Tuesday federal headlines – July 28, 2015

The Federal Headlines is a daily compilation of the stories you hear discussed on the Federal Drive and In Depth radio shows. 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.

• Electronic invoice processing is finally coming to the government, though it might still take three years. David Mader, head of the Office of Management and Budget, signed off on a memo taking the government out of the paper stone age and into the 21st century. OMB is mandating agencies process all procurement invoices electronically by 2018, using Treasury’s Internet Payment Platform or another approved shared service. Over the next six months, OMB, Treasury, the CFO Council and the acquisition executives will create standards and plans to develop a portal where these electronic invoices can be submitted. (Federal News Radio)

• The Republican chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee called for the removal of the IRS Commissioner John Koskinen on Monday. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) said Koskinen has obstructed congressional investigations into the IRS’ treatment of conservative groups. He sent a letter to President Barack Obama, signed by 21 other members, asking the President to remove Koskinen. Chaffetz also raised the possibility of impeaching Koskinen or voting to hold him in contempt of Congress. (Federal News Radio)

• The Obama administration is closing the door in November on a controversial spy program. Around Thanksgiving, the National Security Agency will stop using existing metadata of Americans’ phone calls in terrorism investigations. It will destroy the records as soon as possible. Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden brought the program to light by leaking secret documents. Since then, Congress has passed a law to stop the agency from collecting the data, after a six-month transition. But officials said they weren’t sure what they would do about records that date back five years. They said they can’t destroy them right away because of pending lawsuits. (ODNI)

• The House passed a bill to give the Secret Service 285 new agents, including 200 in uniform. It would make the Secret Service director a Senate-confirmed position, and require more training. And it called on the Secret Service to evaluate new technologies that would help it improve the way it protects the White House. The bill passed with a wide margin, drawing support from both parties. It followed a series of scandals over the past year that resulted in the resignation of director Julia Pierson last October. (Congress)

• The Obama administration plans to restore Pell grants to federal prisoners. That would help them pay for college-level courses. The Wall Street Journal reports Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Attorney General Loretta Lynch will unveil the plan on Friday. Congress cut off Pell grant funding for prisoners in 1994. They’d cost $34 million the year before. Since then, the federal prison population has doubled to 1.6 million. The education move comes as both Republicans and Democrats are considering an overhaul of federal prison sentencing guidelines. (Wall Street Journal)

• The Obama administration is sending a career foreign service officer to be the new special envoy for Syria. Michael Ratney is now U.S. Consul General in Jerusalem. He speaks fluent Arabic and has served in Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco and Qatar. Ratney also has a background in international communication and engagement. Ratney will be the face of the U.S. as it tries to negotiate a political end to Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Secretary of State John Kerry said the U.S. is committed to countering terrorism, supporting the moderate opposition and addressing the humanitarian impact in the region. Ratney replaces Daniel Rubinstein, who has been in the post for about a year and a half. (State Department)

• A four-star general is taking the helm of the Air Force’s troubled nuclear arm later today. Gen. Robin Rand will lead Air Force Global Strike Command. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James told the Associated Press that it will be crucial to have a four-star in charge of this command, something that hasn’t happened since the Cold War. The nuclear force has been plagued by low morale and a lack of resources. But Air Force officials said new programs have improved communication and put it back on track. Rand is a career fighter pilot with broad experience in the service. But he has never served in the nuclear force. (Federal News Radio)

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