Thursday federal headlines – April 28, 2016

Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) asked OMB Director Shaun Donovan when his agency will finalize Circular A-130.

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

  • Two powerful senators are pressing the Office of Management and Budget for more details on the timing of a major cybersecurity policy update. Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.), the chairman and ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, respectively, asked OMB Director Shaun Donovan when his agency will finalize Circular A-130. OMB released a draft update to A-130 in October and has been reviewing comments over the last few months. Johnson and Carper said the move to continuous monitoring is being held back by outdated requirements in the circular. (Homeland Security and Governmental Reform Committee)
  • NASA wants its commercial contractors to be more upfront about indirect costs. A proposed rule in the Federal Register would change the way NASA reimburses them. It would require contractors to to report changes in indirect costs such as facilities and office overhead. (Federal Register)
  • The Transportation Security Administration appears to earn its title as the worst place to work in government. Third worst, anyway. At a hearing by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, three TSA mid-level managers relayed stories of abuse by higher ups — forced relocations, demotions, falsifying data on wait times for airport screening lines. Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) suggested privatizing TSA. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) said the TSA workforce is too small. (House Oversight and Government Reform Committee)
  • The U.S. Agency for International Development wants countries receiving American dollars to become more accountable for how they spend it. USAID and the Government Accountability’s Office’s Center for Audit Excellence join forces to help build up auditing capacities in developing countries. They signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on training and technical assistance. (USAID)
  • A bill to give more protections to U.S. trade secrets heads to the White House for the President’s signature. The House overwhelmingly passed the Defend Trade Secrets Act. It would give trade secret owners more legal options when they’re stolen by foreign or domestic entities. It would also call for the Justice Department to submit a biannual report to Congress on trade secret theft outside the U.S. (Congress)
  • A Republican senator launched more than a dozen bills to end wasteful or duplicative federal programs. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said his bills don’t end all waste but they’re a good place to start. Some of them improve whistleblower protections but cut spending for presidential oil portraits. (Federal News Radio)
  • OPM is under pressure to speed up results from the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. The Partnership for Public Service, and some agency executives, said the survey circulates too long. It was sent to most employees this month but won’t close until June. Partnership President Max Stier said faster results would mean faster decisions on how to respond. Stier said the survey should take place annually rather than every two years. (Federal News Radio)
  • The Office of Special Counsel has found flaws again with whistleblower investigations coming out of the Veterans Affairs Department’s inspector general. OSC Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner said investigations from the VA IG didn’t respond to specific allegations from three whistleblowers. Lerner raised similar concerns about two other IG investigations earlier this year. The VA said it will work with OSC on future investigations to make sure it’s reviewing all aspects of a whistleblower’s claim. (Federal News Radio)

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