Wednesday federal headlines – December 3, 2014

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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 Senate confirmed Nani Coloretti to be the deputy secretary of the Housing and Urban Development Department. Coloretti had been the assistant secretary of the Treasury Department before joining HUD. (HUD)
• The Federal Information Technology Reform Act will be included in the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act. FITARA would give agency chief information officers more budgeting programming and procurement responsbilities. The bill doesn’t exclude agencies from having more than one CIO, but the main CIO is in charge of signing off on major contracts. (Nextgov)
• House and Senate negotiators have reached agreement on a $585 billion defense policy bill for 2015. It includes a 1 percent pay raise for troops. It gives the President two years of authority to equip and train Syrian rebels battling the Bashar Assad regime. And it includes $5 billion the administration sought to continue the fight against the Islamic State. The base budget authorized is $521 billion. Another $64 billion is designated for overseas contingency operations. Also included is an information technology acquisition reform provision. The House is expected to vote on the bill this week, the Senate next week. (Federal News Radio)
• Official word on the nomination of Ashton Carter for Defense Secretary is expected this week. The former deputy secretary is well known to the military leadership thanks to his civilian Pentagon service dating back to the 1970s. A physicist, the former Harvard professor received high marks for deep knowledge of the military bureaucracy and the weapons systems it operates. Sen. Carl Levin (D- Mich.), chairman of the Armed Services Committee, and ranking member Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) both expressed support for Carter’s nomination. (Federal News Radio)
• China and maybe one or two other countries are capable of shutting down the U.S. electrical grid with a cyber attack. That’s according to Adm. Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Agency and head of U.S. Cyber Command. He told the House intelligence committee that adversaries are routinely probing systems controlling critical infrastructure. Not just the electrical grid but also industrial control systems and water treatment plants. He said it’s only a matter of when we’ll see something dramatic. Rogers told lawmakers the Obama administration is trying to establish international principles governing military cyber operations. (Federal News Radio)
• A multi-billion-dollar defense bill proposed by Congress includes more steps to combat military sexual assaults. A bipartisan group of senators said recent reforms haven’t been enough to improve how the military handles sexual assault cases. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) is chief sponsor of the Military Justice Improvement Act. She pushed for the measure to be tacked on to a defense authorization bill that must be approved by the end of the year. Gillibrand said she will consider whether to use the issue to hold up confirmation of a new defense secretary. (Federal News Radio)
• President Barack Obama is sitting for a different kind of portrait. The Wall Street Journal reports Obama became the first President to be digitally scanned and 3-D printed into a bust. The Smithsonian set up 50 LED lights, 14 cameras and a structured light 3-D camera at the White House. The lights and cameras together created a digital model of Obama’s face. The team then used a 3-D printer to create the bust. The Smithsonian said inspiration for the project comes from the Lincoln life mask in the National Portrait Gallery. (Wall Street Journal)
• Draft rules for the self-plus-one health benefit have come out from the Office of Personnel Management. When finalized, they’ll add a third option for federal employees. That option will be available in next year’s open enrollment, along with the existing single and family plans. Self-plus-one was proposed by President Barack Obama and approved by Congress nearly a year ago. Under the proposed rule, the government will pay about three-quarters of average premiums for the employee and the eligible family member he or she designates. (Federal News Radio)
• The Air Force charged a nuclear missile launch officer with illegal drug use and obstruction of justice. Second Lt. Nicole Dalmazzi is the first missileer to be charged since the investigation was made public in January. Four missileers, including Dalmazzi, are subjects of the drug probe. That same investigation led to disclosure of an exam-cheating scandal within the nuclear force. Dalmazzi is an officer at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana. Malmstrom Spokesman Josh Aycock said Dalmazzi dyed her hair to alter results of hair- follicle drug tests. Her court martial is scheduled for Jan. 21. (Federal News Radio)
• The Air Force Secretary said Chuck Hagel’s departure from the Pentagon won’t slow reforms to the nuclear force. Outgoing Defense Secretary Hagel announced three weeks ago that he wanted top-to-bottom changes in the nuclear force. He wanted to change how the Air Force operates and manages its nuclear force. Hagel’s agenda includes spending billions of dollars on the force over the next five years. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said she’s not concerned about losing momentum on Hagel’s plan. James expects Ashton Carter, who’s likely to be the next Defense Secretary, to support Hagel’s changes. (Federal News Radio)

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