforce Subcommittee? I was used to a regular schedule of events and press releases from Danny Davis. So far from Lynch, despite the fact that he's got a new administration to deal with? Nothing workforce-related.

I'm on the Hill for the introduction of a new bill that would change the Veterans Affairs appropriations process. In the briefing room, we've got a joker, who interrupted Sen. Akaka from the crowd to remind him that it was appropriate that he was introducing the bill on Lincoln's birthday. Later, he chimed in to tell Rep. John Hall, a former member of the band Orleans, "you're still the one!" a reference to one of the band's most famous songs.

She just declared: "We’ve got to get rid of this so-called pay for performance. That’s pay for sucking up to your boss."

That is one Senator who doesn't mince words when she's making a point.

I've written before that if officials are going to blog, they--or their staffers--need to figure out how to make their voices sound natural, rather than official. That's why I love Claire McCaskill's Twitter feed. It sounds like she's writing it herself. And she sounds pretty neat. For example, her latest Tweet: "Democratic Caucus meeting in 15 minutes. There will be some hollering, but I think wwe [sic] will get this done."

Full list is here and below the jump:

Subcommittee on Domestic Policy

Chair, Dennis J. Kucinich, Ohio

Elijah Cummings, Maryland

John Tierney, Massachusetts

Diane Watson, California

Jim Cooper, Tennessee

Patrick Kennedy, Rhode Island

Peter Welch, Vermont

Bill Foster, Illinois

Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service and District of Columbia

Chair, Stephen F. Lynch, Massachusetts

Eleanor Holmes Norton, District of Columbia

Danny Davis, Illinois

Elijah Cummings, Maryland

Dennis Kucinich, Ohio

Lacy Clay, Missouri

Gerry Connolly, Virginia

Continue reading "Oversight Subcommittee Lineups Announced" »

This from Brittany Ballenstedt:

The House Oversight and Government Reform Federal Workforce subcommittee may gain some new leadership in the 111th Congress. The subcommittee's current chairman, Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., is seeking a waiver to remain on the Committee after being assigned to the House Ways and Means Committee in December. "We do not know if Rep. Davis will remain as subcommittee Chair, and the committee has not organized," an aide said on Thursday. "So if we do have a new Chair, we do not know who it will be."

Davis gave more details on the issue in a statement issued last month:

"I am honored and appreciative of the support of my colleagues in the Congress for their nomination to the Committee on Ways and Means. I want to particularly thank Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Members of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, Chairman Charles Rangel and Representatives Jan Schakowsky and Jerry Costello for their support and the confidence and trust they have offered."

"The jurisdiction of the Committee includes a number of issues which have long been at the center of my interests and I look forward to focusing with special attention on the issue of health care from both the community and national perspective. I am hopeful that the next years will see significant advancements in our nation's health care system and in the health and well being of our people."

"I have requested a waiver to remain as Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, Postal Service and District of Columbia of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. I have deeply appreciated the opportunity to serve in that capacity and look forward to the possibility of continuing in that role."

Rob Brodsky picks this out of Darrell Issa's Wikipedia page:

"Issa made his fortune through his company, Directed Electronics Incorporated, that is most famous for its flagship product, the 'Viper' car alarm. It bears one notable siren that is a recording of Issa's voice, 'please step away from the car.'"

Maybe that can somehow become his catchphrase as the new ranking member on the Oversight and Government Affairs committee?

Rep. Danny Davis, who was one of the first people to throw his name into the ring for Obama's Senate seat, must be really pleased that for all the speculation about the identities of the candidates mentioned in the indictment of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich yesterday, his name has not come up.