Tuesday federal headlines – October 28, 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.

  • Cost-cutting at the Postal Service means slower mail delivery. The Government Accountability Office compared data both before and after the Postal Service began trimming its network in 2012. Auditors found the agency had loosened its delivery standards, so that less mail arrives in just one day. A greater share takes three days or more. The Postal Service is using fewer planes to carry mail and is relying more on surface transportation. The agency says recent harsh winters in much of the country also slowed down deliveries. (GAO)
  • President Barack Obama is directing agencies to help the country’s manufacturers through three executive actions. His directives come as a White House advisory group recommends the government help manufacturers by fostering innovation, improving the business climate and growing the workforce. Some federal labs will create “technology testbeds” where companies can develop and test their products. NASA and the departments of Defense, Energy and Agriculture will spend $300 million to develop advanced materials, sensors and digital manufacturing. The Labor Department will launch an apprenticeship grant program for companies. And the Commerce Department will invest $150 million over five years to help small manufacturers bring new technologies to market. (White House)
  • Military services are giving employees travel cards to pay for all of their moving expenses, and the Pentagon says the services will save money by doing it. It’s playing the credit-card game, trying to make the most of the cash-back incentive. DoD reporter Jared Serbu said if the department can get folks to spend just 5 percent more overall, then it will earn a rebate of 11 percent. Plus, DoD gets better data that officials say will help it negotiate better deals with rental car companies and other travel vendors. The Army and Air Force are following the new rules now. The Navy is doing a pilot first. (Federal News Radio )
  • The Food and Drug Administration gives an emergency go-ahead for two new Ebola tests. They can produce results in two hours, instead of the typical four hours. The Wall Street Journal reports, the agency gave emergency approval to products from BioFire Defense of Murray, Utah. One is for use in hospitals and commercial labs. The other is approved for use in labs designated by the Defense Department. The company makes several virus and bacteria testing products used by medical first responders. (Wall Street Journal )
  • The Pentagon says 11 Army soldiers and their two-star generals are now isolated at their base in Italy after serving in West Africa. They were helping to coordinate the U.S. response to the Ebola crisis, but they did not have contact with Ebola patients. Nor do they show symptoms of the disease. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno is directing a 21-day controlled monitoring period for all soldiers returning from West Africa. At the same time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it’s not necessary to quarantine people who were in West Africa but did not have direct contact with Ebola patients. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is expected to review the recommendations. (Federal News Radio)
  • Thirteen federal employee unions want the Senate Appropriations Committee to block a measure that lowers travel reimbursement rates for civilian Defense employees. They wrote to Appropriations Chair Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) and Sen. Rick Durbin (D-Ill.) Defense civilians will need to pay more out of their own pockets, unless Congress defunds the provision in the 2015 continuing resolution. The Pentagon would cut per diem travel rates by 25 percent for civilians who travel for 30 days or longer. Incidental expenses for civilian employees would also go down. The American Federation of Government Employees and National Federation of Federal Employees are two of the 13 who signed the letter. (International Federation of Professsional & Technical Engineers)
  • A report card on lawmakers begins by saying that this year was better for federal workers than last year because Congress did not do as much That’s paraphrasing the introduction to the Federally Employed Women’s scorecard on members. Despite that, the group gives 13 lawmakers recognition as federal-worker champions. It looked at votes on gender equity, government funding and what the group calls “anti-fed bills.” (FEW )
  • The Patent and Trademark Office wants new procurement ideas for a system that can process and host millions of documents. PTO issued a request for information. The contract would go to one or multiple companies that can index and help patent officers keep track of millions of documents. The crowdsourcing initiative is part of President Barack Obama’s directive to improve the overall patent process. Responses are due Nov. 12. (FBO)

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