Inspector general: Congress needs to keep closer watch on FAA safety oversight of airlines

September 24th, 2009 Oversight of tax-exempt groups like ACORN examinedWASHINGTON — The Treasury Department's inspector general is looking into the government's oversight of tax-exempt organizations like ACORN when they engage in political activities. The office of Rep.

September 17th, 2009 FAA says airlines are no longer its 'customers'WASHINGTON — Responding to criticism that his agency has become too cozy with companies it regulates, the new head of the Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday the FAA will stop calling airlines "customers," as he announced steps to ensure air carriers comply with safety orders. FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, who took over the agency in June, outlined a series of initiatives that address complaints by members of Congress and others that the agency's relationship with airlines was placing the industry's economic interests above passengers' safety.

September 2nd, 2009 Auditor: Mexican truck safety rules still unmetWASHINGTON — Some Mexican passenger buses are not being inspected when they enter the U.S. because they cross the border on evenings and weekends, there are no inspectors or the crossings lack safe places for inspections, according to a government audit made public Wednesday.

August 27th, 2009 Report: No oversight for $70M program at the VAWASHINGTON — Managers at the Veterans Affairs Department were aware of serious problems with a $70 million project to replace its hospital appointment system several years before the VA dropped the program, the agency's inspector general says in a new report. The VA announced the project in 2000 following complaints from veterans about long waits to make appointments.

August 9th, 2009 Collision turns attention to for-hire flightsWASHINGTON —The collision that sent a sightseeing helicopter full of tourists and a small plane into the Hudson River on Saturday comes less than a month after a federal watchdog warned that safety oversight of sightseeing and other for-hire flights is too lax. A small plane collided with a New York City sightseeing helicopter carrying Italian tourists on Saturday around noon.

August 9th, 2009 DOT report warned about lax safety oversightWASHINGTON —Less than a month before the deadly midair collision involving a private plane and a sightseeing helicopter over New York's Hudson River, a federal watchdog warned about the lax safety oversight of the for-hire flight business. A report issued by the Department of Transportation's inspector general criticized the Federal Aviation Administration for providing significantly weaker oversight of the "on-demand" flight industry — companies hired to fly aircraft, both helicopters and planes, that seat less than 30 people — than it does of the commercial airline industry.

August 4th, 2009 A look at airlines' on-time statusThe following lists 19 airlines' on-time performance in June and overall on-time performance since the beginning of the year, according to data from the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Carrier On-Time Arrival Pct.

July 29th, 2009 Food safety bill denied quick passage in HouseWASHINGTON — A sweeping food safety bill has failed to pass in the House after criticism that it was being pushed through too quickly. The legislation would require more government inspections and oversight of food manufacturers in the wake of a massive salmonella outbreak in peanuts.

July 20th, 2009 Watchdog: Treasury bailout disclosure falls shortWASHINGTON — The government's main watchdog over the federal financial bailout says the Treasury Department has repeatedly failed to adopt recommendations aimed at making the $700 billion program more accountable and transparent. Neil Barofsky (buh-RAHF'-skee), the inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, says in a report to Congress that Treasury's inaction means taxpayers have not been told what the financial institutions that have received assistance are doing with the money.

July 16th, 2009 FAA safety oversight of small operators criticizedWASHINGTON — There is less safety oversight of "on-demand" flight operators than commercial airlines even though those smaller operations are often riskier, a federal watchdog said Thursday. A report by the Transportation Department's inspector general said the Federal Aviation Administration conducts far fewer safety inspections of on-demand operators than commercial airlines and doesn't effectively target the inspections it does make to the highest-risk operations.

June 26th, 2009 A look at what TSA and the airlines know about youHere's a look at what the Transportation Security Administration and the airlines know about the traveling public: — Under a new TSA program called Secure Flight, four unnamed airlines are now providing names of passengers to the TSA. The others check watch lists individually.

June 10th, 2009 Senators urge FAA to adopt safety recommendationWASHINGTON — Senators on Wednesday urged the Federal Aviation Administration to implement a 2005 recommendation that airlines be required to check the training histories of pilots they hire, an issue in a February air crash near Buffalo, N.Y. Mark Rosenker, the acting chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, told a Senate committee probing safety issues related to FAA's oversight of regional airlines that the board urged three years ago that airlines be required to request a pilot's complete training history from the agency.

June 1st, 2009 Airlines will ask birthdates for new TSA programWASHINGTON — Don't be surprised if you're asked to provide your date of birth and gender when booking plane tickets later this summer. The Transportation Security Administration has launched a new program called "Secure Flight" to improve security and reduce misidentification of passengers who have names similar to individuals on government watch lists.

May 5th, 2009 Watchdogs: Failed-bank reviews stop some auditsWASHINGTON — U.S. efforts to trace terrorist financing and money laundering are receiving less scrutiny by government watchdog offices because of the unprecedented need to monitor failed financial institutions, the Treasury Department's inspector general said Tuesday.

April 18th, 2009 BHOPAL - The prime suspect in the murder of Congress legislator Makhanlal Jatav from Madhya Pradesh's Gohad constituency has surrendered at Gwalior, police said Saturday. 'With the surrender of prime accused Pappu Pandit late Friday night, we expect to solve the case soon.