Thursday federal headlines – February 5, 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.

• The Office of Personnel Management received about 18,600 retirement claims in January. That’s just slightly fewer than the 19,000 claims OPM predicted it would receive. It processed about a little more than 7,600 applications this month. OPM has 22,000 claims are left in the inventory. January is often one of the more popular months for federal employees to choose to retire. (Federal News Radio)
• Defense Secretary nominee Ash Carter finally got to Capitol Hill for questioning by the Senate Armed Services Committee. He urged committee members to bring stability back to the military’s budget by getting rid of automatic spending cuts. Senators brought up several concerns about the lengthy acquisition process and the red-tape surrounding weapons sales to U.S. allies. Carter served earlier as the Pentagon’s acquisition chief. He said he shared the committee’s frustrations and would work to improve these processes. (Federal News Radio)
• Funding for the Homeland Security Department remains held up in the Senate. Members couldn’t agree on what should be included in the spending bill. Today the Senate is expected to hold a third vote in as many days on a bill that contains a rider meant to roll back President Barack Obama’s plan to provide deportation relief for undocumented immigrants. Meanwhile the money for DHS runs out on Feb. 27. (Federal News Radio)
• An influential congressman would support a federal pay raise, but said he wants something from federal employees in return. Oversight & Government Reform Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) said he wants help from the unions in rooting out bad apples. Chaffetz told the National Treasury Employees Union during its legislative conference, he’d like to see a swifter process for firing senior executives accused of wrongdoing. (Federal News Radio )
• IRS Commissioner John Koskinen told senators the proposed 2016 budget would help the agency restore service that’s been curtailed under its current funding level. The Obama administration has proposed a hefty increase for the IRS next year. Koskinen spoke to the Senate Finance Committee. He said the agency hit the ground running last month when the 2015 filing season opened. It’s received 16 million tax returns already. He said it took extra effort this year, in part because Congress was too late to finish tax-related legislation. Extra duties from the Affordable Care Act and Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act also hit the agency this year. (Federal News Radio )
• Food and Drug Administration chief Dr. Margaret Hamburg said she’ll leave the agency sometime in March. The FDA’s chief scientist, Dr. Stephen Ostroff, will become acting commissioner. The permanent job requires Senate confirmation. Hamburg joined FDA in 2009, early in the Obama administration. She had been the public health commissioner in New York City. She recently named Dr. Robert Cahill of Duke University as FDA’s deputy commissioner for medical products and tobacco. Passed over initially in favor of Hamburg, Cahill could become the nominee now. ( Federal News Radio)
• The Justice Department inspector general found that an International Criminal Police Organization executive broke ethics rules in seeking positions for his son, and others connected to his family. The IG’s report stated Warren Lewis exploited his position as Interpol Washington’s Executive Officer. The IG found Lewis arranged for his son to be given an internship and later a contract position, violating the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch. The report also criticized the actions of other Interpol Washington managers for their involvement in obtaining internships for people they knew. (Justice Department)
• The military services hope to hire up to 60 people each to beef up their cybersecurity capabilities. The 2016 budget request calls for $27 million among the Army, Navy and Air Force to help fill out the ranks of the U.S. Cyber Command. NextGov reports the Air Force would use operations and maintenance funds to create 39 cyber teams. The Navy would stand up nine cyber teams. The Army wants to hire 22 employees for what it calls the full spectrum of cyber operations. (Next Gov)
• Months after an Ebola outbreak sparked worldwide concerns, the U.S. military’s virus-related mission in Liberia is winding down. The Military Times reports the number of troops deployed to the country will drop to 1,300 this week and continue to decline through March. Nearly 3,000 troops were sent to Liberia in December. An official with knowledge of the government’s efforts tells the Military Times a force of about 100 troops will remain on hand for some time. (Military Times)
• The Government Publishing Office has trimmed its workforce by 5 percent through employee buyouts. During the first quarter of fiscal year 2014, 103 employees took the buyout. The last time GPO offered buyouts was in 2011, leading to a savings of around $24 million. The agency said it expects this current buyout will save around $7 million for the remainder of the fiscal year. GPO said it has reduced its workforce by 74 percent since 1980 through the use of new technologies. (Federal News Radio )

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