Tuesday Morning Federal Newsstand

Written by Phil Vogel
Edited by Suzanne Kubota

This morning’s federal news as heard on WFED:

A top executive overseeing the Thrift Savings Plan tells the FederalTimes it will take one to two years to create a Roth investment option. The Roth option would allow retirement funds to be withdrawn tax-free. The changes to the TSP could cost as much as $13 million dollars. The Roth option is part of a tobacco bill that the Senate is considering.

Another federal agency is turning to social networking tools to reach the masses. This time it is the Military Health System. They’ve set up a Twitter feed to quickly respond to medical questions from military families, according to NextGov. In addition, YouTube and Facebook pages have been set up with videos on everything from prosthetic legs to golf therapy clinics. The push is designed to reach younger audiences, which make up a large portion of the 1.4 million troops on active duty.

A new push to increase diversity in the ranks of senior executives. FederalComputerWeek reports congressional lawmakers have introduced a bill that would set up a new arm within the Office of Personnel Management devoted to addressing concerns about diversity. The office would work to place women, minorities, and people with disabilities in the top positions in Federal government.

The House clears a bill that would boost independence for Inspectors General at five agencies. The agencies are in charge of regulating financial and commodities markets. The agencies effected include the Federal Reserve and other financial regulators. The Washington Post reports that the bill’s lead sponsor says the watchdogs need more flexibility as they investigate fallout from the economic downturn.

The Obama administration is trying to prevent the release of Bush-era documents on interrogations of CIA detainees. CIA Director Leon Panetta is arguing against the release, saying it could endanger national security and bolster Al Qaida’s recruiting efforts. He says the papers detail methods used to garner information from suspected terrorists. A decision about whether to release the information now lies in the hands of a federal judge.

The Supreme Court turns down a challenge to the Pentagon Policy forbidding gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. The current policy of “don’t ask don’t tell” was created by former President Clinton. The court sided with the Obama Administration and decided not to hear an appeal from a former Army captain who was dismissed under the military’s current policy.

The White House has announced plans to speed up stimulus spending during the next 100-days. During a Monday meeting with Cabinet heads, Vice President Joe Biden highlighted 10 major projects aimed at economic recovery. They include creating or saving jobs for about 5-thousand police officers. They also include creating 125-thousand summer jobs for youth and making long-term infrastructure improvements to national parks, airports and highways. The administration re-iterated that it expects to create 600-thousand jobs in the second 100 days of the Recovery Act.

Other Stories We’re Following

Clinton orders review of State Department security after arrests (CNN)

Congress to consider ‘cash for clunkers’ plan

FBI director defends use of informants in mosques

Ed secretary: judge teachers on how students do

Court refuses to hear suit over Camp Lejeune water

Land a Federal Job (WallStreetJournal)

Copyright © 2024 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.