Tuesday federal headlines – September 9, 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 new Veterans Affairs secretary said his staff has reached out to all veterans on waiting lists at the VA’s troubled Phoenix medical center. That’s where a whistleblower first exposed long delays in patient care, sparking a crisis for VA. In testimony prepared for a hearing today, Secretary Robert McDonald said the Phoenix hospital has hired 53 additional full-time employees to help with the patient backlog. He said staff had completed 150,000 appointments between May and July. McDonald said nationwide, the VA has reached out to more than a quarter million veterans to get them off waiting lists and into clinics. He’ll appear before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, his first testimony since being confirmed six weeks ago. (Federal News Radio)
  • President Barack Obama plans to widen air strikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Aides tell reporters, the President will consider expanding the air campaign to Syria, where ISIL has a safe haven. But Obama will continue to rule out ground troops to stop the terrorist army. The President will detail his plan to congressional leadership today. His biggest challenge may be getting local Sunni Arab nations such as Saudi Arabia to go along. Secretary of State John Kerry said almost every nation on earth has a role to play in eliminating the ISIL threat. A Central Command statement says Monday strikes near the Haditha Dam in Iraq killed as many as 70 ISIL fighters. (Associated Press)
  • The Obama administration renewed its request to Congress for more money to deal with illegal immigration. But Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said the worst is over now. He was referring to unaccompanied minors from Central America coming in through Mexico. Johnson said about 3,000 minors crossed in August. He said the crisis peaked in June when nearly 11,000 came in. Johnson said the department needs $1.2 billion more in 2015 than is currently slated for DHS. He said the department has been reprogramming hundreds of millions of dollars this year to cover costs at the border. (Associated Press)
  • The Postal Service received a big endorsement from a powerful senator. That’s according to The National Postal Mail Handlers Union. Senate Major Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) added his signature to a memo from more than 50 other senators. They demanded that Congress block the closures and cuts for one full year by including a ban in annual appropriations legislation. The senators said the one-year ban would give Congress the time it needs to enact the comprehensive postal reforms that are necessary for the Postal Service to function effectively into the future. Congress must pass appropriations legislation or a continuing resolution before the end of September or risk a government shutdown. (National Postal Mail Handlers Union)
  • For nearly a decade, the Homeland Security Department has stockpiled supplies to deal with a pandemic. But the Inspector General has found, the purchases were will-nilly, sometimes without regard to requirements. As a result, thousands of items have gone stale. IG John Roth found that most of the 300,000 doses of anti-virus medicine will expire next year. Thousands of bottles of hand sanitizer expired years ago, as did 200,000 respirators. The department bought millions of surgical masks it may never need. The IG also found the department can’t account for much of the $47 million it spent. (DHS Inspector General)
  • The military might have found a reason to celebrate. Fewer recruits looking to enter the military have tested positive for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus in 2013 than ever before. The Pentagon began testing in 1985. Military.com reported, a medical report conducted by the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center showed a steady decline in newly infected active- duty troops from 2012. And during the last 18 months, no women on active duty were infected. But, there was a rise in HIV infections among soldiers in the Army National Guard since 2010. (Military.com)

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