Today’s guests on the Federal News Countdown:
– Dan Blair, president and CEO, National Academy of Public Administration
– John Kamensky, senior fellow, IBM Center for the Business of Government

Dan Blair’s stories
#3 Attack on Benghazi Consulate ‘Unprecedented,’ State Department Official Says
From ABC News:

The size and “lethality” of the attack on the U.S. consulate compound in Benghazi, Libya, that left Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans dead was “unprecedented,” a senior State Department official said today. Senior State Department officials today gave the most detailed account to-date of the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi on Sept. 11, which killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other diplomats. One official said the nature of the assault was unparalleled in recent history.

#2 Lawmaker plans further delay – and eventual end – to STOCK Act reporting requirement
From Federal News Radio:

The controversial provision to an insider trading law that would require the online posting of senior federal employees’ financial disclosure forms has twice been delayed by Congress and even put on hold by a district court judge. The most recent extension, signed into law by President Barack Obama, delays implementation of the requirement until Dec. 8. But now, at least one lawmaker says he’s already planning for another delay when Congress returns after the election – and possibly even a bill nixing the measure altogether.

#1 The long national nightmare is over: Can Washington Redskins QB Robert Griffin III make DC a sports town again
From ESPN:

In both the fantasy world of sports and the real halls of power, DC is now a battleground. At the same time, with every game, the capital is also facing a referendum on its status as a sports town. The Nationals have pretty much pulled a wire-to-wire job, in first place all year, the shoe-shine boy as underboss. Now bring in the surging Orioles, the city’s baseball caretakers for 33 years, and it isn’t actually insane to think that the first-ever Beltway World Series could actually happen. And dwarfing it all is the Redskins and the city’s new hope. Already, the District is electrified by the cartoonish bigness of a young man picked to be the signature player for the most dominant franchise in town.

John Kamensky’s stories
#3 Obama signs new government charge card rules
From Government Executive:

President Obama signed a bill into law Friday that creates stricter rules for federal employees using government charge cards, Federal News Radio reported. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, introduced the 2012 Government Charge Card Abuse Prevention Act in February 2011, and it cleared Congress during the final minutes of lawmakers’ session in late September. Grassley worked on the legislation with Sens. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Susan Collins, R-Maine. In a statement, Grassley said the legislation was created to restore the public’s trust in government spending.

#2 Agencies ignoring billions in savings from strategic sourcing
From Federal News Radio:

Agencies are missing out on billions of dollars in savings by not using strategic sourcing contracts, particularly when buying services, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. By not taking advantage of the government’s volume buying power, departments are putting their mission goals at risk because of tightening budgets.

#1 Democrats forecast sequestration’s toll on nondefense programs, jobs
From Government Executive:

With most of the warnings against automatic budget cuts focusing on defense, Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday released a detailed projection of sequestration’s likely harm to domestic programs, including air traffic control and border protection. In an Oct. 9 Dear Colleague letter signed by Rep. Norman Dicks, D-Wash., the panel’s ranking member, Democrats elaborated on the pending 9.4 percent cuts in discretionary defense spending in fiscal 2013 and the 8.2 percent cuts in discretionary nondefense programs that would kick in Jan. 2 unless Congress and the White House reach a new budget deal.

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