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• The federal jobs website got an authentication makeover. The USAJobs.gov website is among the first citizen-facing sites to use the new L ogin.gov identity management service. The General Services Administration, which runs Login.gov, and the Office of Personnel Management, which runs USAJobs.gov, implemented the new approach to identity management over the weekend. One of the biggest changes for the jobs portal is the use of two-factor authentication. Now a job seeker can enter their username and password, and they will get a one-time number code sent to their phone to complete log in. (Office of Personnel Management)

• A whistleblower at the Department of Housing and Urban Development claims retaliation over office renovations. Helen Foster, HUD’s former chief administrative officer, claimed she was demoted after telling higher-ups that office renovations for Secretary Ben Carson went above the $5,000 limit. HUD spent $31,000 on a dining set for Carson’s office, but said it was a building expense, and not part of the secretary’s renovation budget. (Federal News Radio)

• Contractors would like the Homeland Security Department to provide uniform personnel standards for all of the agency’s components. Each one uses different measures to determine whether contractors are fit to work on a specific contract, and Industry groups said those determinations often take months and lack transparency. (Federal News Radio)

• Two Senators revisited an old problem at the Energy Department. They asked Secretary Rick Perry why the National Nuclear Security Administration reimbursed a contractor $24 million in legal expenses in a whistleblower retaliation case. They said that’s generally prohibited. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) cited similar questions of Energy going back five years. In the latest case, they told Perry a source inside NNSA claimed the agency covered six cases incurred by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. (Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee)

• Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin wants team players who are looking to pursue the VA agenda. Shulkin said he expects some high-level workers are thinking about whether or not they still want to be part of the agency. His comments come amid reports of internal feuds among political appointees at the department. Shulkin said he and the White House are all on the same page about a path forward for the controversial Veterans Choice Program. (Federal News Radio)

• The new federal chief information officer, Suzette Kent, begins her new role. The Office of Management and Budget said Kent will lead IT policy and related strategic planning across the federal government. She’ll also be responsible for the transformational initiatives to modernize government services, a key role of the President’s Management Agenda. President Donald Trump announced his plans to appoint Kent on January 26.

• The Pentagon’s first-ever full-scale audit is in full swing, even though it probably won’t pass. Budget officials from DoD, the Navy and the Army believe this year’s audit will show areas they need to improve on. Tom Harker, assistant secretary of the Navy’s financial management and comptroller office, said the branch could have a clean audit as early as next year. (Federal News Radio)

• DoD is giving a sneak peek into what the cybersecurity scorecard two point oh will look like. DoD Deputy Chief Information Officer for Cybersecurity Ed Brindley said the Pentagon wants to use automatic data collection to understand trends in its networks. Brindley said the technology is available, but DoD still needs to harness it for its needs. (Federal News Radio)

• U.S. Cyber Command has been working in borrowed space since its inception. Its top commander says it’s time for a dedicated headquarters. Adm. Michael Rogers said CYBERCOM’s staff is currently scattered across about 10 different office buildings owned or leased by the National Security Agency, spread across a 50 mile radius of the nation’s capital. He said the command expects to ask Congress for permission to build a consolidated headquarters facility of its own at Fort Meade, since the current arrangement is a major barrier to rapid decision making. (Federal News Radio)

• A new bill in the Senate will give military spouses a fund to save for childcare tax free. The new bill will also give tax credits to companies who hire military spouses. Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.), John Boozman (R-Ariz.) and Jon Tester (D-Mo.) teamed up to introduce the bill. Military spouse unemployment is up to thirty percent according to some surveys. (Sen. Tim Kaine)

• One agency is killing it on social media. The Transportation Security Agency officials told the House Homeland Security Committee the agency’s outreach programs have been especially successful. It’s Instagram account has more than 840,000 followers and was nominated for two Webby awards. Its Twitter account has more than 207,000 followers and got 31 million impressions in 2017. And the AskTSA program has answered more than 450,000 questions via Facebook and Twitter. (House Homeland Security Committee)

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