Sequester Delayed Reward in Boston Bombing Case
The FBI decided to issue descriptions of the marathon bombing suspects without waiting for the expenditure to be reviewed.

Conspicuously missing from the FBI’s information that first described the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing? A reward for information leading to their capture.
Public safety unions in Boston put a $50,000 bounty on the heads of the suspects, but the feds, skirting tradition, sat out the reward game.
Blame the sequester. House and administration aides confirmed that the automatic budget cuts that U.S. agencies are making put some constraints on issuing discretionary monetary awards without a formal review of the proposed spending.

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
In this case, the reward would likely have been approved. But the FBI, confident of quickly identifying the suspects because of how quickly high-quality evidence was discovered, chose not to wait.
Get Kiplinger Today newsletter — free
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.

-
Ask the Editor — Reader Questions on Tax Deductions, Losses
In our Ask the Editor series, Joy Taylor, The Kiplinger Tax Letter Editor, answers readers' questions on tax deductions and losses.
-
Upsizing in Retirement: Why You Should (and Shouldn't) Do It
Upsizing, or buying a bigger home, can make your retirement feel more luxurious. There's room for grandkids and projects, but run the numbers carefully.
-
AI’s Medical Revolution
The Kiplinger Letter Medicine is a field ripe for finding both exciting and practical uses for AI. The tech is already being used by doctors and researchers.
-
The Economic Impact of the US-China Trade War
The Letter The US-China trade war will impact US consumers and business. The decoupling process could be messy.
-
AI Heads to Washington
The Kiplinger Letter There’s big opportunity for AI tools that analyze MRIs and other medical images. But also big challenges that clinicians and companies will have to overcome.
-
The AI Doctor Coming to Read Your Test Results
The Kiplinger Letter There’s big opportunity for AI tools that analyze CAT scans, MRIs and other medical images. But there are also big challenges that human clinicians and tech companies will have to overcome.
-
The New Space Age Takes Off
The Kiplinger Letter From fast broadband to SOS texting, space has never been more embedded in peoples’ lives. The future is even more exciting for rockets, satellites and emerging space tech.
-
Rising AI Demand Stokes Undersea Investments
The Kiplinger Letter As demand soars for AI, there’s a need to transport huge amounts of data across oceans. Tech giants have big plans for new submarine cables, including the longest ever.
-
What DOGE is Doing Now
The Kiplinger Letter As Musk's DOGE pursues its ambitious agenda, uncertainty and legal challenges are mounting — causing frustration for Trump.
-
A Move Away From Free Trade
The Letter President Trump says long-term gain will be worth short-term pain, but the pain could be significant this year.