The Federal Headlines is a daily compilation of the stories you hear discussed on the Federal Drive.

• A new report from the Government Accountability Office says the Department of Defense is falling behind on the plan to shrink its civilian workforce. The 2013 National Defense Authorization Act passed by Congress mandated the department trim its personnel size through active duty military personnel and civilian workforce cuts. But according to the report, troop levels are falling faster than civilian levels. (GAO)
• The Defense Department is lobbying Congress to significantly reform its military justice system for the first time in more than 30 years. The reform proposals include establishing selection criteria for military judges and standardizing the number of members on a jury. The reforms would also streamline the post-trial process by eliminating redundant paperwork. The reforms would need to be approved by Congress before they can be adopted into military code. (DoD)
• The Director of National Intelligence will ask agencies to use social media and other publicly available electronic information when reinvestigating security clearance holders. Legislation in the 2016 budget creates an enhanced personnel security program. It also requires agencies to randomly review existing clearance holders at least twice every five years. They have to implement these programs within the next five years or before the overdue periodic reinvestigation backlog is gone. (Federal News Radio)
• No sequestration in 2016 says the Congressional Budget Office. CBO says current legislation doesn’t exceed discretionary budget caps. Final decisions though, rest with the Office of Management and Budget. Caps could be breached if Congress adds more appropriations before the end of the fiscal year. The possibility of sequestration is more likely in 2018 through 2021. Automatic spending cuts in the Budget Control Act will likely trim the discretionary budget cuts during those years. (CBO)
• The Department of Veterans Affairs is starting the new fiscal year with an extra $6 billion in discretionary spending, but that additional cash comes with strings. The trillion-dollar spending bill passed by Congress earlier this month includes money earmarked for VA to improve its electronic health records, reduce the backlog of disability claims and continue construction projects. But VA leaders must report to both House and Senate appropriations committees on everything from waivers on relocation incentives to major construction projects. (House Appropriations)
• Customs and Border Protection is now providing Spanish language services from the CBP Information Center. The center is responsible for answering the public’s questions about CBP and the laws it enforces. People whose primary language is Spanish can now contact the CBP Information Center with their questions, tips about illegal activity and compliments or complaints about their interaction with CBP employees. The agency says it will measure the volume of Spanish language calls it receives to determine if additional resources will be necessary. (CBP)

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