Monday federal headlines – October 26, 2015

In Monday's Federal Headlines, Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) is trying once again to get more funding for the Office of Personnel Management's cybersecurity bud...

The Federal Headlines is a daily compilation of the stories you hear discussed on the Federal Drive and In Depth radio shows.

  • Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) is trying once again to get more funding for the Office of Personnel Management’s cybersecurity budget. Mikulski introduced a provision to the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act that the Senate is currently debating that would give OPM $37 million in additional funding. OPM said it needs the emergency money to complete cyber upgrades a year ahead of schedule. Mikulski introduced a similar provision to OPM’s appropriations bill, but that language never made it out of committee. Two local lawmakers, Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.), are also co-sponsors of the provision to CISA. (Sen. Barbara Mikulski)
  • A federal contractor has pleaded guilty to accepting unlawful kickbacks and tax evasion. The Justice Department said Victor Villalobos, while working for a federal prime contractor, approached a subcontractor and agreed to not interfere with the business relationship they held with his company, in exchange for payments of up to $55,000. He faces up to 10 years in prison. (Justice Department)
  • The Homeland Security Department inspector general found $250 million in improper payments through FEMA’s disaster assistance fund. Auditors used a data matching tool to figure out that 29,000 people affected by Hurricane Sandy may have received duplicative benefits. The IG conducted a large-scale data comparison of FEMA’s records to a private insurance claims database. They sought to determine the validity of FEMA’s process for validating insurance coverage — or lack thereof — for applicants seeking assistance from the Individuals and Households Program. So far, the IG referred 51 cases of potential fraud for further investigation. (DHS OIG)
  • The Justice Department is closing its two-year investigation into the IRS. No charges will be filed against former IRS official Lois Lerner or anyone else at the agency. Assistant Attorney General Peter Kadsik said in a letter it was mismanagement and poor judgment that led to many tax exempt applicants to believe the IRS targeted them based on political viewpoints. (Federal News Radio)
  • The Small Business Administration said it understands more about its grant programs, thanks to the Grants Data Explorer it’s piloting. The tool lets SBA see where it’s making its grants and how much money a grant recipient has left. But SBA still has a long way to go to fully implement the Data Accountability and Transparency Act. Office of Management and Budget Controller Mark Reger said agencies are still unlocking data within their own individual silos. Sharing and linking data governmentwide will take more time. (Federal News Radio)

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