Friday Morning Federal Newscast – January 21st

The Morning Federal Newscast is a daily compilation of the stories you hear Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Amy Morris discuss throughout the show each day. The Newscast is designed to give FederalNewsRadio.com users more information about the stories you hear on the air.

• A new deficit reduction plan would directly affect the federal workforce. Republican lawmakers have introduced a plan to freeze federal pay for the next five-years. The plan also call for more workforce cuts and closing agencies to reign in government spending. The 2011 Spending Reduction Act will be proposed officially on Monday.
• Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, have announced their picks for subcommittee ranking members. Representative Stephen Lynch will be the top Democrat on the subcommittee responsible for federal workers, the U.S. Postal Service and labor policy. Representative Ed Towns will be ranking member on the subcommittee for government operations and financial management. And Representative Danny Davis will be the top Democrat on the subcommittee handling issues related to health care, the District of Columbia, the Census Bureau and the National Archives.
• The Army is getting a new Chief Information Officer. Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Major General Susan Lawrence will take up the position. The Army has been without a CIO since Lieutenant General Jeffery Sorenson retired in November. Lawrence will be promoted to Lieutenant General. She’s been working in the Pentagon on a special project assignment since September, pending her nomination. Lawrence is the former head of the Army Network Enterprise Technology Command.
• You can’t see them, but they can see you. NOAA satellites, that is. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration claims its eyes in the sky assisted in the rescue of 295 people last year. The satellites picked up distress signals from emergency beacons. Beacons are carried by airplane pilots, boaters and hikers. NOAA relays their locations to rescuer crews. NOAA’s polar-orbiting birds work in cooperation with satellites operated by Russia.
• The Army will award a sole-source contract to a Russian manufacturer to supply helicopters to the Afghanistan military. Delivery of 21 helicopters will come through Russian’s arms export agency. The Wall Street Journal reports, the purchase of the choppers is part of the Obama administration’s attempt to re-set relations with Russia. The export agency had been sanctioned for selling arms to Iran, but the administration lifted the ban in June. Spare parts and maintenance accompany the purchase of the Soviet-era helicopters.
• The Securities and Exchange Commission is getting a new neighbor at Constitution Square. The Washington Business Journal reports the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency plans to lease about 600,000 square feet of office space in the same building that the SEC leased last year. The OCC is currently located on E street in SouthWest. About a thousand OCC and former Office of Thrift Supervision workers will move into the new space in the fall of 2012.
• The National Institute of Health is looking to expand. The General Services Administration is looking for 491,000 square feet of office space in Montgomery County. The Washington Business Journal reports the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is looking for a couple of adjacent buildings, near a metro, restaurants, and retail. Proposals are due February 25th.
• One of the country’s largest food manufacturers is volunteering for a federal program to cut back the hiring of illegal immigrants. Tyson Foods has been a target of raids by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Now it will enroll in E-Verify, an online program that checks the status of employees against a database. Tyson managers will also undergo training, and allow ICE inspectors on site, to comb its employment records. The company employs 100,000 people.

More news links

Makers of mobile homes for FEMA near settlement

Blackwater Founder Said to Back Mercenaries (NYTimes)

Union sues over Haley’s remarks about Boeing plant

Bye Bye Blackbird: USDA acknowledges a hand in one mass bird death (CSMonitor)

THIS AFTERNOON ON FEDERAL NEWS RADIO

Coming up today on The DorobekInsider:

** We’re going to talk to city officials in Copenhagen. They have created what they call a visual idea map — a pretty interesting way of sharing information.

** How can you be a change agent? We’re going to talk to the author of the book Practically Radical about some not-so-crazy ways to transform your organization.

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