About 2,000 workers need back pay from the two days the agency didn't have funds. If the bill is not passed this week, those employees could see a 20 percent pay cut in their next paycheck.

One of the largest Federal employee labor unions is in the second day of its three-day legislative conference, held yearly in Washington.

A new memo details the way agencies can run competitions and award prizes. OMB will set up a Web site to help run the challenges. GSA also will award a contract vehicle for technical assistance.

The Environmental Protection Agency will be crawling blogs, Twitter postings, and other social media to find out what people are saying about the environment and EPA.

Northrop Grumman Corp. has decided not to compete against Boeing Co. for the $35 billion the Air Force will spend to buy its own fleet of refueling tankers.