House subcommittee looks to give federal employees another pay bump

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• A 3.1% pay raise for civilian employees is under consideration in the House Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee. The subcommittee included a pay raise in its 2020 spending bill. The 3.1% raise is a departure from the president’s proposed pay freeze. The appropriations bill also prohibits funding for the Trump administration’s proposed Office of Personnel Management merger with the General Services Administration. The House subcommittee planned to mark up the appropriations bill later Monday. (House Appropriations Committee)

• Another dispute went before the Federal Service Impasses Panel — this time, it weighed in on 12 articles in the Social Security Administration’s contract with the American Federation of Government Employees. The FSIP decision cut office space for union representatives, and cut official time to a bank of 50,000 hours for the bargaining unit. The panel also removed the ability of the union to grieve removals, suspensions and pay cuts. (American Federation of Government Employees)

• House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) is doubling down on his request to speak with Interior Department officials about changes to its Freedom of Information Act policy. The change in policy allows political appointees at the agency to review and comment on FOIA requests that pertain to them. Cummings requested interviews with four Interior officials back in March but instead, the agency offered a briefing and access to documents that Cummings said he didn’t request. Cummings said he expects Interior to respond to his latest letter by Monday. (House Oversight and Reform Committee)

• The White House’s National Science and Technology Council is asking the public how the government should prepare for advances in quantum computing. The council has asked for input on how the U.S. can recruit and retain top quantum computing talent, and how best to work with industry and academia. The council will use those comments to help craft 10-year strategy mandated under the National Quantum Initiative Act. The comment period closes July 29. (Federal Register)

• The Office of Personnel Management wants to hear from program managers, about the skills and competencies they think are needed to do the job. OPM will survey program managers over the next two weeks. Feedback will inform the administration’s efforts to comply with the Program Management Improvement Accountability Act. The law charges OPM with establishing or updating the job series for program managers, developing a career path for project managers and writing new regulations. (Chief Human Capital Officers Council)

• The Pentagon is considering revising its policies for military support of events involving federal VIPs. Defense officials said the goal would be to reduce ambiguities in what service members should and shouldn’t do for events with a political tinge. The issue came to a head late last month when White House officials asked the Navy to keep the U.S.S. John McCain out of President Donald Trump’s view during a trip to Japan. (Federal News Network)

• Vice Adm. Ross Myers is the new deputy commander at U.S. Cyber Command. The position has been vacant since Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart retired earlier this year. Myers started at CYBERCOM in 2017 as the director of plans and policy. He then moved to chief of staff in 2018. Myers will serve under CYBERCOM leader Gen. Paul Nakasone.

• The Defense Department recognized installations that are not falling apart. DoD brass have been requesting more money to fix crumbling facilities throughout the world. But five locations received the Commander-in-Chief award for installation excellence. This year’s winners span the globe, the Army’s Fort Stewart, Georgia, garrison and airfield, the Navy base in San Diego, the Marine Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California, a Defense Logistics Agency center in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania, and Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Department of Defense)

• Black and Hispanic service members face more criminal investigations and are brought to trial more often than their white counterparts, according to a Government Accountability Office report. The report states black service members are more likely to have action taken against them in an average year. GAO recommended the Defense Department identify the causes of the disparities and address them. (Government Accountability Office)

• GAO gave the Census Bureau feedback on its IT readiness for the upcoming population count. It said the Bureau identified 360 active risks to the 2020 count as part of its risk management plan. According to Census, the highest-risk areas are Systems Engineering and Integration and IT infrastructure. GAO found the Bureau has contingency plans for 70% of its risks, but the Bureau didn’t identify clear “trigger events” of when to roll out those contingency plans. The 2020 census marks the first time where users can respond online or over the phone. (Government Accountability Office)

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