Wednesday federal headlines – September 10, 2014

The Federal Headlines is a daily compilation of the stories you hear discussed on the Federal Drive and In Depth radio shows each day. Our headlines are updated twice per day — once in the morning and once in the afternoon — with the latest news affecting federal employees and contractors.

• The Veterans Affairs inspector general finds himself on the hot seat. Senators question his independence from VA management. Richard Griffin denies he let VA executives insert material into a recent report. At issue is the IG investigation into long wait times for admission to VA hospitals. Griffin’s report says his investigators couldn’t conclusively tie the delays to the deaths of 40 veterans, as alleged by a whistleblower. Griffin tells the Veterans Affairs Committee, no one dictated that assertion be included in the report. (Federal News Radio)
• Two years after passage, the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act is only a partial success. That’s according to the Government Accountability Project, a private group that works on behalf of whistleblowers. Director Tom Devine tells a House subcommittee that the government’s ability to designate jobs as sensitive has hindered the law. That’s because a court ruling found people in jobs so designated lose their rights before the Merit Systems Protection Board. Devine says that since passage, he’s seen a growing number of whistleblowers subject to criminal prosecution rather than administrative action. (Federal News Radio)
• Congress is back, and it wastes no time messing with the executive branch. House Republicans, joined by 35 Democrats, vote to block a key EPA proposed rule. The agency wants to clarify which streams and wetlands fall under its Clean Water Act authority. Designated waterways would be barred from development. The bill’s backers are led by Steve Southerland of Florida. He says the rule would interfere with farmers on their own land. The EPA says it only wants to sort out authority it already has. The bill is unlikely to pass the Senate, and the Obama administration threatens to veto it. (Associated Press)
• It’s official: Families of non-military federal employees killed in the line of duty can receive American flags. That goes for survivors of domestic partnerships and civil unions. The Office of Personnel Management issues a final rule to carry out the Civilian Service Recognition Act of 2011. The rule says deaths must result from injuries sustained in connection with federal employment. Several federal employees groups praise the rule. They say at least 20 feds have died in the line of duty since the law was passed. (Federal News Radio)
• The Federal Communications Commission awaits a flood of traffic to its website today. It’s all part of a protest in support of net neutrality. The filing period for public comments ends Sept. 15. Netflix, Reddit, Mozilla and others want the FCC to ensure all internet traffic is considered equal. The agency expects a distributed denial of service attack. That plus an increase in traffic may crash the site. The FCC urges people to email their comments to openinternet@FCC.gov instead of using the site. (Defense One)
• National Guard units across the country are drumming their fingers. Drills are delayed and paychecks have yet to be mailed in many states thanks to a $101 million funding gap. High demand for paid training and a decrease in overseas deployments contribute to the problem. The National Guard Bureau urges Congress to reallocate funds. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) of the House Homeland Security Committee supports the request. His state’s National Guard unit has postponed its own training. (Army Times)
• The Missile Defense Agency has completed joint testing with Israel of a next-generation missile interception system. Tests took place over the Mediterranean Sea, off the Israeli coast. Along with the Israel Missile Defense Organization, technicians launched an Arrow-2 missile from the coast to see if it could intercept a Sparrow missile launched from the sea. The Jerusalem Post reports, it’s not clear whether the Arrow-2 hit the target. Officials say they are analyzing the data. The Arrow-2 is an improved version of a missile defense system jointly developed by the United States and Israel. (Defense Department)
• Limit conflicts of interest for contracted employees performing government functions and contracts for personal service. That’s what the Defense Department, General Services Administration and NASA are asking the Office of Management and Budget. The agencies want to extend the existing OMB clearance for preventing personal conflicts of interest. Currently, the rules apply to contractors performing acquisition functions. Those employees must notify contracting officers when they become aware of a conflict of interest violation. The agencies invite public comment on extending the policy before Oct. 10. (Federal Register)

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