Federal Newscast

FEMA prepares for Hurricane Helene aftermath

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is using part of Maxwell Air Force Base's airfield as a holding area for hurricane supplies.

Michele Sandiford

September 27, 2024 1:57 pm

< a min read

Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama is the staging ground for much of the federal government's response to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is using a big part of the base's airfield as a holding area for truckloads of meals, cots and generators ready to move to other areas of the southeastern U.S. once the storm passes. Officials at Maxwell said 450 truckloads of supplies arrived throughout the week. The bulk of those supplies came from FEMA's Atlanta distribution center, which is also in the path of the hurricane.
(FEMA prepares for Hurricane Helene - U.S. Air Force)

President Joe Biden signed the continuing resolution (CR) yesterday ensuring the government stays open through Dec. 20. The House and Senate both easily passed the CR earlier this week avoiding a potential partial government shutdown with fiscal 2024 ending on Monday. In a statement, Biden thanked lawmakers from both parties and promised to work with Congress to pass full-year funding bills. He also warned Congress not to cut the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Biden said he would oppose any cuts or restrictions that would increase the deficit by limiting the IRS’ ability to crack down on wealthy tax cheats.
(Biden signs continuing resolution - White House)

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) asks Congress to fix its 12-billion-dollar budget shortfall by the end of the year. Congress approved a $3 billion supplemental funding bill last week to help the VA keep making disability compensation and pension payments on time. But the department also needs another $12 billion in fiscal 2025 to provide more health care to more veterans. VA Secretary Denis McDonough said he’s hopeful Congress will approve the funding by December to help the agency increase hiring.
(VA to remain ‘very discerning’ on health care hiring, calls on Congress to address $12B shortfall in December - Federal News Network)

The postmaster general said the Postal Service is ready for mail-in ballots in November. Louis DeJoy told lawmakers USPS delivered more than 99 percent of ballots on time within seven days during the 2020 election, and that the agency is even better prepared in 2024. USPS deploys extraordinary measures to expedite the delivery of ballots to election officials. USPS will start implementing those measures on Oct. 21.
(USPS will go to ‘heroic’ lengths to deliver mail-in ballots on time, DeJoy tells lawmakers - Federal News Network)

Agencies with clear procedures for reasonable accommodations and personal assistance services have significantly better success in retaining workers with disabilities. A new report from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) found four variables kept workers with disabilities from quitting. These include having an established policy and procedure for requesting personal assistance services and having an established disability reasonable accommodation (RA) procedure. The EEOC is urging federal agencies to follow these practices and create more accessible workplaces for those with disabilities, who tend to leave their jobs more often than those without disabilities.
(EEOC urges fed agencies to improve retention for disabled workers - Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)

A powerful House lawmaker is pressing GSA over its plans to modernize the cloud security program known as FedRAMP. Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), chairwoman of the Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, IT and Innovation, wants more details from GSA on its plans to make sure cloud service providers (CSPs) have a clear understanding of their path to receive a governmentwide FedRAMP authorization. Mace wrote to GSA seeking documents and a briefing by Oct. 3. At the center of the Mace’s concerns is GSA's transition away from the Joint Authorization Board or JAB model and toward the new approach where the FedRAMP Program Management Office will oversee and manage authorizations for broadly used cloud services. Mace said the transition is creating a bottleneck of cloud providers waiting for an authorization.
(Rep. Mace questions GSA's plan for replacing FedRAMP JAB - Federal News Network )

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is working on new cyber requirements, but some lawmakers said HHS isn’t moving fast enough. Now, Senators Mark Warner and Ron Wyden are out with a new bill that would set minimum cyber standards for healthcare providers, health plans, clearinghouses and business associates. It would also require HHS to conduct at least 20 annual cyber audits of regulated entities. And the bill would lift the cap on HHS’ fining authority, so “mega-corporations” could face big penalties for lax cybersecurity practices.
(Senators introduce bill to set minimum cyber standards for healthcare - Senate Finance Committee)

The Army bounces back from a historic recruiting slump. The service recruited 55,300 new soldiers in fiscal 2024, exceeding its goal by 300 recruits. The Army also placed approximately 11,000 soldiers into its delayed entry program, giving recruiters a head start going into fiscal 2025. In fiscal 2022, the Army set a recruiting goal of 60,000 new soldiers but enlisted 45,000 recruits. In 2023, the service aimed to bring in 65,000 recruits but missed the target by 11,000 soldiers.
(Army bounces back after several tough recruiting years - Federal News Network)

The Navy’s new Navigation Plan targets robotic and autonomous systems, as well as the artificial intelligence applications to make sense of a complex information environment. The Navigation Plan is the service’s high-level strategic document that lays out top priorities for the fleet in the coming years. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti said to be ready for a potential conflict with China and enhance the service’s long-term advantage, the Navy will implement Project 33 and expand the Navy’s contribution to the Joint warfighting ecosystem.
(Navy’s Navigation Plan targets autonomous systems - The Department of the Navy)