• The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) plans to push Congress harder to provide extra funding to at least five agencies to support long-term disaster relief. OMB Director Shalanda Young said in the coming days the White House will send Congress a comprehensive disaster package to replenish funding for agencies ranging from FEMA to SBA to EPA to the Transportation Department. She said while the initial funding through programs like the Stafford Act help with short-term needs like debris removal, most programs do not account for long-term recovery, including housing, agriculture losses and certain transportation infrastructure. Young said over the last several weeks, agencies individually have asked Congress for more money to help citizens recovery from Hurricanes Helene and Milton as well as severe storms in Alaska, Connecticut, Louisiana, New Mexico, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Illinois.
  (OMB Director Young memo on disaster funding needs - Office of Management and Budget)
• Concerns about Legionella in the drinking water in federal buildings is rising. Ten members of the Illinois Congressional delegation are ringing the alarm bells about the safety of drinking water in federal buildings in their state. In a letter to GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan, the two Senators and eight Congressmen want answers to five questions about how the agency is addressing health and safety concerns at two federal buildings and two federal courthouses in Illinois. The lawmakers said three of the buildings tested above federal limits for lead, copper and Legionella while the fourth building is facing problems with just Legionella. This letter comes amid rising concerns among federal employees after several other federal buildings across the country tested for increased levels of Legionella bacteria.
  (Illinois congressional delegation urging GSA to act to remediate water contamination in federal buildings - Sen. Tammy Duckworth)
• The Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are streamlining access to medical appointments, commissaries, exchanges, and morale, welfare and recreation services for veterans and caregivers. Their eligibility will now be verified electronically during the installation access process. Starting Nov. 1, eligible veterans who do not have a VA-issued Veteran Health Identification Card, as well as eligible caregivers, will no longer need to present additional VA-issued documentation to enroll for installation access to various services.
  (DoD, VA to streamline access process for veterans, caregivers - Department of Defense)
• The Energy Department’s clean energy office could make some improvements to how it manages its workforce. A new report from the Government Accountability Office found that the clean energy office’s hiring strategies focus on short-term staffing needs, rather than thinking about long-term workforce planning. GAO also said some of the office’s performance goals are defined, but it doesn’t cover all the work that employees do. The Energy Department said it’s planning to create a strategic workforce plan within the next year and measure progress toward its human capital goals.
  (New DOE office should take steps to improve performance management and workforce planning - Government Accountability Office)

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• There are new resources for Postal employees and broader fertility benefits available for feds. Those are just a few reasons feds might want to take a look at their options during Open Season. Do I need surgery? Will my medication needs change? Am I interested in starting a family? These are all questions the Office of Personnel Management said feds should be asking themselves this Open Season. After launching the federal and Postal open enrollment period last week, OPM is encouraging employees and annuitants to review their health coverage before Open Season ends on Dec. 9. OPM is also sharing resources on its website, including a plan comparison tool, plan brochures, dental and vision insurance information and much more. Any changes feds make will take effect on Jan. 1 for the 2025 plan year.
  (OPM encourages federal employees to review health coverage during 2024 Open Season - Office of Personnel Management)
• The Energy Department’s cyber threat intelligence center is moving beyond its pilot phase. DOE’s Energy Threat Analysis Center (ETAC) went fully operational last month. DOE established the ETAC as a pilot project in April 2023. The center has been recruiting cyber experts and working with analysts in the energy industry. The goal is to share timely information about cyber threats targeting electricity, natural gas and other energy systems. The ETAC is also building out a cyber threat intelligence platform to merge government and industry analysis in one place.
  (Energy Department’s cyber threat analysis center goes operational - Federal News Network)
• The Department of Homeland Security, (DHS) is laying out how agencies and industry can secure artificial intelligence used in critical infrastructure. In new guidance, DHS details specific responsibilities for cloud providers, AI developers, critical infrastructure operators and government agencies. DHS said securing AI models and monitoring its use are critical as energy companies, rail lines and other organizations adopt the technology. The guidance is voluntary. It was developed in coordination with industry, including OpenAI and other leading AI companies.
  ( DHS unveils ‘practical’ AI responsibilities for critical infrastructure - Federal News Network)
• The Air Force tapped a new chief data officer for the Air Force intelligence community. In her new role, Laura Drummer will play a pivotal role in managing and optimizing data to improve intelligence operations across the service. Prior to her new role, Drummer founded TAS Labs, a company that provides software, cloud, data and artificial intelligence services to the government. She also spent 11 years at Novetta as the director of cyber and intelligence operations. Early in her career, Drummer served as an intelligence analyst at the Defense Department.
  (Air Force taps new chief data officer for intel - LinkedIn)

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