The Internal Revenue Service says it’s cutting ties with a D.C. software vendor after learning that its owner was a bit too friendly with an agency procurement official. Federal News Radio’s Jared Serbu reports, that’s one of several issues congressional investigators have uncovered about the company.

Information is the currency of federal agencies, and it gains value when they share it. The challenge is sharing data consistent with privacy laws and regulations. The Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board at NIST has been working on the question of automated data sharing.

Congress has told the Pentagon to keep fake electronics out of its supply chain. The Defense Department has new rules with new responsibilities for contractors. It’s just a proposal. The defense industry gets its say tomorrow at a public meeting. Government contracts lawyer Bob Metzger heads the Washington office of Rogers Joseph O’Donnell and represents several tech contractors.

Female vets are more likely to be unemployed or divorced or raising kids alone than their male counterparts. They earn less money too. That’s according to the Labor Department. It has pooled together job and counseling resources at a new website. It’s part of a governmentwide effort to help returning troops transition to stateside life. Air Force Major Ariel Batungbacal heads up the initiative.

Eight new astronaut recruits will report for duty at Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA selected them from more than 6,000 applicants. They’ll join the 49 astronauts now on NASA’s roster. Lt. Cmdr. Victor Glover is an aviator in the Navy, now a legislative fellow in Congress. And, he’s one of the lucky eight selected by NASA.

The Army wants to promote upward mobility in their ranks and is encouraging high performing employees to apply for career development training. But managers wondering how to fill those positions left vacant in the midst of the current hiring freeze need not worry.