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The logo of Irish services and consulting company Accenture is seen at an temporary office during the World Economic Forum 2022 (WEF) in the Alpine resort of Davos, Switzerland May 25, 2022. The criminal and civil probes followed a voluntary disclosure by the unit, Accenture Federal Services, to the government, the IT service provider said in a regulatory filing. "This matter could subject us to adverse consequences," Accenture said. The unit works with the Accenture's clients in the U.S. federal government and accounted for 15% of overall fiscal 2023 revenue from North America, the company's biggest market. Reporting by Chavi Mehta in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun KoyyurOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Arnd, Chavi Mehta, Arun Koyyur Organizations: Accenture, REUTERS, U.S . Justice, Accenture Federal Services, DOJ, Thomson Locations: Davos, Switzerland, U.S, North America, Bengaluru

☆ US Budget Fight Could Create Opening for China in the Pacific
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

The Biden administration had hoped to see Congress endorse by Sept. 30 new 20-year funding programs for Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau, which after decades of relative neglect now find themselves at the center of a U.S. battle for influence with China in the Northern Pacific. The stopgap "continuing resolution" (CR) that prevented a federal government shutdown does not include approval for this new program, however, and while it maintains federal services to the COFA states, it leaves holes in other parts of their budgets. "Both are countries that recognize Taiwan and are key components of U.S. defense architecture in the Pacific," she said. Paskal said Palau's funding under its existing COFA had dwindled as it approached its final year and it had been banking on funds from the new package to help cover budget deficits. The Washington embassies of Palau and the Marshall islands did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Persons: David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON, Biden, Cleo Paskal, Paskal, Kaleb Udui, Marshall, Washington, David Brunnstrom, Don Durfee, Josie Kao Organizations: U.S, Congress, Marshall, Northern Pacific, Free Association, Washington, Foundation for Defense, Democracies, U.S . Congress, Palau's Finance, Howard, COFA, . State Department, State Department, Pacific, Forum Summit Locations: U.S, Micronesia, Palau, China, Northern, Marshall Islands, Taiwan, Beijing, Washington

☆ US budget fight could create opening for China in the Pacific
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( David Brunnstrom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The stopgap "continuing resolution" (CR) that prevented a federal government shutdown does not include approval for this new program, however, and while it maintains federal services to the COFA states, it leaves holes in other parts of their budgets. "Both are countries that recognize Taiwan and are key components of U.S. defense architecture in the Pacific," she said. Paskal said Palau's funding under its existing COFA had dwindled as it approached its final year and it had been banking on funds from the new package to help cover budget deficits. The Washington embassies of Palau and the Marshall islands did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Don Durfee and Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Biden, Cleo Paskal, Paskal, Kaleb Udui, Marshall, Washington, David Brunnstrom, Don Durfee, Josie Kao Organizations: U.S, Congress, Marshall, Northern Pacific, Free Association, Washington, Foundation for Defense, Democracies, U.S . Congress, Palau's Finance, Howard, COFA, . State Department, State Department, Pacific, Forum, Thomson Locations: U.S, Micronesia, Palau, China, Northern, Marshall Islands, Taiwan, Beijing, Washington

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Congress passed a stopgap funding bill late on Saturday with overwhelming Democratic support after Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy backed down from an earlier demand by his party’s hardliners for a partisan bill. That move marked a profound shift from earlier in the week, when a shutdown looked all but inevitable. Congress typically passes stopgap spending bills to buy more time to negotiate the detailed legislation that sets funding for federal programs. House Republicans are demanding a further $120 billion in cuts. “House Republicans tried to walk away from that deal by demanding drastic cuts that would have been devastating for millions of Americans.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, Joe Biden, McCarthy, ’, “, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Donald Trump, Don Beyer, Republicans ’, Republican Mitch McConnell, Michael Bennett, Chris Van Hollen, ” McCarthy, ”, Biden, ” Biden Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S, Congress, Democratic, Republican, National Parks, WIN, Extreme MAGA Republicans, Republicans, Ukraine, Senate, creditworthiness, Social Security, “ Locations: National, Ukraine

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Congress passed a stopgap funding bill late on Saturday with overwhelming Democratic support after Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy backed down from an earlier demand by his party’s hardliners for a partisan bill. That move marked a profound shift from earlier in the week, when a shutdown looked all but inevitable. Congress typically passes stopgap spending bills to buy more time to negotiate the detailed legislation that sets funding for federal programs. House Republicans are demanding a further $120 billion in cuts. “House Republicans tried to walk away from that deal by demanding drastic cuts that would have been devastating for millions of Americans.

