IRS and EPA honchos receive public service awards. No… seriously.

You can keep clicking on this link as many times as you like and refreshing the page but it’s not going to redirect you to a story from The Onion. This is apparently a thing that actually happened. The current head of the Internal Revenue Service and the first chief of the Environmental Protection Agency were honored with prestigious public service awards this week. (Government Executive)
 

One is a living hero from the Watergate scandal who in 1970 became the first administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. The other is a veteran of the 1990s Office of Management and Budget who is under constant political fire as the current commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service.

Both William Ruckelshaus and John Koskinen on Tuesday night were awarded the Elliot L. Richardson Prize for Excellence in Public Service by the National Academy of Public Administration, and both weighed in on the perils of public service in today’s hyperpartisan climate.

The prestigious award—named for a four-time Cabinet member who served in all three branches of government under six presidents—comes with $25,000 cash, at least half of which is earmarked to a charity of the recipient’s choice. Winners are selected by the Elliot L. Richardson Prize Fund board after nominations over a period of months by a committee including NAPA fellows.

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