Friday Morning Federal Newscast – November 26

The Morning Federal Newscast is a daily compilation of the stories you hear Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Amy Morris discuss throughout the show each day. The Newscast is designed to give FederalNewsRadio.com users more information about the stories you hear on the air.

• The Senate Armed Services Committee will hear testimony next week from top Pentagon officials on the potential repeal of the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” law. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, and the authors of a year-long study on the possible effects of a repeal will all testify, The Hill reports. The 2011 defense authorization bill carries a provision that would repeal the 17-year-old policy, and the the results of the study are scheduled to be released at the end of the month to give Congress enough time to review findings.
• Whistleblowers benefited monetarily to the tune of nearly $400 million in FY 2010, according to new figures from the Justice Department. Nearly $3 billion was recovered in total under the False Claims Act, over 80 percent from health care fraud claims. Whistleblowers who file “qui-tam” lawsuits are entitled to between 15 and 30 percent of the money recovered, and this year received $385 million, Federal Times reports.
• The transition between Congresses is going on in the halls of the Capitol, but what about online? While defeated Representatives and Senators are packing up their Congressional offices, what happens to their Twitter accounts? The Hill surveyed Congressional Tweets and assessed the impact of the election on Twitter. The biggest question? What will become of Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) “@SpeakerPelosi”account?
• The Interior Department is issuing new protocol for wind farms along the Atlantic Coast. Earlier this week, Secretary Ken Salazar announced the new “Smart from the Start” initiative which will add areas for wind farm development, and will streamline the process by which leases are issued. The department will evaluate potential wind energy areas off the coasts of Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Virginia, Rhode Island and Massachusetts within the next 60 days Federal Times reports, and will cut the time for single-source contract awards by six month to a year.
• The Virginia Congressional delegation is continuing its efforts to save nearly 6,000 jobs in the Norfolk region as time winds down before the Pentagon’s proposed shutdown of the U.S. Joint Forces Command. The state’s Representatives, Senators and Gov. Bob McDonnell met with top Pentagon officials earlier this week in an effort to maintain functions carried out as part of JFCOM, and potentially several thousand jobs, The Hill reports.
• What’s keeping feds from being more social media-friendly at work? A lack of engagement, Bill Brantley write at GovLoop. While feds may have incorporated Twitter, Flickr, etc. into their out-of-the-office lives, their inability to do so in the federal sphere could be a serious threat to Gov 2.0. Brantley has tips for managers to reengage workers. Also, could Gov 2.0 also be hampered by silos between the “techno-savvy and the techno-fearful?” Government in the Lab takes a look at some criticism of Gov 2.0.
• The National Association of Postal Supervisors is speaking out against the plan to reduce Postal Service staff just before the high-volume Holiday season. In a letter to incoming Postmaster General Pat Donahoe, association president Louis Atkins said that “staffing disruptions within the management ranks at the most important time of the calendar year is disconcerting,” and would only add to the problems the agency is already facing. Donahoe, currently the deputy postmaster general and COO will take over for retiring Postmaster General John E. Potter in two weeks.

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