That move marked a profound shift from earlier in the week, when a shutdown looked all but inevitable. "Democrats have said from the start that the only solution for avoiding a shutdown is bipartisanship, and we are glad Speaker McCarthy has finally heeded our message." Democratic Senator Michael Bennet held the bill up for several hours trying to negotiate a deal for further Ukraine aid. House Republicans are demanding a further $120 billion in cuts. "House Republicans tried to walk away from that deal by demanding drastic cuts that would have been devastating for millions of Americans.

Persons: Michael Bennet's, Kevin McCarthy, Joe Biden, McCarthy, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Donald Trump, Don Beyer, “, Republicans ’, Ken Cedeno, Republican Mitch McConnell, Michael Bennet, Chris Van Hollen, Biden, David Morgan, Makini Brice, Moira Warburton, Kanishka Singh, Andy Sullivan, Scott Malone, Andrea Ricci, William Mallard Organizations: U.S, Congress, Democratic, Republican, National Parks, WIN, MAGA Republicans, Republicans, REUTERS, Ukraine, Senate, creditworthiness, Social Security, Medicare, Thomson Locations: National, Ukraine

☆ Elizabeth Warren says student-loan companies can't use lack of funding as an excuse for bad customer service — and she's 'deeply worried' they're not ready for repayment starting next week
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Sen. Elizabeth Warren led some Democratic colleagues in sending letters to four student-loan companies requesting information on the repayment restart. They also said a lack of funding is not a valid excuse for borrowers to be facing bad customer service. AdvertisementAdvertisementSenator Elizabeth Warren is worried that four federal student-loan companies aren't up to the task of transitioning millions of borrowers back into repayment in a few days. These letters come just days before pandemic relief for federal borrowers comes to an end. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a Monday press briefing that it would further strain Federal Student Aid's ability to assist borrowers over the next month.

Persons: Sen, Elizabeth Warren, —, Warren, — Sens, Chris Van Hollen, Ed Markey, Richard Blumenthal —, servicers, Joe Biden's, Virginia Foxx, Bill Cassidy, Karine Jean, Pierre, Jean, Pierre said Organizations: Democratic, Service, Federal Services, servicer, Central Research Inc, Education Department, — House Republicans, Federal Student Aid, Consumer Financial, Republican, Office, Department, House Press, Education

TOKYO (AP) — Shares in Asia were mostly higher on Wednesday, shrugging off a sharp decline on Wall Street that took benchmarks back to where they were in June. That pushed the Fed last week to say it will likely cut interest rates by less next year than earlier expected. Besides high interest rates, a long list of other worries is also tugging at Wall Street. On Wall Street, the vast majority of stocks fell Tuesday under such pressures, including 90% of those within the S&P 500. Big Tech stocks tend to be among the hardest hit by high rates, and they were the heaviest weights on the index.

Persons: shrugging, Hui Ka Yan, Australia's, ” Stephen Innes, Brent Organizations: TOKYO, Tokyo's Nikkei, Hang Seng, Bloomberg, Garden Holdings, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Federal Reserve, Treasury, Fed, U.S, Management, Big Tech, Apple, Microsoft, Federal Trade Commission Locations: Asia, Hong Kong, Shanghai, China, Seoul, Maryland, Carolinas

WASHINGTON (AP) — With a government shutdown five days away, Congress is moving into crisis mode as Speaker Kevin McCarthy faces an insurgency from hard-right Republicans eager to slash spending even if it means curtailing federal services for millions of Americans. Against the mounting chaos, President Joe Biden warned the Republican conservatives off their hardline tactics, saying funding the federal government is “one of the most basic fundamental responsibilities of Congress." Political Cartoons View All 1179 Images“We made a deal, we shook hands, and said this is what we’re going to do. With five days to go before Saturday's deadline, the turmoil is unfolding as House Republicans hold their first Biden impeachment inquiry hearing this week probing the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden. With just days remaining before a shutdown, several of the holdouts say they will never vote for any stopgap measure to fund the government as they push for Congress to engage in the full-scale debate.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, it's, McCarthy, Joe Biden, Biden, reneging, ” Biden, “, ”, Donald Trump, retakes, Hunter Biden, ” Trump, ” McCarthy, Let’s, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Trump, Ken Buck, Buck, he's, ” Buck, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Matt Gaetz, ” Gatez, “ I’m, McCarthy “, Seung Min Kim, Kevin Freking, Mary Clare Jalonick Organizations: WASHINGTON, Senate, Republicans, Trump, Biden, Capitol, Defense, Homeland Security, Agriculture, Foreign, Republican, Democratic, Ukraine, Washington, Russia, Fox, White, Office of Management, Budget, Associated Press Locations: Ukraine, U.S, “, State, Florida

