Federal Drive

Wednesday Morning Federal Newscast

Written by Ruben Gomez & Tom Temin Edited by Suzanne Kubota This morning’s federal news as heard on WFED: The end of this fiscal year is just weeks a...

Federal News Network Staff

September 9, 2009 8:12 am

4 min read

Written by Ruben Gomez & Tom Temin
Edited by Suzanne Kubota

This morning’s federal news as heard on WFED:

The end of this fiscal year is just weeks away, but we’re learning your agency may not get its spending bill on time. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer says Congress will need to pass a continuing resolution to keep some agencies running. According to Government Executive, Hoyer says healthcare debate is taking more time than expected. The House has passed all 12 appropriations bills, but the Senate has approved just a handful.

The White House is throwing its support behind pay parity, but not this year. OPM Director John Berry says that in the future, the White House will support giving civilians and service-members equal pay raises. Berry wasn’t specific as to when that may be, but Federal Times reports that time may come when the economy improves.

Today marks an unforgettable day for the Department of Homeland Security and GSA. The two are breaking ground on a modern, joint headquarters complex on the Saint Elizabeths Campus in Southeast Washington, DC. The building project is the largest in GSA history.

Food makers will have 24 hours to alert government officials of possible contaminated products. The new rule is designed to help federal regulators spot food safety issues sooner. The Food and Drug Administration also unveiled a new electronic database where food producers can post information if a product might cause sickness or death in people or animals. FDA wants to have better tools to prevent widespread illness from contaminated food.

You can pay taxes online, but for now, forget about being able to see your tax records and other information online. NextGov reports a new report from the IRS Inspector General says poor planning led the tax agency to terminate a project to provide online access to tax records. This after the IRS spent 32 months and 10 million dollars to develop. The agency might try again because two laws dating back to 1998 require it.

Members of the National Transportation Safety Board can no longer use their cell phones for talking or texting while driving on agency business. The NTSB is responsible for investigating transportation accidents. Board Chairman Deborah Hersman announced the ban yesterday, saying the agency should practice what it preaches. The ban covers NTSB’s 400 employees as well as board members.

The number of people crossing the northern and southern land borders into the United States has dropped sharply since a passport requirement began June 1. Businesses in border communities that depend on tourism are blaming Homeland Security Department policies for making a bad year worse. Under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, citizens entering by land or sea can no longer simply declare themselves. Now they need a passport. The rule also applies to Mexicans and Canadians. USA Today reports, border traffic is down 13 percent from last year.

More than 51 million international visitors came to the U.S. back in 2000. But that fell to 41 million in 2003. Numbers have been creeping up, according to the Commerce Department. But some lawmakers want the U.S. to attract more visitors. So the Senate appears ready to pass a bill to establish a new nonprofit corporation to promoting international travel to the U.S. The corporation would be funded by a $10 fee paid by people visiting the country. A vote could come this afternoon.

Consider keeping the Space Shuttle going for a few more years. Keep the International Space Station aloft until 2020, instead of crashing it in 2016. Consider using commercial contractors to get astronauts into low earth orbit. Don’t give up the idea of going to Mars, but wait until you have more funding and technology. Those are among the recommendations delivered to NASA yesterday by a blue ribbon panel that’s been examining the space agency all summer. The full report will be delivered to the president later this month.

More news links

Federal Web sites get big share of traffic (Washington Business Journal)

Telework experiments can breed acceptance, observers say (NextGov)

D.C. may get surplus Walter Reed land after all (WashingtonBusinessJournal)

GSA dominates list of 10 most popular contracts

‘Serious’ hazmat spills not reported (USAToday)

TSA: Airline ban on liquids won’t be lifted soon (USAToday)

Hurricane Fred forms in Atlantic; winds at 75 mph

Iraq fraud inquiry focuses on retired Army colonel

Defense Dep’t. nixes request for Guantanamo tour

Feds to start immigration crackdown on contractors

Older employees will drive changes to workplaces