Tuesday Morning Federal Newsstand

Written by Ruben Gomez & Tom Temin
Edited by Suzanne Kubota

This morning’s federal news as heard on WFED:

More of you are investing for the day you quit work. The people who run your TSP say its because of automatic contributions reports GovExec. And if you have a question about about your TSP, starting next year, you can email the staff that runs it. The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board planning to add e-messaging to its new Web site, according to the Federal Times. Today, TSP participants who have questions need to call a toll-free number. The upgrade site comes out early next year.

President Obama asked Congress to end funding for 48 programs worth $17 billion. But House and Senate appropriators only plan to cut eleven. That’s according to an analysis by GovExec. On the chopping block is the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities State Grant program. The battle isn’t over yet, though. When the Senate returns after Labor Day, it will still have the majority of spending bills to deal with.

With NASA and the Defense Department cutting back future space-related spending, one local space contractor is also cutting back. Lockheed Martin said it will cut about 800 jobs at its space systems division by year-end. the end of the year. A company spokesman tells the Washington Post, “We need to get a bit smaller.”

If you’re an IT vendor, August and September could be big paydays! Industry experts predicting a surge in agency IT spending, topping what we’ve seen in previous years. No specifics on how much, but NextGov reports that part of that uptick may result from spending delays caused by the presidential transition and work on stimulus programs.

The Defense Department revamps its Web site to hone in on the younger set — 18 to 24 year-olds. The site includes a slew of social media features, including links to Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. DoD’s public affairs chief says the Pentagon needs to embrace social media as a way of reaching this new constantly web-connected world.

It’s always the e-mail. This time the Obama White House is in hot water after thousands complained of getting unsoliticed e-mails about health care reform. The administration is blaming political groups for the e-mails, after first denying they’d come from the White House itself. Meanwhile, after Republican protests, the White House has shut down its inbound e-mail system for receiving complaints about opposition to health care reform.

We told you earlier about increasing backlogs veterans face in trying to get benefits from the VA. Now the Obama administration is asking federal employees to send in ideas for cutting the time and effort it takes to process disability claims. According to the WashingtonPost, VA’s Veterans Benefits Administration will set up a web site to take in people’s ideas.

The Army will give 1.1 million soldiers intensive training in emotional resiliency. New York Times reports, the training will be the first of its kind in the military. The goal: To improve combat performance and avoid mental health problems later on. The Army has been battling a high rate of suicide. It reports stress-related mental disorders affect one in five troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. Military spouses will also be able to have this training.

A new nuclear treaty with Russia tops the agenda of a former Congresswoman who just became undersecretary of State for arms control and international security. Former Representative Ellen O. Tauscher of California joined State yesterday. She tells CongressionalQuarterly that negotiating and getting Senate ratification of a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty would be her first order of business. The current treaty expires December 5.

Other Stories We’re Following

New Hire Highlights Altegrity’s Growing Ambition L.A. Police Chief to Lead Unit Seeking Big U.S. Contracts (WashingtonPost)

Park Service says visits to national parks are up

Female Marines try to reach Afghan hearts (Stars&Stripes)

Michigan researchers look at rutabagas for biofuel

Swine flu inspires new video game

People work for money, not love of the job (UPI)

40 percent of Twitter messages ‘pointless babble’: study (AFP)

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