Thursday federal headlines – June 18, 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.

• Members of Congress from both parties are calling for the resignation of Katherine Archuleta, director of the Office of Management and Budget. The chorus came in the aftermath of a cybersecurity breach resulting in loss of personal data on 14 million current and former federal employees. Rep. Mark Meadows (R- N.C.), chairman of a subcommittee on government operations, said OPM needs a new leader who will tackle the cybersecurity problem immediately. He’s joined by Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) agred. A motivating factor is that many congressional staff members are receiving letters warning them their own data may be at risk. (Federal News Radio)
• The Obama administration is becoming more certain that China’s government, and not criminal hackers, engineered the massive theft of personal information from the Office of Personnel Management. Data on up to 14 million current and former federal employees and others was stolen. Sources told the Associated Press, one clue is that none of the data has been credibly offered for sale on underground markets popular among identity thieves. Investigators from intelligence and law enforcement agencies use secret markers to monitor the Internet. They haven’t yet seen movement of file properties associated with the American personnel records. The FBI’s National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force leads the investigation. (Federal News Radio)
• The White House waited roughly four weeks before telling the public that hackers had stolen the personal information of millions of people associated with the federal government. According to the Associated Press, the administration sent an email to industry executives on June 2 that described the data breach as an issue with implications for the intelligence community. In the email, the White House predicted that it would generate some minor news coverage in Washington. (Federal News Radio)
• The IRS would face its smallest budget since 2004 under a plan approved by the House Appropriations Committee. Members also endorsed steep cuts in federal construction and repairs proposed by the General Services Administration. In all, the committee approved $20.2 billion for financial services and general government funding in 2016. That’s a 6 percent reduction from 2015, and what is required under sequestration. The vote was along party lines, Republicans voted in favor of the plan, Democrats voted against. The IRS would stand to lose $838 million relative to this year. The Obama administration warned that would leave the IRS without enough money to bolster the security of its IT systems. (Federal News Radio)
• Security concerns are the reason the State Department abandoned decades of tradition by not staying at the Waldorf Astoria for the annual U.N. General Assembly. The Waldorf is now owned by a Chinese company that is planning a major renovation of the hotel. The Associated Press reports U.S. officials have raised their eyebrows at the renovation, which could be seen as cover for installing evesdropping and cyberespionage tools. The State Department will set up shop at the New York Palace Hotel for this fall’s U.N. gathering. (Federal News Radio)
• The Pentagon’s Joint Information Environment proved cyber defenders in different areas of the world can share information in real time. And Pentagon officials are calling it a game changer. David Cotton, DoD’s deputy CIO for information enterprise, and Danielle Metz, JIE’s project director, told DoD reporter Jared Serbu one of the first aspects of JIE to come online is the Joint Regional Security Stacks. They said the new security architecture has vastly simplified the military’s web of firewalls and gateways. For more on the Joint Information Environment, tune into On DoD with Jared Serbu today at 3 p.m. In other news, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin Dempsey will deliver the commencement address at the National Defense University graduation ceremony at Fort McNair today. (Federal News Radio)
• Defense Secretary Ash Carter tried to assure Congress the United States is still committed to the destruction of the Islamic State and Al Qaeda terrorist groups. He and Joint Chief of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey testified before the House Armed Services Committee. Congress has been skeptical ever since President Barack Obama said the United States strategy for Islamic State militants was incomplete. Carter outlined nine lines of effort that make up the strategy. Topping the list are helping countries like Iraq and Afghanistan build strong governments and denying Islamic State militants safe havens. Also intelligence gathering, and disrupting Islamic State communications and finance. Republican and Democratic lawmakers both express doubts during the hearing. (DoD)

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