Friday federal headlines – May 29, 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 Defense Department wants some contractors to provide proof of delivery. The proposal published in the Federal Register applies mostly to the Defense Logistics Agency. DoD said the proposal will speed up the payment process and help the department avoid late charges. DLA pays about $800,000 dollars a year in interest because of late payments, according to the notice. The proposal comes a week after UPS agreed to pay $25 million to settle false delivery claims, including delayed deliveries to DoD. (GPO)
  • A House panel subpoenas the Office of Management and Budget for documents on a proposed new State Department facility. OMB wants to build a brand new facility at a military base in Virginia. But the House said using an existing training center in Georgia would cost much less. The Homeland Security Department runs that center. The House committee asked OMB for cost studies related to the two projects, but didn’t get the documents. That prompted the subpoena. Lawmakers want the documents by next Tuesday. (Federal News Radio)
  • The Agriculture Department said it’s saved nearly $1.5 billion since 2012. The savings come from the agency’s Blueprint for Stronger Service initiative. USDA consolidated office space and got rid of underused properties, saving nearly $300 million. The department said it’s also saved money by centralizing contracts, instead of having them go through individual component agencies. It’s still reducing the workforce through early retirement programs, so far saving nearly $150 million. In the next few months, USDA said it will work on strategic sourcing and streamlining property management. (USDA)
  • Congress is acting on lessons learned from last year’s government shutdown and employee furloughs. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) introduced a bill to make sure federal employees who are furloughed don’t receive state unemployment benefits on top of federal back pay. GovExec reports that last year, the Labor Department ruled state benefits must be returned if Congress grants back pay after a furlough. Brady’s bill would make it law. Earlier, Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) and Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) introduced a bill to let federal law enforcement officers keep and, if necessary, use their weapons during a furlough. (GovExec)
  • The Navy awards ViaSat a $479 million contract for radios to be delivered to all of the armed services. The devices are called Multifunctional Information Distribution System, Joint Tactical Radio System terminals. The line-of-sight radios are used on ships, airplanes and on the ground for secure, jamproof voice and data communications. The contract was awarded as a sole source, non- competitive deal by the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command. SPAWAR says ViaSat, of Carlsbad, California, was the only source capable of meeting the requirement. Funds will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. (DoD)
  • A Commerce Department employee is on leave because she’s believed to be a whistleblower. The allegation comes from Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas). Rochelle Cobb was a human resources staffer in the Commerce Department’s Inspector General Office for 14 years. She told the Washington Post she’d been on IG Todd Zinser’s “blacklist,” but doesn’t know why. Johnson is once again calling for the dismissal of Zinser. A few months ago, she wrote to President Obama, asking him to fire Zinser for alleged misconduct. She’s been investigating the IG for three years. (Washington Post)
  • A postal union wants the Federal Trade Commission to block a merger between Staples and Office Depot. The American Postal Workers Union published a report explaining why to block the proposed merger. It stated the merger would harm agencies, small businesses and consumers. Union President Mark Dimondstein said a Staples-Office Depot merger would create a monopoly and violate anti-trust laws. He said once the stores become a single company, competition won’t return. (APWU)
  • A second federal agency jumps in to help pick up the pieces after the Army accidentally shipped live anthrax spores to research labs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will investigate what went wrong at the Army’s Dugway Proving Ground in Utah That’s according to Army chief of staff General Ray Odierno. Samples ended up at 18 labs in nine states, plus an Army lab in South Korea. Last year, employees of the C-D-C itself were exposed to anthrax, forcing the agency to temporarily close its own labs. (Federal News Radio)
  • FCC chairman Tom Wheeler proposes extending a telephone subsidy program to broadband. Wheeler said low-income families should have greater access to broadband because of how important it has become to the economy. The so-called Lifeline program gives a $9.25 monthly credit to low-income households for telephone service. Under Wheeler’s proposal, those households could use it for Internet service instead. The program dates back to 1985. Some members of Congress have criticized it for being prone to fraud. (Federal News Radio)
  • U.S. Cyber Command promises a brand new solicitation for cybersecurity professional services. Last week it abandoned a $475 million posting for cyber and network defense experts. NextGov reports, Cyber Command seems to be responding to comments from industry on the solicitation it withdrew. It said it received significant interest along with technical and clarification questions from industry. Now, Cyber Command says it will re-issue the request for proposals before the September 30th end of the fiscal year. (NextGov)

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