Tuesday federal headlines – March 3, 2015

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 in the Washington, D.C. area are open today, with the option of unscheduled leave or telework. There’s a winter weather advisory from noon to 10 p.m. tonight. (Federal News Radio)
  • Some good news might be coming for Homeland Security employees: It’s looking more likely that Congress will pass a clean funding bill this week, according to the Associated Press. House Speaker Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) and other GOP leaders aren’t saying what their next move might be. But Republican officials said they have limited options now. Democrats are refusing to pass a bill that includes a repeal of President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration. The continuing resolution that funds DHS runs out Friday at midnight. (Federal News Radio)
  • The Homeland Security Department has classified work activities as exempt or non-exempt to determine who might be furloughed in the event of a shutdown. DHS again faces the possibility of a shutdown this Friday. The agency said employees doing work classified as “exempt” will not be furloughed — 90 percent of employees at Customs and Border Protection and 94 percent at the Transportation Security Administration are exempt, while 88 percent of Coast Guard employees and 80 percent at Immigration and Customs Enforcement also will not be furloughed. But only 6 percent of employees at the Science and Technology Directorate are exempt. (Federal News Radio)
  • The longest serving woman in Congress will not seek re-election next year. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) has been an advocate for equal pay, health care and women’s rights. Mikulski said she wants to spend time campaigning for the people, not for herself. President Barack Obama said Mikulski is an inspiration to millions of women and girls to stand up and lead. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said Mikulski has been a “tireless champion” for NASA and helped pave the way for Mars exploration. Mikulski was first elected to Congress in 1976. (Federal News Radio/White House)
  • The House passed a bill that lets Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald take back bonus money awarded to senior executives. McDonald would have to give notice, but his word would be final. House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) sponsored the measure. He said, “Behind nearly every VA scandal, there’s a bonus.” He pointed out the department paid more than $380,000 in cash bonuses to hospital executives who are being investigated for delays in patient treatment. Miller also has proposed a bill that caps the percent of VA senior executives receiving top performance ratings and qualifying for bonuses at 30 percent. (Congress/Federal News Radio)
  • Dr. Robert Califf has joined the Food and Drug Administration as deputy commissioner. That’s after more than 30 years as a researcher and administrator at Duke University. Califf has served on committees that advise the FDA. He was also considered twice for commissioner of the agency. The announcement of Califf’s position comes shortly after FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg announced she’s leaving the agency. (Federal News Radio)
  • The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, is working on tools that will help fight the Islamic State group. DARPA’s technology looks for patterns across the Internet. It’s taking a lesson from its program Memex. The tool looks at links between websites and across the Internet. It was first used to help fight sex trafficking. DARPA’s director said the same concepts can apply to intelligence against Islamic State. She said Islamic State militants use infrastructure on the Internet in similar ways to those involved in human trafficking. (DoD)
  • The Government Accountability Office said the nation’s air traffic control system was at “increased and unnecessary risk” of being hacked. For example, the FAA has more than 100 computer systems to track and process flights worldwide. GAO said it’s hard to prevent and detect unauthorized access to them. It said the agency wasn’t doing enough, or moving quickly enough to plug security holes. Senators have sent a letter to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta asking for a full response to auditors’ recommendations. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx was scheduled to testify before the Senate panel at 9 a.m. today. (GAO)
  • A Republican and Democrat have teamed up to stop two new Defense Department policies that penalize employees who spend months on the road. Last fall, DoD told employees they would not find affordable lodging for them anymore. That’s the employees’ responsibility. The department also lowered the per diem allowance for those on long-term travel. Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.) and Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) said the Pentagon shouldn’t be putting the burden of spending cuts on the backs of workers. The National Federation of Federal Employees, which represents some defense workers, say the policies add up to $22.5 million. (Rep. Derek Kilmer )

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