Friday federal headlines – February 13, 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 latest viral video: President Barack Obama on “Things everybody does but doesn’t talk about.” The BuzzFeed video shows the President practicing a speech in the mirror, making funny faces and using a selfie stick. He even blames himself when something goes wrong, saying “Thanks, Obama.” The video is part of a promotion to get Americans to sign up on HealthCare.gov. Obama reminds viewers that the deadline is Feb. 15.. The video, posted yesterday on BuzzFeed, has 850,000 views so far. (BuzzFeed)
  • A panel investigating the Secret Service said agents are being trained at “unacceptable” levels. The independent panel, known as the the U.S. Secret Service Protective Mission Panel, was created after a fence jumper got inside the White House. Panelists said agency employees were stretched too thin. They received less training and were forced into more overtime — and that hurts morale. The uniformed officers spent on average 25 minutes of training in fiscal 2013. The Secret Service typically offers eight training classes per year. But it offered only one class in 2012 and 13 combined. The panel recommended the Secret Service hire 200 new uniformed officers and 85 special agents. (Gov Exec)
  • A new White House executive order is aiming to ease cybersecurity threat information sharing among companies and the federal government. President Barack Obama is expected to sign the order while conducting a cyber summit today in California. The order creates voluntary information sharing and analysis organizations among companies in a given industry. Bloomberg reported the order will give the Homeland Security Department authority to approve classified sharing deals. The White House has been alarmed by the number of big data security breaches hitting companies such as Home Depot, Target and Sony. The executive orders came the same week as the formation of a new office to streamline threat information collection by intelligence agencies. (Bloomberg Government)
  • The Defense Department approved hormone treatment for former intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning. The treatment would let Manning transition to a woman. The decision came after a lawsuit alleging Manning was at high risk for self- castration and suicide without proper treatment. The lawsuit said the Army was providing some treatment, but not enough. The Army private, formerly known as Bradley Manning, changed her legal name last April. She’s in prison for sending classified documents to WikiLeaks. (Federal News Radio)
  • Ashton Carter, the new Defense secretary, is facing a minefield of challenges when he starts his first day of work. He’ll have to help sell to Congress, President Barack Obama’s plan for new war powers for taking on the Islamic State. He’ll have to help justify a 2016 budget proposal that blows past spending ceilings Congress enacted two years ago. Carter will also have to forge productive relationships with White House insiders who advise the President on national security. That’s something former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was unable to do. Carter was confirmed yesterday on a 93 to 5 vote to become the 25th secretary of Defense. He’s the fourth Defense secretary in six years. (Federal News Radio)
  • Auditors found the Small Business Administration could improve oversight businesses in rural areas. The Historically Underutilized Business Zones, or HUB Zones, are based on demographics like unemployment and poverty. But the Government Accountability Office found weaknesses in how SBA certifies businesses. The agency doesn’t require firms that want to be recertified to submit any information showing they were still eligible. GAO said that increased the risk that ineligible firms would receive HUB Zone contracts. Auditors recommended SBA put in more controls and guidance for the recertification process. (GAO)
  • The General Services Administration is delaying by seven months the opening of its new Profession Services Schedule of contracts. Bloomberg reports the so- called super schedule will now open for business in October, not March as originally planned. Program Manager Tiffany Hixson said that’s because GSA has a big backlog of contracts to move into the schedule. She wanted the process to be smooth for contractors. When finished, the Professional Services Schedule, or PSS, will ingest some 5,000 contracts now in eight separate contract vehicles. (Bloomberg Government)
  • The White House opened a new round of competition for slots in the Presidential Innovation fellows program. It’s looking for people to work on projects in education, jobs and the economy, climate change, and health and patient care. Notice came in a blog post by Ryan Panchadsaram, the deputy chief technology officer and Garren Givens, director of the fellows program. They described the program as highly competitive. Innovation fellows work for 12 months as what Panchadsaram and Givens called entrepreneurs-in-residence. Fellows should have skills in software development, design and product management. (White House)

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