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is preparing Friday to direct federal agencies to get ready for a shutdown after House Republicans left town for the weekend with no viable plan to keep the government funded and avert politically and economically costly disruption of federal services. “We got members working, and hopefully we’ll be able to move forward on Tuesday to pass these bills,” McCarthy, R-Calif., told reporters at the Capitol. McCarthy signaled his preference for avoiding a closure, but a hard-right flank of his House majority has effectively seized control. Trump has urged the House Republicans on, pushing them to hold the line against federal spending. The U.S. Travel Industry Association estimates that the travel sector could lose $140 million daily in a shutdown.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, ” McCarthy, McCarthy, “, ”, Joe Biden, ” Biden, Donald Trump —, Biden, —, Trump, Matt Gaetz, ” Gaetz, Gaetz, legislating, Brian Gardner Organizations: WASHINGTON, House Republicans, Capitol, Biden, Management, OMB, Republicans, Republican, Trump, GOP, Defense, Homeland Security, Foreign Operations, Agricultural, Congressional, Military, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Women, U.S . Travel Industry Association Locations: U.S, Maryland, Washington

A banner reading: "Abortion Out of the Penal Code" hangs from a building during International Women's Day, at the Zocalo Square in Mexico City, Mexico March 8, 2023. The ruling set a significant legal precedent and paved the way for the federal health system to begin providing abortion services and broaden access dramatically. But Mexican abortion rights advocates say the ruling's promise of expanding abortion access will not become a reality overnight and could depend on the political and legislative will of the federal government. Aside from safeguarding abortion patients and providers from prosecution, the ruling will have limited impact on access until the federal public health system starts providing abortion services. Xochitl Galvez, the senator chosen to represent the main opposition coalition, has broken from her center-right party’s anti-abortion platform to support abortion rights.

Persons: Quetzalli, Maria Antonieta Alcalde, IPAS, Alcalde, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Claudia Sheinbaum, Xochitl Galvez, Veronica Cruz, Roe, Wade, Isabel Fulda, Gabriella Borter, Stephen Eisenhammer, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Mexico City, Regeneration, Mexico's, United States Supreme, Thomson Locations: Mexico City, Mexico, MEXICO, Coahuila, Latin America, Caribbean, America, United States, Guanajuato, U.S

☆ Student loan payments restart in October — here are changes borrowers can expect
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A new servicer, for someMillions of federal student loan borrowers will have a different servicer when payments resume in October. Impacted borrowers should get emails about the change, said Scott Buchanan, executive director of the Student Loan Servicing Alliance, a trade group for federal student loan servicers. Borrowers previously with FedLoan should be transferred to MOHELA, or the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority, he said. Another repayment optionFederal student loan borrowers can now sign up for the Biden administration's new loan repayment plan, and they could be enrolled in it by the time the bills resume. If your student loan servicer can't process your application for the SAVE plan by the time payments resume, it should place you in a temporary forbearance.

Persons: Julia Amaral, they'll, Granite State —, Scott Buchanan, Buchanan, FAFSA, Mark Kantrowitz, Kantrowitz, servicer, Biden, they're, Joe Biden Organizations: Istock, Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, Student Loan, Alliance, Finance, Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority, EdFinancial Services, Lakes Higher, Federal Services, Biden, Valuable Education, Public, Education Department Locations: That's, Pennsylvania, Granite State, MOHELA, Missouri, StudentAid.gov

☆ When student loan payments restart, many borrowers may have a different servicer
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Mementojpeg | Moment | Getty ImagesLook out for notices about the changeScott Buchanan, executive director of the Student Loan Servicing Alliance, a trade group for federal student loan servicers, said impacted borrowers should get emails about the change. Higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz has been tracking the transfers. Borrowers previously with FedLoan should be transferred to MOHELA, or the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority, he said. Accounts with Great Lakes Higher Education, Kantrowitz said, should be managed by Nelnet going forward. Also, Kantrowitz said, "whenever there is a change of loan servicer, there can be problems transferring borrower data."

