A look at the "holiday news dump" Either way, we kept tabs over the holidays and anything notable released between Dec. 21 and Dec. 31 earns a mention in our first annual review of "The Holiday News Dump." Here's our look back in chronological order: Wednesday, Dec. 21: Federal salaries officially frozen for a second year: Late in the afternoon, as many began leaving town, the Obama administration officially sanctioned the second year of a two-year pay freeze for federal employees by releasing the 2012 Salary Tables and Related Information. Thursday, Dec. 22: List of highest-paid federal employees released: The folks at Government Executive magazine discovered a new database that ranks the top salaries earned by career federal employees. Top salaries range from $216,345 to $350,000, with most of the best-paid folks employed by the National Institutes of Health. The top earner is Dr. Electron Kebebew, an NIH medical officer well regarded in the field of cancer research, according to the tally. Thursday, Dec. 22: Washington Monument earthquake repairs to cost $15 million: The National Park Service plans to pay for the cracking and chipping with $7.5 million in federal funding and another $7.5 million raised by the Trust for the National Mall. Thursday, Dec. 22: Customs and Border Protection commissioner resigns: Alan D. Bersin failed to get a Senate confirmation vote, so his recess appointment expired. Deputy Commissioner David V. Aguilar will serve as acting commissioner. But Bersin isn't leaving the government: On Friday, President Obama tapped him to serve as the Department of Homeland Security's first assistant secretary of international affairs. Friday, Dec. 23: GAO releases its consolidated financial report: The nation's top watchdog said it once again could not render an opinion on the government's overall financial condition because of incomplete data. The departments of Defense and Homeland Security are withholding the most relevant information, according to the report. Friday, Dec. 23: New stimulus watchdog named: The White House tapped Education Department Inspector General Kathleen S. Tighe to serve as the new economic stimulus watchdog as chairman of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board. She replaces Earl Devaney, who retired. Friday, Dec. 23: Postal Regulatory Commission pans post office closings: Two days before Christmas, the nation's postal regulators poured cold water on plans to close up to 3,600 post offices and processing facilities, saying the U.S. Postal Service relied on questionable data to make the decisions on which sites to close. Tuesday, Dec. 27: Obama nominates two to the Fed: The president tapped Democrat Jeremy Stein and Republican Jay Powell to serve on the Federal Reserve as he tries to break a political logjam that has prevented the confirmation of several nominees for economic policy and financial regulation positions. Thursday, Dec. 29: U.S. sells military aircraft to Saudi Arabia: The White House claims that the deal, valued at $29.4 billion, will support more than 50,000 jobs. But the announcement was issued during a week of increased tensions with Iran. Thursday, Dec. 29: Inmates register as tax preparers: A total of 331 inmates were serving time when they earned active or provisional tax preparer identification numbers from the IRS, according to an audit by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Forty-three of the inmates were serving life sentences. Saturday Dec. 31: Obama signs defense authorization bill: The $662 billion measure provides Pentagon funding for 2012 at $27 billion less than Obama's request and $43 billion less than Congress authorized last year. Obama signed the bill despite misgivings about several provisions and said he will use broad discretion in interpreting the bill's legal requirements ensuring that U.S. citizens suspected of terrorism are not detained indefinitely by the military.