Ohio man gets 30 years for plotting attack during SOTU

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

• An Ohio man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for plotting and attempting an attack on government officials during the 2015 State of the Union Address. Chris Cornell was planning on attacking workers and officers at the U.S. Capitol building according to the Justice Department. DOJ said Cornell admitted his planned attack was an attempt to support the Islamic State militants. (Department of Justice)

• Defense Undersecretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Frank Kendall said he was not too concerned about Congress trying to do away with his position. The 2017 defense authorization bill splits the acquisition chief position into two jobs to increase innovation in the Defense Department. Kendall’s main concerns are micromanagement of nonfixed price contracts.

• Defense Secretary Ash Carter said he’d have an easy time turning the office over to his presumptive successor, retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis. Speaking to reporters en route to Japan, Carter declined to offer an opinion on whether Mattis’ appointment would undermine civilian control of the military, but he called Mattis an extremely capable person who he’s known for decades, and said he’s committed to helping the retired Marine officer hit the ground running. Mattis’ nomination would have to approved not just by the Senate but also by the House, because it would violate existing laws that require general officers to be retired for at least seven years.

• Whistleblowers working with, but not for the government may get more help. The House approved a bill to extend current whistleblower protections to nearly all federal grantees and contractors. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) introduced the bill, which now heads for the White House. The bill would also prohibit contractors from being reimbursed for legal fees fighting retaliation claims by whistleblowers. (Sen. Claire McCaskill)

• A senator told his colleagues to step up for government watchdogs. Sen Jon Tester (D-MT) wrote a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) urging the confirmation of eight nominees for inspectors general. Tester said the vacant offices need to be filled if Congress wants to ensure government accountability. (Sen. Jon Tester)

• It’s report card day for federal chief information officers. Agencies are making progress in improving how they manage their information technology systems. The latest Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) scorecard from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee showed 12 agencies raised their scores since the last grading session. The committee is expected to release the third scorecard Tuesday at a hearing featuring CIOs from State and DHS, and the GAO. One big change to the latest scorecard includes the first time measuring how agencies are giving their CIOs the authorities called for in FITARA. (House Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

• The Homeland Security Department’s Privacy and Integrity Committee will soon publish some best practices that agencies should follow to notify victims of a large scale data breach. According to the committee, mail is still the best way to spread the word about a cyber breach. It will also suggest setting up trained call center as the primary way to deal with victims’ questions. The committee hopes to finish the report before the current administration ends.

• The government wants to solidify its policies for encouraging more work with small businesses. The Federal Acquisition Regulation Council proposed a new rule to implement regulatory changes made by the Small Business Administration. The changes created a policy for contracts set aside for small businesses. Comments on the rule are due by Feb. 6. (Federal Register)

• You’ve heard of the fake news phenomenon. How about the fake U.S. embassy? A U.S. flag few over the small, shabby pink building in Accra, Ghana. The State Department said the phony embassy even had a picture of President Barack Obama hanging inside. From there, a criminal gang paid off local officials while collecting thousands of dollars for fake passports and other documents. It’s been shut down in an operation State calls Operation Spartan Vanguard. (State Department)

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