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• The National Treasury Employees Union wants to know that the Office of Personnel Management will provide identity theft and credit monitoring for victims of the agency’s cyber breaches for the next 10 years. Current law requires OPM give victims of the 2015 breaches, protection through 2026 but OPM’s current contract with ID Experts expires at the end of December. OPM said back in 2016 that it would work with the General Services Administration to find the best procurement strategy for the next decade. (National Treasury Employees Union)

• It’s been 12 straight years now of financial losses for the Postal Service. The agency reported a $3.9 billion net loss for fiscal 2018, and saw first-class mail decrease by more than 3 percent. It may see some relief soon, though, as the Postal Regulatory Commission just approved the biggest increase in first-class stamp prices since 1991 from 50 cents to 55 cents. Starting in January, the price of first-class stamps will go up from 50 cents to 55 cents. The rate hike also affects packages. Chief Financial Officer Joe Corbett said the rate hike would have brought in $1.6 billion this year. (Federal News Network)

• New leadership is on the way for the Census Bureau and Postal Regulatory Commission. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved the nominations of Steven Dillingham, to become the first permanent Census director in more than a year, and Michael Kubayanda, who would serve as the PRC’s commissioner. Both nominations now head for a full Senate vote. (Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee)

• Three federal employee unions are suing the Department of Veterans Affairs over its recent decision to cut official time for some medical professionals. They said VA’s decision to repudiate existing collective bargaining agreements and cut official time violates current law. The National Federation of Federal Employees and the American Federation of Government Employees are among the unions who filed a joint lawsuit in federal district court. (Federal News Network)

• House lawmakers said they’re still looking for answers on VA’s cost estimates and leadership plans for its electronic health record. VA said it’s been busy since Secretary Robert Wilkie signed a contract with Cerner for a new EHR. VA awarded three more task orders and reviewed the sites where the EHR will be first implemented. House Veterans Affairs Committee members said they still want to know why the department’s cost estimates are rising, and who is the point person for VA’s work with the Pentagon. (Federal News Network)

• The Defense Department’s $10 billion Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) cloud procurement cleared a major hurdle. The Government Accountability Office on Wednesday denied the protest of JEDI solicitation by Oracle. GAO said DoD’s decision to pursue a single-award approach is consistent with applicable statutes and regulations. GAO also said DoD reasonably determined that a single-award approach is in the government’s best interests for various reasons, including national security concerns. DoD still faced another protest by IBM that is scheduled to be decided in mid-January. (Federal News Network)

• Three South Korean companies will pay big fines after pleading guilty to a bid rigging scheme involving US military contracts. The Justice Department said in total they will pay $82 million in criminal fines for price fixing fuel supply services on military bases in South Korea. They will also pay $154 million to settle civil anti trust disputes. (Department of Justice)

• The Pentagon has largely ignored a 2015 law that required government agencies to share cyber threat information with each other and with the private sector. The DoD Inspector General said the department has taken only “limited actions” toward cyber information sharing. The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act mandated that agencies set high-level policies and procedures for how to do just that, but the IG said U.S. Cyber Command, the Defense Information Systems Agency and the DoD chief information officer have failed to do so. In response to the audit, the Pentagon said it will develop guidance to implement CISA. (Department of Defense)

• The State Department and USAID announced a new Humanitarian Assistance Steering Council to coordinate efforts overseas. The council will provide oversight and accountability across both organizations for more efficient and effective humanitarian assistance. Ambassador-at-large Nathan Sales co-leads the council, while members come from various State Department and USAID offices. (State Department)

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