Thursday federal headlines – March 12, 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 salaries over $100,000 a year could receive an 8.7 percent cut. That’s according to a new bill from Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.). The Promotion Accountability in Decisions for Progress Act would cut salaries for civilians and elected officials, but not active-duty members of the military. (Federal News Radio)
• The Government Accountability Office returns about $100 for every $1 invested in the GAO. U.S. Comptroller Gene Dodaro is asking Congress for $31 million more next fiscal year. A Deloitte study found recommendations from GAO are 81 percent successful at bringing targeted change at federal agencies. (Federal News Radio)
• Two Secret Service employees are under investigation by the Homeland Security Department inspector general. The two crashed a car into a White House barrier, allegedly after a night of drinking. The investigation of the March 4 incident was ordered by Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy. In the meantime, the two have been assigned to non-supervisory and non-operational jobs. The Washington Post identified them as Mark Connolly and George Ogilvie. Connolly is the second in command of President Barack Obama’s security detail. Ogilvie is a senior supervisor in the Washington field office. It’s the latest in a string of incidents that have put the Secret Service under a congressional microscope. (Federal News Radio)
• Defense Secretary Ash Carter urged Congress to pass President Barack Obama’s request for new authorization to use military force against the Islamic State. He testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Carter said he believes the request meets two important criteria. First, it gives enough authority and flexibility for a wide range of military actions. And two, it sends a message to troops that the country is behind them. Carter said the authorization would not allow long-term, large-scale offensive ground combat operations like those of Iraq and Afghanistan. Carter testified along with Secretary of State John Kerry and Joint Chief Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey. (DoD)
• The top military officer said he’s worried about Iran-backed militias in Iraq. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, along with Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Ash Carter, testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the President’s proposal to fight the Islamic State militants. Dempsey said right now, Iran is helpful in fighting against the Islamic State groups. But once they are defeated, Dempsey said Iranian militias could undermine efforts to unify Iraq. That’s because of ongoing tension between Shiites in Iran and Sunnis and Kurds in Iraq. Military officials said they’ll watch for any signs of ethnic cleansing. So far they don’t see any indication of genocide happening in Iraq. (Federal News Radio)
• The IRS said it has $1 billion in unclaimed tax refunds from the 2011 filing season. Commissioner John Koskinen told a million taxpayers to come forward and claim the refunds before the three-year window closes on April 15. Otherwise, the money becomes property of the Treasury Department. Koskinen said some taxpayers could be missing out on a substantial refund, especially students and part-time employees. The agency estimates half of the refunds are more than $700. (IRS)
• A Veterans Affairs investigation found a “culture of fear” at a facility in Wisconsin. The agency found unsafe clinical practices at the Tomah medical center, including over-prescribing pain pills to veterans. Patients even dubbed the center “Candy Land.” The investigation revealed unnecessarily high doses of opiods, depressants and other medications. VA Interim Undersecretary for Health Carolyn Clancy said some cases of patient harm at the facility could be partially attributed to high doses of medication. VA’s investigation found compromised patient care has impacted staff satisfaction and morale. VHA continues to investigate the facility. (VA)
• The Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection have seized 1,300 pounds of marijuana. The crews found a boat carrying the packages off the coast of San Diego. Three people were on board the boat. They attempted to flee and throw the packages overboard when the Coast Guard response boat approached. The Coast Guard has detained the suspects. (Coast Guard)
• The Defense Department said it’s on track to launch an un-hackable Boeing drone by 2018. NextGov reports defense industry programmers are working to encapsulate the drone’s communications computer. That way, hackers can’t steer the helicopter drone off course. The concept of an unhackable device isn’t new. Last May, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency successfully flew a drone with similar technology. DARPA said Boeing’s little bird drone would replicate those techniques to create secure code at full scale. (Next Gov)
• Lawmakers criticized guidelines that restrict federal law enforcement agencies from racial profiling. Their gripe: The rules don’t go far enough. Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) chairs the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. She and leaders of the congressional black, Hispanic and progressive caucuses sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder. The letter urged the Justice Department to remove loopholes from the guidelines. The rules ban routine racial profiling based on religion, nationality, gender and sexual orientation. But the policy exempts many Homeland Security agents, including those who screen at airports and at U.S. borders. (Federal News Radio)
• The General Services Administration is losing the head of its famed 18-F innovation lab. Executive Director Greg Godbout will be stepping down in early April. He’ll be taking another, so-far-unnamed government job. Deputy Aaron Snow will become acting executive director. Godbout came to GSA after a stint as a 2013 Presidential Innovation Fellow. He’s also owner of the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse. His departure notice came just as GSA’s chief information officer, Sonny Hashmi, confirmed his departure for the private sector. Cheryl Cook has left as the politically appointed CIO of the Agriculture Department. Joyce Hunter is acting CIO. (Federal News Radio )
• Email problems at the State Department weren’t confined to former Secretary Hillary Clinton. A new inspector general report showed many employees failed to preserve email as required by federal records retention rules. The IG found, in 2013 only 42,000 emails were marked for preservation, out of more than 1 billion sent. Employees did only slightly better in 2011, when they saved 61,000 emails. The IG recommends better training and sharper guidelines. The report noted that in 2009, State upgraded its system for preserving email as public records. (State Department OIG/Federal News Radio )

Copyright © 2024 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.