Persons: Scott Buchanan, servicers, Buchanan, Mark Kantrowitz, Kantrowitz, You'll Organizations: Student Loan, Alliance, Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority, EdFinancial Services, Lakes Higher, Federal Services Locations: MOHELA, Missouri, Granite State, StudentAid.gov

☆ US government offices close in DC due to severe storm threat
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Elizabeth FrantzWASHINGTON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - U.S. government offices in the Washington area closed early on Monday due to a severe storm threat and tornado watch that was disrupting air travel. The National Weather Service said the Washington, D.C., area was under a tornado watch until 9 p.m. Libraries, museums, the National Zoo, pools and other municipal and federal services in the Washington area were also closing early. The tornado watch covers Maryland, Washington and much of Pennsylvania and Virginia. FlightAware, a flight tracking site, said more than 1,100 U.S. flights had been canceled, including 75 at Washington Reagan National Airport, or 17% of flights.

Persons: Elizabeth Frantz WASHINGTON, David Shepardson, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, National Weather Service, D.C, National, U.S ., Management, Washington Reagan National Airport, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Washington, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, U.S

☆ Millions of student loan borrowers will have a new servicer when payments restart
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Borrowers who are being transferred to a different servicer should receive alerts via email, said Scott Buchanan, executive director of the Student Loan Servicing Alliance, a trade group for federal student loan servicers. These notices will explain any steps you'll need to take, he said, and include information on your new servicer. watch nowBorrowers previously with FedLoan should be transferred to MOHELA, or the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority, he said. Borrowers can check who their new servicer is by logging in to StudentAid.gov., Kantrowitz said. Also, Kantrowitz said, "whenever there is a change of loan servicer, there can be problems transferring borrower data.

Persons: Berk, Scott Buchanan, Kantrowitz, Buchanan, You'll Organizations: Istock, Student Loan, Alliance, Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority, EdFinancial Services, Lakes Higher, Federal Services Locations: MOHELA, Missouri, Granite State, StudentAid.gov

REUTERS/Chris WattieOTTAWA, April 19 (Reuters) - About 155,000 federal workers in Canada walked off the job on Wednesday after failing to reach a deal for higher wages and work-from-home guarantees, a strike that affects a range of public services from tax returns to passport renewals. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) union and the federal government said negotiations are ongoing, and Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stressed the urgency of resolving the dispute. The contract negotiations cover two main groups of employees: 120,000 workers under the Treasury Board and more than 35,000 revenue agency workers. Tax agency workers want a pay bump of 22.5% over three years, while the Treasury Board workers are seeking a 13.5% pay rise over three years. "There's obviously still the concern that this contract could set a precedent for other public sector union negotiations," he said.

☆ Canada public workers to strike over pay dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Ismail Shakil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 18 (Reuters) - A union representing some 155,000 public sector workers in Canada called for a strike starting on Wednesday after failing to reach a new wage deal with the federal government, setting up a walkout that could affect tax filings and passport services. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) union, which has been in collective bargaining for a new contract since 2021, had set a deadline of 9 p.m. The strike will affect federal services and could delay tax refunds since about 35,000 workers at the revenue agency would be walking out in the middle of tax filing season. The contract negotiations cover two main groups of employees - 120,000 workers under Canada's Treasury Board, which oversees public administration, and 35,000 revenue agency workers. Tax agency workers initially sought a pay bump of more than 30% over three years, while the other group is seeking a 13.5% pay rise over three years.

[1/5] A sign is pictured in front of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) national headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada March 13, 2017. REUTERS/Chris WattieOTTAWA, April 19 (Reuters) - About 155,000 federal workers in Canada walked off the job on Wednesday after failing to reach a deal for higher wages and work-from-home guarantees, a strike that affects a range of public services from tax returns to passport renewals. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) union said contract negotiations would continue, and Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stressed the urgency of resolving the dispute. The contract negotiations cover two main groups of employees: 120,000 workers under the Treasury Board and more than 35,000 revenue agency workers. Tax agency workers want a pay bump of 22.5% over three years, while the Treasury Board workers are seeking a 13.5% pay rise over three years.

