Thursday federal headlines – October 23, 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.

  • The Homeland Security Department Acting Undersecretary for Management is leaving. Chris Cummiskey is leaving for the private sector after 24 years in government. His last day is Oct. 31. Russell Deyo was nominated back in August to be the permanent undersecretary. Deyo is waiting for Senate confirmation. (Federal News Radio)
  • The Office of Special Counsel won a gender identity discrimination case for Army civilian Tamara Lusardi. Lusardi said the Army stopped giving her work, called her by her birth name and used male pronouns after she announced plans to transition from male to female. OSC said the Army agreed to hold workplace diversity and sensitivity training for Army supervisors. (OSC)
  • The FBI is changing the way it deals with whistleblowers. New rules make it easier for employees to report wrongdoing. The Wall Street Journal reports they’ll have access to witnesses in cases that involve hearings or depositions, and they can receive compensation if their allegations prove out. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R- Iowa) is a longtime critic of how the FBI handles whistleblowers. He said the changes outline why a Justice Department official could help. The unnamed officials say the rule changes were devised by a multi-agency working group. (The Wall Street Journal)
  • The Homeland Security inspector general is calling action taken by the Secret Service’s deputy director a serious lapse in judgment. The incident happened more than three years ago, when A.T. Smith was the assistant director of investigations. He ordered an agent posted near the White House to drive to La Plata, Maryland, to check out a dispute a third agent was having with a neighbor. The IG found no legal justification for using the Secret Service in this way. DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson asked acting Secret Service director Joe Clancy to take any appropriate disciplinary action. The IG report came on the same day agents apprehend a man who jumped the White House fence, the second such breach in a month. (Federal News Radio)
  • The military is beefing up security at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery. The security boost followed shootings yesterday in Canada’s capital city of Ottawa, where a Canadian soldier at the National War Memorial was killed. Canadian authorities say shots were also fired inside the Parliament, and at least one gunman was killed. The FBI and Homeland Security Department say no specific threats exist against the U.S, but a statement from the FBI reminds federal agencies and field offices to stay alert. (Federal News Radio)
  • Christmas is two months away, but some feds are already making their wish list for Santa. One federal employee asked President Barack Obama to close federal offices on Dec. 26. That’s a Friday this year, which would give feds a four- day weekend. The employee launched a petition on “We the People” on WhiteHouse.gov. The petition says the extra day off would boost morale. It needs 100,000 signatures by Nov. 19, requiring 94,000 more people need to sign to meet that goal. In 2012, when Christmas fell on a Tuesday, Obama gave feds the day off on Monday. ( Federal News Radio)
  • The Ebola scare in the United States may have subsided, but the military is just getting started in West Africa. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey sent a video message to U.S. troops, calling the Ebola fight a U.S. national security priority. He promised the Defense Department will protect the health and safety of troops working in the affected areas. He said they’ll have daily temperature checks and 21-day monitoring after their last possible exposure. Six hundred and thirty-two troops are now in the region, the bulk of them in the Liberian capital of Monrovia. Up to 4,000 troops could deploy. A 30-member domestic Ebola response team started its training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Its mission is to respond to cases of Ebola that still may occur in the United States. (DoD)
  • Despite bid protests, NASA will use contractors to send astronauts to the International Space Station. The agency awarded spots to Boeing and Space-X on the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract. The goal is to end U.S. reliance on Russia by 2017. Losing bidder Sierra Nevada Corporation filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office. But NASA will move forward in working with Boeing and Space-X, saying delays could create safety concerns for the International Space Station crew. GAO will still consider Sierra Nevada’s bid protest. (NASA)
  • The White House is renewing the battle against an old enemy — improper federal payments. The latest move comes in the form of a rewrite of Appendix C to Circular A-123, the document that defines agency financial controls. One big change is establishment of an improper payment reporting matrix that is common across the government. Agencies will also be required to summarize their controls, to comply with the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Improvement Act. Office of Management and Budget Director Shaun Donovan said the new procedures are aimed at making compliance less burdensome. The rate of improper payments has been steadily dropping since 2009, according to administration estimates. (Federal News Radio)
  • Immigration and Customs Enforcement returns 25 Peruvian artifacts to the country’s government. Items included colonial-era paintings from the Peruvian city of Cusco and Incan artifacts that were looted from Peruvian graves. The cultural treasures were illegally smuggled into the U.S. ICE seized the artifacts through four separate investigations. ICE Director Thomas Winkowski said the items belong to the people of Peru, and not to a private collection or owner. ICE has returned more than 7,000 artifacts to 27 countries since 2007. (ICE)

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