Tuesday federal headlines – May 26, 2015

The Federal Headlines is a daily compilation of the stories you hear discussed on Federal News Radio each day. It is designed to give FederalNewsRadio.com reade...

The Federal Headlines is a daily compilation of the stories you hear discussed on the Federal Drive and In Depth radio shows each day. Our headlines are updated twice per day — once in the morning and once in the afternoon — with the latest news affecting federal employees and contractors.

  • The Small Business Administration wants to know how small companies are using data analytics. The SBA released a solicitation for research. The agency said it was not sure how well small businesses are collecting and analyzing data make decisions about their companies. (NextGov)
  • The U.S. Cyber Command called off a big request for proposal from contractors. NextGov reports, the solicitation calls for cyberspying and network attack support jobs. They were worth about $475 million over five years. It’s unclear why the Pentagon decided to rethink its contracting plan. (NextGov)
  • The Senate voted to make it easier for veterans to receive medical care outside the Veterans Affairs Department system. Vets who live within 40 miles of a VA medical facility can go to private doctors if they offer services that the VA does not. The bill would tweak the new Veterans Choice Act. It lets veterans go outside the VA system if they live at least 40 miles from a facility. Senators have criticized that rule. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) says the VA is using it to deny veterans the care they need. The measure now goes to the House. (Federal News Radio)
  • Vice President Joe Biden is reassuring Iraq that the United States supports its fight against Islamic State militants. The White House said Biden spoke of Iraqi forces’ bravery and sacrifice in a phone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi. He pledged to expedite training and equipment. The call follows criticism Defense Secretary Ash Carter made after the Islamic State militants seized the city of Ramadi. Carter told CNN that Iraq’s Shiite-led forces did not show a “will to fight” in the battle. The U.S. so far has supported Iraq through the use of airstrikes. (White House)
  • A labor union wants the government to follow the lead of Los Angeles and raise minimum wage. The American Federation of Government Employees said minimum wage should be $15 an hour. That’s more than twice the current federal minimum wage of $7.25. AFGE President J. David Cox said $15 an hour is a “living wage.” When taking inflation into account, Cox said minimum wage workers make less now than they did in 1950. President Barack Obama last year issued an executive order raising minimum wage for federal contract workers to $10.10 an hour. (AFGE)
  • The Senate will reconsider extending the Patriot Act before it expires at the end of the month. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said he’ll schedule a session on Sunday to seek action before the act expires. The Senate blocked the USA Freedom Act, which would have let the National Security Agency collect records on a case-by-case basis, and with court approval. The House passed that bill and it has support from the White House. But the Senate was three votes short of the 60 needed to advance the bill. (Federal News Radio)
  • The Justice Department released agencywide guidance for using drones. Law enforcement agencies can’t use drones to monitor protests or other rights under the First Amendment. And the unmanned systems can only be used for authorized investigations. Law enforcement can only collect personal information for authorized investigations. And it has to get rid of that data after 180 days. Employees who operate drones must obtain proper training. DOJ said drones are more cost-effective than manned vehicles and give law enforcement more flexibility. That’s why it anticipated using more drones in the future. (Justice Dept.)
  • The Postal Service said it was ready to replace its delivery trucks. Joseph Corbett, the agency’s chief financial officer, told Congress that replacing the fleet instead of repairing it would cost less in the long run. Auditors said maintaining the aging vehicles costs nearly $1 billion each year. And that number is expected to grow as the vehicles get older. The agency will need about 180,000 new postal trucks, and thinks that would cost between $4.5 billion and $6.5 billion. The Postal Service has had a request for information out since January for prototypes of the next generation of vehicles. (Federal News Radio)
  • The Obama administration said the National Security Agency has begun shutting down a program of tracking Americans’ phone records. The Senate left town last weekend without reauthorizing the controversial program, which was revealed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. It is set to expire at the end of the month. Three Senate Republicans blocked a bill supported by their own party in the House. The White House and law enforcement support it too. The USA Freedom Act would have ended NSA’s bulk collection but permitted the agency to search records held by phone companies. The New York Times reports that lawmakers continue negotiations even while they’re in recess this week. (Federal News Radio)
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking down people who have had contact with a man who died of a rare virus known as Lassa. The man recently had returned to New Jersey from Liberia. The CDC said samples it tested showed the man did not have Ebola. Lassa fever is common in West Africa but rare in the United States. There has never been person-to-person transmission of the virus here. It is less likely to be fatal than Ebola. (CDC )

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