Tuesday federal headlines – January 27, 2015

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 employees got an extra two hours this morning. The Office of Personnel Management said employees could arrive at work no more than two hours later than normal. They could also take unscheduled leave or telework if they’re eligible. In Baltimore, Federal Executive Board agencies opened at 10 a.m. Employees could take unscheduled leave or unscheduled telework. A winter weather advisory ended at 10 a.m. this morning. Our sister station WTOP wants to see your commute. Tweet photos with the hashtag WTOP. (Federal News Radio )
• A former Army prosecutor has been found guilty of rape and other sexual assault charges against multiple victims. Maj. Erik Burris will serve 20 years in prison. He has been dismissed from the service and told to forfeit all pay. When he was charged, he was the chief of military justice for the 82nd Airborne, meaning he supervised other military prosecutors handling criminal cases, including sexual assault. His court-martial lasted six days at Fort Bragg. The military has been under pressure to clamp down on sexual assault. (Stars and Stripes)
• A government employee came forward to say he was the one who flew the drone that crashed yesterday on the White House grounds, and it was an accident. He came to the Secret Service after hearing media reports about the crash. He said he was just having fun and did not mean to fly it over the White House. The Obama Administration is in the midst of drafting rules for drone operations. It got an up-close reminder of the potential security concerns. For the Secret Service, the crash is just the latest in a string of security breaches at the White House.
  ( Washington Post)
• The head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff called sequestration “absolutely crazy.” Gen. Martin Dempsey said sequestration hurts national security and makes it impossible for the U.S. to meet global commitments. The Defense Department postponed maintenance on some of its ships and airplanes because of sequestration cuts. Dempsey said the world is more dangerous since sequestration cuts were put in place in 2011. The Islamic State group, instability in Ukraine and Ebola cases in West Africa are a just a few examples. (DoD)
• A former CIA officer was convicted for leaking national defense information to the media. Jeffrey Sterling told a New York Times reporter a decade ago about a secret mission to disrupt Iran’s nuclear program. The CIA’s plan was to give Iran deliberately flawed blueprints. The hope was that Iran would try to develop nuclear parts based on the blueprints, but they wouldn’t work. Attorney Gen. Eric Holder called Sterling’s conviction a “just and appropriate outcome.” Sterling’s sentencing is scheduled for April. He will have the option to appeal the case after that. (DoJ)
• A new report confirmed Americans aren’t too pleased with Washington. The American Customer Satisfaction Index showed public satisfaction with federal services dropped for the second year in a row, down to 64.4 percent. The report authors said agencies dealing with budget cuts have been so frugal that they’ve hurt customers. The Defense Department received the highest score, followed by the Agriculture Department. The Treasury Department, which includes the IRS, had the lowest score. (Federal News Radio)
• U.S. Special Operations forces in Africa are getting ready for one of their biggest events of the year. Flintlock brings together 1,300 African, NATO and U.S forces for joint training exercises. Defense News reports the Special Operations Command trains troops to operate in a post-Afghanistan and Iraq world. The goal of the event is to improve interoperability, communication and humanitarian response. Chad will host Flintlock this year, which starts Feb. 16. The exercises will also take place in Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon and Tunisia. Flintlock helps build relationships between West African nations. (Defense News)
• The U.S. Agency for International Development suspended awards with a long-term contractor. An agency review fould serious misconduct in the contractor’s performance, management and internal controls. USAID has given company International Relief and Development more than $1 billion for its work in Afghanistan and Iraq. The company received nearly $30 million from the agency last year. USAID plans to try and recover mismanaged awards, which could total millions of dollars. The agency’s office of inspector general will investigate the contractor. (Federal News Radio /USAID)

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