Monday federal headlines – Sept. 29, 2014

The Federal Headlines is a daily compilation of the stories you hear discussed on Federal News Radio each day. It is designed to give FederalNewsRadio.com reade...

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.

  • Federal agencies hired more women to new positions in 2000 than it has in 2012. The Merit System Protections Board said the number of new female hires fell from 43 percent in 2000 to 37 percent in 2012. (MSPB)
  • The Defense Department estimated its price tag for relatively low intensity operations against the Islamic State could be $3.8 billion. The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Asssessments said the estimate depends on the intensity of air operations and whether more ground troops are deployed. Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said DoD is shredding up its old budget for 2015 and starting over to pay for ISIL operations. The Pentagon said its operations cost anywhere between $7 million and $10 million a day. (Breaking Defense/DoD)
  • A senior Veterans Affairs Department procurement official has been cited for fraud and misuse of agency resources. The inspector general said Susan Taylor, the deputy chief procurement officer, improperly acted as an agent of the reverse auction firm FedBid. The IG said she used her position to promote and award a contract to FedBid, and that she tried to get rid of a subordinate member of the senior executive service who tried to end the contract. Taylor allegedly interfered with the IG investigation by lying about her involvement with the company and its executives. (VA Office of Inspector General)
  • The Defense Department is proposing new rules on companies who make loans to service members. The new rules would toughen a 2006 law that limits interest rates to 36 percent on certain types of short-term loans. Current language makes it easy for lenders to get around those terms. In some cases they can add $1 to the loan amount or add one day to the repayment period to get past the interest ceiling. The new rules would ensure more loans fall within the law’s coverage. (Federal News Radio)
  • The latest American exposed to Ebola has arrived at the National Institutes of Health. The patient, who remains unnamed, is a physician who volunteered in an Ebola treatment unit in Sierra Leone. The agency is taking precautionary measures. The patient has been admitted to the NIH Clinical Center’s special clinical studies unit. It is specifically designed to provide high-level isolation capabilities and is staffed by infectious disease and critical care specialists. (National Institutes of Health)
  • Air traffic in the Midwest region is slowly returning to normal after a fire destroyed equipment in a Chicago-area air traffic control facility. Reuters reports Harris Corporation employees were making repairs and installing new equipment over the weekend. The FAA said its O’Hare airport was up to 60 percent of its normal volume, and Midway up to 75 percent. The Friday blaze was allegedly set by a Harris employee who also tried to commit suicide. A spokesman said the employee has been fired. The Wall Street Journal reports the FAA switched air traffic control workloads to adjacent facilities in the region. The incident is under investigation by the FBI. (The Wall Street Journal)
  • A unit of the Broadcasting Board of Governors is consolidating two offices into one. By moving everyone into cubicles, it’s cutting space requirements in half and saving $2.8 million a year. Federal Times reports operations director Andre Mendes is moving in first. He’s giving up a 400-square foot office for a 70-square foot cubicle. The move affects the board’s Technology, Services and Innovation Team. Employees were split between two buildings in Southwest Washington. The target space at 330 Independence Ave. is under renovation. It will offer treadmill workstations and the option of stand-up desks. (Federal Times)

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