Thursday Morning Federal Newsstand

Good morning! We welcome guest host, Jonathan Allen, Congressional Quarterly reporter. Written by Ruben Gomez Edited by Suzanne Kubota This morning’s fede...

Good morning! We welcome guest host, Jonathan Allen, Congressional Quarterly reporter.

Written by Ruben Gomez
Edited by Suzanne Kubota

This morning’s federal news as heard on WFED:

Forward movement for the review of pay for performance in the Defense Department. The task force looking at the system has announced that it will hold its first two public meetings on June 25 and 26. The meetings will include testimony from experts on the National Security Personnel System and discussion on public comments. Both meetings will happen at the Hyatt in Arlington, Virginia.

A fresh call for federal agencies to link diversity goals with recruiting and retention. It’s coming from Stuart Ishimaru, who’s the acting chairman of the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission. According to Government Executive, Ishimaru says that agencies should view diversity goals as a means to craft the best possible workforce and not as quotas that must be filled. He also says that creating diverse communities within offices leads to better retention because minority employees feel more at ease.

The FDA has no power to force recalls of salmonella-laced peanut butter or pistachios but that could change very soon. A House Committee votes next week on a bill that would give the agency power to issue mandatory recalls of unsafe food. Right now, they can only ask for voluntary recalls. Federal Times reports the measure would also task FDA with reviewing and approving food safety plans and creating a national tracing system to track the source of contaminated food.

The government’s transition to the new Networx telecommunications contract is moving too slowly for Martha Johnson. She’s the President’s pick to lead the General Services Administration. Johnson spoke at a confirmation hearing, and she fears that the switch in service may not be completed before existing contracts expire. She says the current pace is resulting in a savings loss of over $15 million dollars per month.

A request for $7-billion dollars to research cancer and autism isn’t sitting well with some House lawmakers. Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey says his committee will not support what he says amounts to an earmark and opens science up for political debate, acording to FederalTimes. The money was proposed in the President’s 2010 budget request. Health and Human Services is in charge of conducting the research.

Other Stories We’re Following

$10 Billion a Year to Keep Government Secrets Secret (AllGov)

IG: Energy is setting a poor example for conservation (GovExec)

Gov’t studies playground risks

The 10 worst work habits (CNN)

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