Many agencies not implementing IG recommendations

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

• Inspectors general keep issuing recommendations but federal agencies aren’t always putting them into practice. Federal watchdogs tell the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee more than 15,000 recommendations haven’t been carried out by agencies. Committee chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI) says that adds up to $87 billion in potential cost savings. The Department of Housing and Urban Development had 829 open recommendations, the most of any agency. (Senate Homeland Security and Govermental Affairs Committee)

• The people most responsible for leading the next president’s management agenda could use a morale boost. That’s the message the Performance Institute will send to both candidates and their transition teams. 54% of departing senior executives told the Office of Personnel Management last year they’d recommend the SES to others. 28% say their agencies are doing succession planning. (Federal News Radio)

• Add another agency’s computer systems to list of those not receiving the proper protection from digital threats. The Transportation Department’s Inspector General says DOT’s Security Operations Center may not have access to all of its systems, like the FAA’s national airspace system, to properly monitor them, therefore its CIO’s office can’t ensure they’re safe from hacks. (Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General)

• DOT awards a $369 million contract to Engility for technical and engineering services, as well as financial and program management support for the NextGen modernization of the nation’s air traffic management system. Engility will work directly with the Federal Aviation Administration Air Traffic Organization’s Program Management Office. (Engility)

• Agencies now have a standard way to talk about their back office systems. The Unified Shared Services Management Office released the new federal integrated business framework. The framework is built around a common vocabulary for agencies to talk about outcomes, to define those outcomes and to document their processes. The framework focuses on four areas that are common across all agencies, including data and performance metrics, and functions and activities of back-office services such as financial management or human resources. (Federal News Radio)

• After undergoing repairs, the Air Force says it will resume operations of its F-35 joint strike fighter jets by the end of this year. Breaking Defense reports the F-35 Joint Program Office says all 15 operational F-35A needed modifications to coolant tubes that were covered in faulty insulation. Flight operations were suspended in September after debris was found in one aircraft’s fuel tank. (Breaking Defense)

• A former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff pleads guilty to providing classified information to journalists. Under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney for Maryland, retired Marine General James Cartwright acknowledged that he had disclosed secrets to two journalists – David Sanger of the New York Times and former Newsweek reporter Daniel Klaidman. Court proceedings didn’t reveal the topic of the leaks, but both journalists had reported on the U.S. government’s alleged cyber attacks against Iran’s nuclear program. Technically, Cartwright could get up to five years in prison. Prosecutors are recommending a sentence of zero to six months. The final decision is up to a federal judge. (Federal News Radio)

• A town misused funds from FEMA, and the agency will try to get it back. The Homeland Security inspector general finds that following a 2014 tornado Louisville, Mississippi received nearly $62 million in FEMA grants to rebuild. The IG says, and the agency agrees the federal government should get $25 million back. The city failed to follow federal procurement regulations on use of disadvantaged companies. And it got $1.5 million in duplicate benefits. (Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General)

• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services updates its Fraud Prevention System. FPS version 2.0 displays data more easily for investigators. It also tailors data for analysts based on a specific geographic region. The service is set for a 2017 rollout. (Federal News Radio)

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