Tuesday federal headlines – April 19, 2016

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

• The Obama administration has voiced its opposition to several IRS reform bills. The Office of Management and Budget is coming out against a bill that would take away the IRS’ ability to charge user fees, saying it would deplete the agency’s resources. The administration also opposes a bill that would ban performance awards for employees. Two other bills would place special hiring restrictions on the IRS, and the White Houses opposes them too. (White House)

• Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, asked Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to ensure there is no retaliation against the head of the border patrol union. Brandon Judd, president of the American Federation of Government Employees National Border Patrol Council, spoke to the House’s Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee back in February. He discussed DHS’ supposed policy of releasing unlawful immigrants caught at the border without going through removal procedures. A Border Patrol manager filed a misconduct complaint against Judd shortly afterward. Goodlatte is worried it’s in response to his testimony. (House Judiciary Committee)

• The Homeland Security Department is supporting the new draft Office of Management and Budget policy for open source software. But it comes with one caveat. DHS CIO Luke McCormack wrote in public comments that the provision to release 20 percent of custom open source code would lead to agencies not ensuring the government can get the most value from it. Instead, McCormack suggested requiring agencies to release significant portions of open source code with encouragement that they refactor code into reusable modules before release, or develop with this approach in mind. (GitHub)

• A new scorecard from Govini shows a multi-year decline in federal contract spending slowed a bit in 2015. It found the Navy was the only Defense agency to increase its contract obligations. The report also said federal agencies were still heavily reliant on professional services in 2015, with the top two services categories received a combined $32 billion in awards. (Business Wire)

• The Department of Energy has tightened up security for nuclear material and classified information. In a notice of proposed rulemaking, the agency announced it will implement changes to its eligibility terms. One new plan would create a one-year waiting period for denied applicants to reapply. The changes would also give DoE the authority to suspend access in exigent circumstances without any administrative procedures. (Federal Register)

• Amanda Bennett has been sworn in as the 29th Voice of America director. A distinguished journalist, Bennett won a Pulitzer Prize while working for The Wall Street Journal in 1997. She was the executive editor of Bloomberg News, where she co-founded its women’s project. Earlier Bennett was editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Lexington Herald-Leader, and has written six books. Kelu Chao, VOA’s associate director for language programming, has been acting director since last June. (VOA)

• The Federal Labor Relations Authority launched a new website. The FLRA hopes it will make key information easier to find. It said users can now find in one place all of its resources related to filing information, guides, manuals, course materials,and training opportunities related to a specific case type. (FLRA)

• The Justice Department wants the Supreme Court to weigh in on a case that could have a far-reaching impact on presidential appointments. DoJ filed a petition this month asking the court to consider the eligibility of Office of Personnel Management acting Director Beth Cobert. If it rules she is ineligible to serve, it could render some of the policies and personnel decisions she issued null and void. The court has until early May to respond. (Federal News Radio)

• Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald said an independent VA governance board that reports to Congress isn’t the answer to put the department’s transformation goals into actions. The congressionally appointed Commission on Care wants to set up a board that would have control over the VA budget, acquisitions and other plans. The Commission is supposed to submit a report to Congress with ideas to transform the VA by the end of June. McDonald said Congress should consider a competitive hiring process for the VA secretary instead of a political appointee. (Federal News Radio)

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