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• The Veterans Affairs Department made public its annual nursing home ratings for the agency’s 130 community living centers for the first time. Sixty of those centers improved their star ratings over the past year while one facility’s score decreased. The report shows VA has 34 percent fewer one star rated nursing homes compared to the private sector, which has more than 15,000 nursing homes. (Veterans Affairs Department)
• The Office of Management and Budget said it is time for agencies to get moving on cloud computing. OMB will update the governmentwide cloud strategy in the next few months and a document tentatively called “Cloud Smart” will highlight best practices around three areas: procurement, workforce and security. OMB said it will release a draft of the document for public comment and then finalize it later this year. It has been almost eight years since OMB issued the current cloud first policy. The agency said it is also looking to modernize and consolidate related policies to remove any barriers that are inhibiting broader adoption of these cloud services. (Federal News Radio)
• A group of 13 federal unions is suing the Trump administration over three recent executive orders dealing with the federal workforce. The National Federation of Federal Employees is leading the lawsuit while the group also filed an injunction to immediately block the provisional changes in the three EOs. The coalition argued broadly that the president does not have authority to issue orders that conflict with existing law. The National Treasury Employees Union and American Federation of Government Employees filed similar suits in federal district court but challenged only two of the president’s recent orders. (Federal News Radio)
• Despite pushback over the administration’s trio of federal workforce-related executive orders,  the Office of Personnel Management said more than 1.5 million government workers will not be impacted. OPM said Postal Service employees fall under a different legal framework than most civilian federal employees. National Association of Letter Carriers President Fredric Rolando said his union stills supports those fighting the executive orders.
• Karen Evans, the former OMB administrator for e-government and IT, is coming back to government. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he will nominate Evans to fill the new position of assistant secretary of Energy for Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response. Previously, Evans was the chief information officer at Energy Department and worked in government for more than 27 years. (White House)
• Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis will be the first commander of the Navy’s newly-recreated U.S. Second Fleet. He will manage the training and operations of forces in the Atlantic. Lewis is currently the Navy’s top strategy and plans officer and he also served as the vice director for operations on the Joint Staff. (Defense Department)
• Trump’s pick to head the Office of Government Ethics is one step closer to taking office. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved the nomination of attorney Emory Rounds on Wednesday. Former OGE director Walter Shaub said he supports Rounds’ nomination. Rounds previously served as the associate counsel for OGE, and also worked as an ethics adviser for the White House under the George W. Bush administration. (The Campaign Legal Center)
• Most federal jobs needing security clearance require people who can keep a secret, but here is one opening for someone who can spill the beans: the National Archives and Records Administration needs a new director of the National Declassification Center. The declassification chief is a highly networked job, and works with many other agencies possessing once-secret documents eligible for public release. However, relocation expenses are not covered.
• After taking a 50 percent funding cut over the past two years,  the Marine Corps’ Unit, Personal and Family Readiness Program is casting off some employees. The office is going through a “reset” and will release more details on who will lose their jobs or be transferred by June 24.
• The Defense Department chose its top professionals of the year in the area of sexual assault prevention and response (SAPR). From a pool of 20,000 certified responders, one exceptional sexual assault response coordinator is chosen from each of the five branches plus the National Guard. The responders are supposed to provide training, advocacy and assistance in all medical, investigative and legal processes. This year’s winners include:

  • Air Force: Capt. Lauren McGuire, 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein Air Base, Germany

  • Army: Sgt. First Class Kacey Kitner, Fort Sill, Oklahoma

            Learn how DLA, GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service and the State Department are modernizing their contract and acquisition processes to make procurement an all-around better experience for everyone involved.

  • Navy: Hilda Ruby Godley, Joint Base Charleston – Naval Weapon Station, South Carolina

  • Marine Corps: Christina Chavez, Marine Corps Forces Command, Norfolk, Virginia

  • National Guard Bureau: Nicholas Gonzalez, Joint Forces HQ, Alaska National Guard, Anchorage, Alaska

  • Coast Guard: Eric Barreras, Coast Guard Base Alameda, Alameda, California

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