Friday federal headlines – March 27, 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.

  • The Senate approved its budget plan on a vote of 52 to 46. The vote was largely on party lines. It came after several hours of debates on amendments to the budget. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) abstained from voting on the plan. The House approved its budget Wednesday, also along party lines. (Federal News Radio)
  • Government records show the Pentagon is forcing special operations troops to use flawed intelligence software. The Defense Department prefers troops to use its in-house system. That’s despite requests from the troops for commercial software developed by Silicon Valley company Palantir. The firm has created software and synthesized data for government agencies, including the CIA and Navy SEALs. The Army said its policy is to grant all requests for Palantir. But an Associated Press investigation found, the Army has only approved two of those requests, and it’s still pushing special ops to use the in-house system. (Federal News Radio)
  • A group of congressmen wants to reform the Secret Service. The bill puts in place some of the recommendations from an independent panel reviewing the agency. The review comes after a series of blunders at the Secret Service, including a White House fence jumper and two agents who allegedly ran a car into a barrier. Rep. Mike McCaul (R-Texas), one of the bill’s sponsors, said the measure strengthens security of the President and at the White House. Other sponsors include Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), John Conyers (D-Mich.), Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) and Sheila Jackson Lee (D- Texas). The bill would also enhance training for Secret Service agents and make the agency more transparent. (House Homeland Security Committee)
  • The head of the Chemical Safety Board resigned amid pressure from the White House and both parties in Congress. The White House asked Chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso to step down. Many staff members alleged he mi-managed the board and caused stress among employees. Some lawmakers charged he stood in the way of the Environmental Protection Agency’s inspector general investigations. A recent EPA IG report found Moure-Eraso used personal email for official business. He had led the agency since 2010. The Board investigates chemical incidents and issues recommendations to improve them. (GovExec)
  • The Drug Enforcement Administration is in trouble with the Justice Department inspector general. The IG said DEA agents attended sex parties on government-leased property while stationed overseas. The parties were allegedly paid for by drug cartels. The IG said that between 2009 and 2012, drug agents also engaged in sexual harrassment. That allegedly included sex between training instructors and students and between supervisors and subordinates. The IG said incidents occurred not only at DEA but also at the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Marshals Service. Trying to investigate allegations of bad behavior, the IG said it had trouble getting information out of both DEA and FBI officials. (Federal News Radio)
  • Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is questioning whether the Air Force has reduced its headquarters staff as required in a 2013 order from then-Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. The chairman of the Armed Services Committee said all the Air Force did was move people from the Pentagon to subordinate commands. In a letter to Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, McCain said the Air Force produced no actual staff reductions and no actual savings. An Air Force spokesman told GovExec, the shifting around of positions was always part of the reduction plan. And that the subordinate headquarters are essential to the consolidation process. (Senate Armed Services Committee)
  • NASA awarded 85 companies a spot on its multi-billion dollar SEWP-V procurement contract. The list includes some large resellers such as CDW-G, immixGrou, and Red River, as well as some large manufacturers including Dell, General Dynamics, Hewlett Packard and IBM. More awards are to come. The SEWP program office has yet to announce winners of the Service-Disabled, Veteran-owned small business awards, and of general small businesses. SEWP-5 replaces SEWP-IV, which expires April 30. The new edition of the popular governmentwide acquisition vehicle was originally awarded last year, but was delayed by protests. Program manager Joannne Woytek appeared on the Federal Drive earlier this month with some new features of SEWP-V. (Federal News Radio)
  • Maryland officials misallocated more than $28 million of federal funds used to build the state’s health insurance exchange. And now the Health and Human Services inspector general said Maryland should return the money. The IG report will be published today. The Wall Street Journal received an advance copy. It reports, the Inspector General said Maryland should have used less of a federal grant and more of the state’s Medicaid program money to build the site. Maryland’s site received national attention when it launched in October 2013 because it was more bug-ridden than even the federal site. (The Wall Street Journal)

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