Federal Insights

  • JD, MA, Senior Director Healthcare LexisNexis Risk Solutions Bill Fox, JD, MA, leads the commercial healthcare group at LexisNexis Risk Solutions and is a frequent speaker on topics related to healthcare fraud, identity management, risk…

    April 19, 2012
  • This week on AFGE's "Inside Government" Campaign for America's Future Co-director Roger Hickey discusses President Obama's "Buffett Rule" tax legislation, while GovLoop Founder and President Steve Ressler previews the Next Generation of Government Summit. National Women's Law Center vice presidents Emily Martin and Judy Waxman join Ian Millhiser from the Center for American Progress to discuss health care reform.

    April 18, 2012
  • Reuters is reporting the Pentagon says it is making progress in developing weapons for its newest battleground - cyberspace - but still faces funding, technology and policy challenges. U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Michael Basla, vice commander of Air Force Space Command, told industry officials on Monday the service was approaching its work on cyber capability as it would any other major weapons system.

    April 18, 2012
  • Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Zach Lemnios (LEM knee ohss), says 60 million dollars in new solicitations will be aimed at everything from autonomous systems...to more natural interactions between machines and people.

    April 17, 2012
  • Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says he regrets the cost to taxpayers of his weekend trips to his California home, which cost about $32,000.00. The Associated Press reports, Panetta says he is looking for ways to find savings, but also says it is healthy to get out of Washington to get some perspective at his Monterey farm. Panetta is required to travel on military aircraft so he can remain in constant, secure contact with the White House.

    April 17, 2012
  • The White House has no intentions of ending CIA drone strikes against militant targets on Pakistani soil, U.S. officials say. The Associated Press says this could possibly set up the two countries up for diplomatic tensions after Pakistan's parliament unanimously approved new guidelines for the country's troubled relationship with the United States. U.S. officials say they will work in coming weeks and months to find common ground with Pakistan, but if a suspected terrorist target comes into the laser sights of a CIA drone's hellfire missiles, they will take the shot.

    April 16, 2012
  • Mr. Osborn has recently been appointed to be the NNSA Transformation Executive and will lead the agency's move to "OneNNSA."

    April 13, 2012
  • The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee is raising concerns about the U.S. deal with Afghanistan giving Afghans authority over raids of Afghan homes. The Associated Press reports, Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon sent a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Thursday questioning the decision to grant authority to a panel of Afghan security officials to decide what raids will take place. The U.S. and Afghanistan reached a deal Sunday on the raids. A majority of these raids occur at night and involve U.S. and Afghan troops.

    April 13, 2012
  • The Department of Health and Human Services says new federal laws designed to fight medicare fraud are paying dividends. HHS says it recovered 4.1 billion dollars in fraudulent claims last year. And the number of fraud prosecutions was up 75 percent compared with fiscal year 2008. HHS also revoked almost 5,000 Medicaid providers and 57,000 Medicare providers, and used computerized edits to stop more than 200 million dollars in implausible claims before they went out the door, and turned into improper payments.

    April 12, 2012
  • The Defense Department is just weeks away from launching its own internal app store for DoD users. And along with the store, the Pentagon is promising a faster securing approval process to bring more consumer mobile devices into military use. The new store is part of DoD's first ever department-wide framework for mobile devices, being led by the Defense Information Systems Agency. DISA says the store will take a federated approach, and let the military services aggregate their work on mobile applications all in one place.

    April 12, 2012
  • A Pennsylvania man is being awarded the Air Force's highest honor. Capt. Barry Crawford, Jr. will receive the Air Force Cross today at a Pentagon ceremony "extraordinary heroism". I happened 2010 during a fight with the Taliban. Crawford from Philadelphia, is a combat controller who calls in air strikes. During a14-hour operation, the Air Force says he fought insurgent, left his cover to save two wounded Afghans, all while controlling nearly three dozen aircraft and calling in more than 40 strikes.

    April 12, 2012
  • This week on AFGE's "Inside Government" U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., addresses voter protection concerns ahead of the 2012 election season, and Alliance for American Manufacturing Executive Director Scott Paul discusses job creation and the state of U.S. manufacturing. Also, Families USA Executive Director Ron Pollack discusses health care reform.

    April 12, 2012
  • The status of U.S. Pakistani military relations is still tied up in the Pakistani Parliament. Cooperation was suspended after a November incident during which 24 Pakistani troops were killed. Three weeks ago a preliminary review was approved by a Pakistani Parliamentary Committee, but the full Parliament rejected it and it was sent back to committee. In the meantime --U.S. troops are back in Pakistan at the Saichen Glacier to help out with rescue efforts, but Pakistani diplomatic sources say that won't affect the review.

    April 11, 2012
  • The Department of Veterans Affairs and DoD are planning on rolling out some of the early work they've done on a joint health records system. V-A says a preliminary version of the integrated electronic health record will go online by next year at hospitals in Hampton Roads, Virginia and San Antonio, Texas. The system will include the joint graphical user interface the two departments have already built. VA and DoD have been working to integrate their records to provide better care to servicemembers as they transition out of the military and into V-A care.

    April 10, 2012