☆ White House asks agencies to step up workers' return to offices
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday asked federal agencies to revise workforce plans as it aims to "substantially increase" in-person work by government employees at headquarters offices and improve services, according to a memo seen by Reuters. The memo to executive branch agencies from White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director Shalanda Young directs agencies to refresh work environment plans and policies. Some Republican lawmakers have pressed federal agencies to require more government workers to return to offices. "It’s time for the federal workforce to get back to work in-person for the American people. Aiming to cut long wait times and delays in processing federal services, OMB's memo said: "Agencies should prioritize improving experiences and services that directly impact the public."

☆ 9 million people received student debt forgiveness emails with an error—here's what borrowers need to know
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Kamaron Mcnair | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

President Joe Biden's student debt forgiveness plan is still on hold for everyone. But at least 9 million borrowers may have further confusion about their debt forgiveness. The subject line on the erroneous emails read "Your Student Loan Debt Relief Plan Application Has Been Approved." The error affected borrowers with loans serviced by Accenture Federal Services, and has no impact on the borrower's debt relief. Sign up now: Get smarter about your money and career with our weekly newsletterDon't miss: Student debt forgiveness is on hold for now—here's why it's blocked and what could happen next

☆ Student loan forgiveness: 9 million people received emails that mistkanely said their application was approved
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Katie Lobosco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Washington CNN —About nine million people received an email last month from the Department of Education that mistakenly said their application for student loan forgiveness had been approved, adding to the confusion surrounding President Joe Biden’s debt relief program. Thus far, no one has received debt forgiveness because the program is blocked by federal courts. The nine million borrowers who received the inaccurate emails have now started to receive new emails from the government correcting the error. “Due to a vendor error, you recently received an email with a subject line indicating your application for the one-time Student Loan Debt Relief Plan had been approved. The department received about 26 million applications for student loan forgiveness before the program was halted by a federal district judge in November.

☆ 9 million student-loan borrowers are now receiving correction emails after mistakenly being told last month they were approved for debt relief
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

9 million student-loan borrowers mistakenly received a November email saying they were approved for debt relief. Insider was the first to report two weeks ago that on November 22-23, nine million student-loan borrowers received an email with an incorrect subject line informing them that their debt relief had been approved. According to an email reviewed by Insider, the new subject line reads: "CORRECTION: Status of Your Student Loan Debt Relief Application." Screenshot of the first part of the student debt correction email, as provided by a borrower. His administration continues to express confidence that the broad debt relief will ultimately prevail in court.

☆ 9 million student-loan borrowers got an email in November with the wrong subject line informing them their debt relief has been approved. Corrections are coming.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

9 million student-loan borrowers received an email in late November with a subject line that their debt relief had been approved. It should have stated the applications had been received, not approved — an error made by an Education Department contractor. However, that subject line was incorrect, Insider has learned — it was simply supposed to inform borrowers that their applications had been received with the subject line: "Update on Student Loan Debt Relief." The department has previously indicated that 26 million student-loan borrowers had already submitted applications for debt relief. "Our student debt relief program is necessary to help 40M eligible Americans struggling under the burden of student loan debt recover from the pandemic," Education Secretary Miguel Cardona wrote on Twitter on Thursday.

☆ Salesforce has quietly become a giant government contractor, racking up over 1,400 deals with federal agencies in the last five years
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Caroline Haskins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Salesforce has become a big software seller to the government, with over 1,400 contracts since 2017. Salesforce has become a prolific contractor with US government agencies, nearly quadrupling the number of government contracts it has engaged with in the past five years. The cloud-software giant has landed at least 1,443 contracts with government agencies since 2017. In comparison, Salesforce had engaged in only 363 government contracts between December 1, 2005, and September 1, 2017. All but two of these contracts were executed using third parties that sold its technology to government agencies.

☆ Mississippi banned most abortions to be the 'safest state' for the unborn. Meanwhile, one in three Mississippi kids lives in poverty.
▼ + stars: | 2021-11-26 | by ( Sarah Fowler | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Mississippi lawmakers said the ban on most abortions after 15 weeks makes Mississippi 'the safest state in the country' for the unborn. "We've had so many state leaders who have talked about wanting Mississippi to be the safest state in the country for unborn babies. It's even higher for kids: one in three Mississippi children live in poverty. Each of the women has dedicated their life to helping Mississippi women and families. More than 100,000 Mississippi children should be eligible, but in 2019 – the most recent year for which there's data – just 20,900 benefited from the program.

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