Tuesday federal headlines – March 24, 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 Defense Department inspector general has reversed a decision on the clean financial audit it issued for the Marine Corps in fiscal year 2012. It was the first clean opinion any of the military services had ever gotten in DoD’s history. The IG said it found transactions that weren’t accounted for in the Marine Corps’ schedule of budgetary activity. (Federal News Radio)
• A new bill seeks to improve mental health care for members of the National Guard and Reserve. Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) introduced the CARE for Reservists Act. Under the measure, the Defense Department would fund care related to behavioral or mental health. That’s regardless of whether the reservist is within the pre-deployment window. Right now, reservists get annual health assessments funded by DoD, but they have to pay for follow-up care at their own expense. Tester said members of the Guard and Reserve often live far away from military bases, and they struggle to access the same care as active duty members. The bill would let reservists use veteran medical centers for health screenings and counseling. (Jon Tester)
• James Springs became the new inspector general of the National Archives and Records Administration. The agency has come into the spotlight recently following reports that State Department employees failed to archive several emails. Spring has been acting IG since September 2012. He assumed that role when his predecessor, Paul Brachfeld, was placed on administrative leave. Brachfeld was under investigation for inappropriate conduct. He allegedly made insensitive comments about women and racial minorities. Brachfeld announced last year he plans to retire. (NARA/The Hill)
• A group affiliated with the Islamic State militants posted online the personal details and photos of a 100 American service members. The group called on its “brothers in America” to kill the troops. They were involved in the airstrike campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Defense officials said they were looking into the incident and will contact families of the individuals on the list. An official told ABC News, the FBI is aware of the post and monitoring the situation. (WTOP)
• The recently resigned director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will work for the NFL. B. Todd Jones will serve as the NFL’s special counsel for investigations. He’ll oversee player discipline and the league’s new personal conduct policy. The role will include fining and suspending violators of the policy. Anonymous sources told the Associated Press, Jones will start the new job in April. (Federal News Radio)
• The Defense Department plans to start training members of the Ukraine National Guard next month. Army Col. Steve Warren said the goal is to strengthen Ukraine’s internal defense capabilities as part of a long-term strategy. The Pentagon will send 290 U.S. troops to the country for the training. The training mission will provide non-lethal equipment to Ukranian forces. That includes field uniforms, body armor, night-vision devices and radios. A Pentagon spokeswoman said the training and equipping will cost about $19 million. (Defense)
• House Democrats released their own version of a fiscal year 2016 budget. It matches the White House request in some ways, but differs slightly in health care policy implementation and Medicare benefits. It would appropriate $3.7 trillion and add $6 trillion to the national debt over the next 10 years. Unlike the Republican plan, it would increase both domestic and military program spending. It leaves open the possibility for a 3.8 percent raise for federal employees. President Barack Obama has promised to veto any spending bills that retain sequestration limits. (Federal News Radio)
• House Republicans are thinking about a plan to re-do the popular G-Fund in the Thrift Savings Plan. They said the idea could save $32 billion over 10 years. In their 2016 Budget Committee report, the Republicans pointed out the G-Fund operates like a short term security, with principal and interest guaranteed by the Treasury. But it pays out the rates of a long term bond. The report suggested basing the G-Fund interest rate on a three-month average instead of the four-year average it uses now. Kim Weaver of the Thrift Savings Plan said, that would drop the G-Fund returns to near zero. She planned to raise an objection with Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform committee. (Federal News Radio)
• Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the Defense Department will seek funding to boost Afghanistan’s forces as the United States withdraws. He said the aim was to sustain an Afghan end strength of 352,000 troops through 2017. Carter said that was the force coalition commanders believe is necessary to make sure security gains in that country are lasting. As part of the initiative, the U.S.-Afghanistan Security Consultative Forum will be reinstated after a three-year hiatus. At the Camp David announcement, Secretary of State John Kerry said Afghanistan would receive $800 million in civilian aid. That would go to helping strengthen its public institutions. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah are scheduled to meet with President Barack Obama today at the White House. (Defense)
• The Federal Trade Commission is forming a new office to concentrate on information technologies that can bite consumers. The Office of Technology Research and Investigation will be added to the Bureau of Consumer Protection. In a blog post, bureau director Jessica Rich said the new office would replace the Mobile Technology Unit. It’ll incorporate expertise on privacy, data security, connected cars and homes, and the Internet of Things. The FTC’s chief technology officer, Ashkan Soltani, said he was looking to hire a research coordinator. Plus the FTC is forming a technology policy research fellowship program with two-year appointments. Soltani promised, it would all still be geeky. (FTC)
• One-third of federal civilian agency hires in 2014 were veterans, a record high. New figures from the President’s Council on Veterans Employment show, that brings the level of veterans in the federal work force to 30 percent. The veteran hiring figures by the Defense Department for last year aren’t out yet. But the year before more than half of DoD civilian hires were veterans. (Federal News Radio)

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