Friday federal headlines – September 12, 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 House Veterans Affairs Committee passed new legislation clarifying performance goals for VA senior executives. Senior executives who get a rating of less than fully successful for consecutive years would be let go from the Senior Executive Service. VA doctors who don’t receive a successful review wouldn’t be eligible for performance pay. (GovExec)
• The IRS can now recoup tax debts and criminal restitution directly from federal employees’ retirement savings. The Thrift Savings Plan is no longer protected from federal tax levies. That’s thanks to the implementation of a bill President Barack Obama signed in 2013. The law applies to civilian, military and beneficiary TSP accounts. Lawmakers said the change eliminates “special treatment” for federal employees. More than 300,000 federal workers and retirees owed the IRS $3.3 billion at the end of the 2013 fiscal year. (Federal Register)
• The Senate confirmed Anne Rung as administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy. President Obama nominated her in July. Since then, she’s been working as a senior adviser in the Office of Management and Budget. She succeeds Joe Jordan, who left in January. Leslie Field has been acting administrator. Rung was senior director of administration at the Commerce Department. Before that she was chief acquisition officer at the General Services Administration. At OFPP, she’ll help guide several of the administration’s procurement reform efforts. (Federal News Radio)
• They’re not quite McMansions, but homes the government built for Border Patrol agents had big price tags. The Homeland Security inspector general found DHS wasted millions of dollars on housing in the town of Ajo, Arizona, near the Mexican border. It spent $680,000 to build each of 21 houses. The average local price for a house is $90,000. DHS spent $17 million on land. It purchased 20 mobile homes for more than $1,000 each. The inspector general said DHS should have built apartments instead. The project dates to 2008, when DHS doubled the size of the Border Patrol and discovered a housing shortage in Arizona. (Associated Press)
• Homeland Security officials are planning a military-style chain of command to police the Southwest U.S. border. The Wall Street Journal reported, its goals are to improve criminal investigations, intelligence sharing and use of people and equipment. The Southern Command would be led by a Coast Guard admiral. It would bring in agents from Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Officials told the Journal they’re unsure whether the changes require legislation. But Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has been pushing to overhaul how the department is organized. The Southern Command would represent the biggest re-organization since the creation of DHS itself. (Wall Street Journal)
• The Homeland Security Department is deporting fewer immigrants — 20 percent less this year than last. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportations also show a drop of 25 percent. This is due to the overwhelming number of immigrants and a backlog of cases in the court system. President Obama is avoiding action on immigration until after the midterms. He’s on track to deport the fewest number of people since 2007. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johsnon has promised most crossing the border illegally will be sent home. (Associated Press)
• Retired Marine Corps Gen. John Allen will coordinate the international coalition to battle the Islamic State militants. That’s according to administration officials who spoke anonymously to the Associated Press. Allen has been serving as security adviser to Secretary of State John Kerry. He was deputy commander in Iraq’s Anbar province for two years. He helped organize the Sunni uprising against al Qaida. He also served as deputy commander of Central Command before becoming the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. He retired last year. Some 40 nations have said they’ll participate in the campaign to wipe out the Islamic State group. (Associated Press)
• White men lead the Army. That’s the takeaway from a USA Today report on diversity in Army command. Fewer than 10 percent of active duty Army officers are black. There were no black colonels at the brigade level in 2014. Officials and military sociologists said this threatens the Army’s effectiveness. The Army’s chief of public affairs said they have an action plan. The goal is to expand the pool of minority officer candidates and help them choose the right jobs to climb the ranks. (USA Today)
• The Air Force laid out the timeline to implement its new evaluation and promotion system. The changes aim to focus on performance and improve how airmen receive feedback from supervisors. The Air Force is introducing new feedback forms and plans to eliminate numerical ratings as well as time in grade and time in service points. Chief Master Sgt. James Cody said the changes will take place over the next 18 months. Cody asked airmen to “have faith” that the roll out reflects what they’ve been demanding. (Air Force)
• Iron Man suits, laser weapons and night vision in true color — Special Operations Command is developing game changing technology. That’s according to written testimony from SOCOM’s former commander William McRaven. He said innovation is needed to maintain tactical advantage. Uncontrolled bleeding is the leading cause of battlefield deaths. So SOCOM is developing a “shark bite trauma kit,” which injects tiny blood-sopping sponges into deep wounds. Also in the works are the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit, portable lasers to disable electrical systems and color night vision gear. (House Armed Services Committee)

Copyright © 2024 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.