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His White House in turmoil, President Donald Trump abruptly announced late Friday he was appointing Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly to be his chief of staff, ending the tumultuous six-month tenure of Reince Priebus.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) blasted a recent opinion from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, which urges executive branches to respond only to inquires from congressional committee chairman. Some Cabinet-level secretaries have said they would not abide by the OLC policy.
In today's Federal Newscast, the Pentagon unveils a calculator to help members of the military figure out if they should opt into the new blended retirement system.
The president's 2018 budget proposal includes cuts to the Transportation Security Administration and grant programs for local law enforcement. But some senators say the funding increases at other parts of the Homeland Security Department come at the expense of valuable tools to respond to threats at United States ports of entry and smaller scale and local incidents.
President Donald Trump's fiscal 2018 budget request suggests personnel cuts at the majority of the 24 largest federal agencies. But the Homeland Security Department is one of the few that could undergo a bit of a hiring spree next year.
Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said he's not surprised by the low morale his workforce has felt for years. In his first public speech since becoming secretary, Kelly offered a glimpse of his management and leadership style and said lawmakers should "shut up and support the men and women on the front lines."
Congress is once again examining the results of the latest Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. Lawmakers said they're encouraged by the progress the Homeland Security Department has made, despite its continued last-place ranking.
In today's Top Federal Headlines, Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly wants to improve personnel systems for DHS workers to build on improving morale.
President Donald Trump is calling on Homeland Security Department leadership to hire at least 5,000 new border patrol agents and 10,000 additional Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and officers. But existing hiring challenges could make that task even more complicated.
Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly forged ahead with tough new immigration policies, outlined in a pair of memos. Although President Trump hadn’t yet released his revised executive order on immigration and securing the border with Mexico, Kelly widened the number of people potentially subject to detention and deportation. He reiterated the plan to hire another 5,000 Customs and Border Patrol agents.
Lead time and planning efforts for an executive order can vary based on the topic, complexity and urgency, but former Bush and Obama administration officials say inter-agency collaboration is key. But some lawmakers have several questions for the Trump administration about the roll-out of some recent executive orders.
Congress may reprogram and reallocate resources in the Homeland Security Department, use emergency funding or some combination of both to pay for the construction of a wall along the southern border, said House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mike McCaul (R-Texas).
Gen. John Kelly, the President-elect's pick to be the Homeland Security Department's new secretary, said he recognizes DHS' immense challenges and plans to study up on the previous administration's attempts at management reform.
Current Homeland Security Department Secretary Jeh Johnson's vision of "unity" will carry into the new administration, as Congress officially codified several of his priorities in the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act. DHS will have a new strategic planning and policy office, as well as several joint task forces to coordinate activity across the department's 22 components.