On Nov. 13, the Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a request for comments in the Federal Register stating their intention to survey all 2,700 Head Start grantees in the country about salaries and benefits of their employees. The survey is in response to a request from members of the House Education and Workforce Committee, which asked for a “review of the financial management of Head Start grantees nationwide.”

Another contentious issue has been added to the list of items that must be worked out before the CARE Act can go to conference committee. Last week 27 Republican House members signed a letter opposing a conservation tax incentive included in the Senate version of the bill.

The long-term picture for discretionary domestic spending looks grim.

A recently leaked internal memo from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) orders agency employees to refrain from discussing information regarding enforcement actions. The gag order came a week before the Bush administration revealed it would drop pending investigations of 70 power plants accused of violating the Clean Air Act (CAA). The Oct. 28 memo from J. P. Suarez, the assistant administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance, instructs staff to refrain from discussing “sensitive enforcement information” with external parties. These third parties include: