Although President Barack Obama has repeatedly denounced a government shutdown in recent weeks, officials in his administration say they are cognizant that funding for the government expires April 8 and contingency plans are being prepared.
With just days to go until the application period starts for this year's round of H-1b visa petitions, the TechAmerica Foundation is calling on Congress to increase access to the visas and improve procedures for adjudication
The federal government has been operating under temporary funding measures since October, leaving many agencies and contractors in limbo in terms of spending and planning for the current fiscal year.
Congress has approved a continuing resolution to fund the government until March 18, temporarily staving off fears of employee furloughs resulting from a government shutdown this Friday.
It now seems likely that a feared government shutdown at the end of this week will be averted, but the reprieve is only temporary. If Congress can't agree on a budget deal soon, the threat will return in two weeks.
Contractor jobs, as well as military and civilian government roles, will be cut as a new, leaner organization focuses on training and education, Army Gen. Ray Odierno, commander of Joint Forces Command, says.
The Government Accountability Office has issued a major report on the controversial H-1B visa program that allows many employers and federal contractors to hire foreign IT workers.
The White House-led debt-reduction panel recommends cutting the federal workforce, changing the tax code and imposing annual limits on war spending, among other things, in order to save $4 trillion by 2020.
This story was been modified on Nov. 5 to correct an error. The gap between federal and private sector pay has grown by 2.1 percent since last year and totals an average of about 24 percent.
