Wednesday federal headlines – November 26, 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.

  • Forge.mil is back up after an automated script accidentally shut down all Forge systems. The Defense Information Systems Agency said trouble with its backup systems delayed the time it took to bring back Forge.mil systems. (Nextgov)
  • A leading candidate to succeed Chuck Hagel as Defense secretary has reportedly taken herself out of the running. Sources tell the Associated Press Michele Flournoy does not wish to be considered for the job. Flounoy served as under secretary of Defense for Policy during President Barack Obama’s first term. She is now back at the Center for a New American Security. Remaining candidates include former deputy secretary Ashton Carter, and the current number two, Robert Work. Another possibility is Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. But a Johnson nomination could spark an ugly confirmation fight because of his role in crafting the president’s immigration plan. (Federal News Radio)
  • Congressional Republicans are considering a hybrid approach to avoiding a government shutdown but also stopping President Barack Obama’s immigration plan. The Wall Street Journal reports they are studying a so-called “cromnibus.” The bill would fund the government for the rest of 2015 except for the Homeland Security Department. DHS would stay on a short-term continuing resolution as a way to keep U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services from carrying out Obama’s executive action. Members find they can’t de-fund USCIS directly because it pays for itself with user fees. (Wall Street Journal)
  • A new bill would allow the Veterans Affairs Department to recommend medical marijuana for some patients. VA’s current policy prohibits doctors from prescribing marijuana as a treatment option. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) is one sponsor of the Veterans Equal Access Act. He said medical marijuana could help veterans suffering from physical pain, post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. Blumenauer said prescribed access to the drug would let wounded warriors “survive and thrive.” (Rep. Earl Blumenauer)
  • The Pentagon issued a $500,000 contract for a protective bubble for Ebola patients. USA Today reports San-Francisco-based company Otherlab will develop a “Care Cube” for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The portable bubble would envelope infected patients and allow caregivers to work without wearing hazmat suits. DARPA said the cube is a long-term version of bubbles used now to transport patients in airplanes. Ebola patients will be able to remain in the Care Cube for up to 10 days. Doctors can care for patients inside the cube, which will eliminate issues caused by faulty hazmat suits. DARPA wants the Care Cube ready by January. (USA Today )
  • Senior federal managers will soon have more to fret about when their annual performance evaluations come up. The Office of Personnel Management, together with the Presidential Personnel Office, will propose that Senior Executive Service members get rated partly on their employee engagement scores. Those scores are based on the annual employee viewpoint survey done by OPM. Last year’s average score of 63 reflects a drift downward in employee satisfaction. OPM analysts are able to pinpoint scores for individual bureaus and therefore the person in charge. OPM and the White House are telling deputy secretaries to lead review of their agencies’ results by the end of the calendar year. (Federal News Radio)
  • Service members can get worse postings than isolation following a tour in West Africa. Those returning to the United States from the Ebola fight are required to undergo 21 days of isolation. The Defense Department provides them with pretty nice digs. Returnees spend their time at one of five bases. At Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, they occupy a 21-building compound equipped with big-screen TVs, game nights, even an outdoor fire pit. There’s a well-equipped gym and recreation center. Those in isolation get to choose three hot meals a day. Tomorrow they’ll be served a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and the chance to participate in a foot race or football game. The 90 service members at Langley-Eustis are among the first to return from Liberia and Senegal. (Federal News Radio)
  • The 3-D printer aboard the International Space Station popped out its first creation. The object is a plastic, rectangular faceplate for the printer itself. A 3-D printer in space allows designs made on Earth to be digitally beamed to the space station. The physical object then prints in a few hours. Before then, 3-D printers created tools and parts on Earth and a rocket then launched them into space. NASA plans to print 20 more objects in the space station in the next few weeks. Some day, the space agency hopes to use 3-D printers to make replacement parts for broken equipment in space. (Federal News Radio)
  • Feds enrolled in the Federal Employee Health Benefits program are highly satisified with their health insurance, according to a recent poll. Media company Morning Consult surveyed 500 current and retired feds who receive health insurance through the program. Nearly 40 percent of respondents said they’re extremely satisfied with their health care coverage and 45 percent said they’re very satisfied. FEHB participants were also pleased with the variety and value of their health plans. Eighty-percent of those surveyed were extremely or very satisfied with the number of health plan choices offered. And nearly three- quarters were extremely or very satisfied with the value of their health plans. (The Morning Consult)

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