A week from today --the Senate Armed Services Committee is going to have a hearing about Pentagon\'s plans to close the Joint Forces Command headquarters in Norfolk to save money. Va. Sen. Jim Webb, who is a former Navy Secretary has pushed to get the hearing because they are concerned that the JFCOM closure will hit Virginia and the Tidewater region hard from an economic perspective. Webb and the rest of the Va. Congressional delegations are said to be exploring options to stop the shutdown.
The Office of Management and Budget is throwing a lifeline, of sorts, to 15 agencies who have IT projects that are on its high-risk list. Federal CIO Vivek Kundra said the 26 projects on his new high priority list are mission critical. He said some extra attention now could reap dividends down the road when those projects finally realize their long-awaited potential.
August 23rd and 25th RITA\'s mission is to promote transportation research, solid analysis, and education across the different operating agencies within the USDOT.
A provision in the Commerce, Justice, State appropriations bill could give NIST a larger role in protecting federal and civilian computer networks. The plan is from one influential Maryland lawmaker, who believes the battle for cybersecurity needs to be fought in the Free State.
Agency leaders say a commitment hiring and training contract oversight personnel is an important step towards balancing the federal budget and increasing efficiency. They highlight several creative cost-cutting measures being undertaken government-wide.
Gen. David Petraeus is a little bit closer to becoming the next commander of the Afghanistan war. The Senate Armed Services Committee has voted in favor of the appointment. It now goes to the full Senate. He will replace Gen. Stanley McChrystal. He was fired last week for making disparaging remarks in an interview about administration officials. Petraeus could be confirmed by the weekend.
The U.S. is better off with a new strategic arms reduction treaty with Russia than without it. That\'s what Secretary of Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee. Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen, also urged the committee to ratify the agreement, saying the treaty has the full support of uniformed leaders. The agreement reduces U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear forces in a way that strengthens the stability of the U.S.-Russian relationship, Gates said.
An organization representing companies that sell to the federal government is worried about newly approved provisions of the Defense Appropriation Bills now pending in the House and Senate. The Professional Services Council is worried that the provisions could cause more harm than good to contractors, and in some cases, were approved without the benefit of rigorous debate on their potential to affect the contracting community.
A companion bill will be introduced in the House.
Senator Joseph Lieberman thinks his cybersecurity bill will be the one to cross the finish line to the President\'s desk.
Senator Tom Carper tells Federal News Radio there is a lot of room for improvement.
With as many as 40 different cybersecurity bills in various stages of consideration on Capitol Hill, which one will make it to President Obama\'s desk? The chairman of one powerful Senate committee is betting his cybersecurity measure will win approval in the Senate, and eventually earn the President\'s signature before mid-summer.
The Senate has begun consideration of proposals to give the President a line-item veto over individual provisions in federal spending bills. The measures are designed to overcome shortcomings in a 1996 line-item veto bill which was declared unconstitutional.
One amendment, two committees equals a whole lot of nothing moving in the Telework Enhancement Act.
The Federal Hiring Process Improvement Act would streamline recruitment and hiring processes.