Monday Morning Federal Newscast – March 21st

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.

• A new bill would reduce pensions for federal employees hired after 2012. The bill was introduced by Republican Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina. Burr wants to bring federal benefits more in line with those of the private sector. The bill would remove the defined benefit portion of the Federal Employees Retirement System starting in 2013 for new employees. They would still get matching contributions to their Thrift Savings Plans. Burr says FERS is underfunded by almost $1 billion. John Gage, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, calls the bill cruel and useless in an interview with GovExec.
• Tucked deep inside the intelligence authorization bill is a provision that would require Intelligence agency feds to sign a contract giving up their federal pensions if they’re caught leaking even non-classified information to the press, Congress, or outside groups like WikiLeaks. The San Francisco Examiner reports the bill “reportedly gives the head of each intelligence agency broad discretionary power to decide what a ‘leak’ is – which could be defined as complaints about waste, fraud and abuse – or even risks to public safety.”
• Federal construction spending takes a big cut in the three-week continuing resolution the president signed Friday. Federal Times reports about a billion dollars of the $6 billion in cuts comes from construction or building upgrades. The funds had originally been passed as part of the General Services Administration’s budget. Among the recissions, or cuts, are $25 million from the National Park Service and $107 million from Homeland Security.
• Less than a week after the General Services Administration announced that Health and Human Services would remain in its Parklawn offices, a losing bidder is protesting. Washington Business Journal reports that One Largo Metro LLC filed the protest with the Government Accountability Office on March 16th. The group is alleging procurement irregularities. GSA’s Public Buildings Service has to file its defense by April 18th. GAO will make a decision by June 24th.
• The administration wants to maintain a limited U.S. role in the offensive against Libya. Defense Secretary Robert Gates cites the fact that U.S. ground forces are stretched thin by operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He says the U.S. hopes to turn control of the Libya mission over to a French and British coalition, or to NATO this week. Ships and aircraft pounded Libya over the weekend, taking out radar, communications and surface-to-air missile sites along its Mediterranean coast.
• Two officials who worked for President George W. Bush, are leading the pack in the search for a new FBI director. James Comey and Kenneth Wainstein served in sensitive national security-related posts at the Justice Department in the Bush administration. It could make for interesting confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee if President Barack Obama selects either to succeed FBI Director Robert Mueller. His 10-year, nonrenewable term expires Sept. 4.
• A small meteorite that crashed through the roof of a Virginia medical office last year will become part of the Smithsonian. The Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History paid $10,000 to the physicians who found the tennis-ball-sized rock. The doctors then donated the ten grand to Doctors Without Borders. The landlords of the doctor’s building originally filed a legal claim for the meteorites. The claim was later dropped.

More news links

Nuke agency to begin review of U.S plant safety

CBO: Obama understates deficits by $2.3 trillion

Bill targets intelligence whistleblowers (SFExaminer)

New National Christmas Tree planted in DC

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