Thursday Morning Federal Newscast – May 12th

Coach class for feds fails in Senate, Military pay raise advances in the House, Boeing fires back at NLRB

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.

  • Virginia governor Bob McDonnell wants the Defense Department to slow down the move to the Mark Center. More than 6,000 workers are scheduled to move to the Alexandria location, and the infrastructure just isn’t ready for that kind of traffic. McDonnell has asked the military to delay the move. The state is building a new HOT Lanes ramp near the center, but that project will take several years. For more, see “BRAC Impact: A Federal News Radio and WTOP In Depth Series.”
  • The Social Security Administration is struggling with a rising workload and flat budgets, but the agency resumes limited overtime payments for workers who must stay longer on the job. A memo from Commissioner Michael Astrue warns workers to expect no budget increase for 2012. He rules out hiring more people now, because it would only force furloughs later. And he cautions workers against counting on overtime when making personal financial decisions. Overtime had been suspended during the continuing resolution. Congress passed a 2011 budget in April.
  • The Small Business reauthorization bill has failed in the Senate. This after it passed a senate committee by an 18 to one vote. Nola.com reports eight weeks of debate and 150 amendments later, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), the bill’s lead sponsor, has thrown in the towel. Some of those amendments would have to required all federal employees to fly coach class in the United States, and agencies to sell unused federal property. None of those add-ons was adopted.
  • The USDA is still plagued with civil rights problems according to a new government-commissioned report. Agriculture spearheaded the $8 million review to address long-standing complaints that minorities receive unequal treatment and are denied loans by department field offices. The study found far fewer minorities participated in many programs than did whites, and not enough effort went into marketing loans and services in minority communities. Agriculture says it has already put in place 94 of the report’s 234 recommendations. Those include better training for staff, increased outreach to minority communities and reducing some financial barriers for gaining loans.
  • A House panel approves a defense bill that would delay President Obama’s new policy allowing gays to serve openly in the military. It would also limit the President’s authority to slash the nation’s nuclear arsenal. The House Armed Services Committee approved the $553 billion defense blueprint. It includes a 1.6 percent increase in military pay in FY 2012, funding for aircraft, ships and submarines, and it meets the Pentagon’s request for an extra $118 billion to fight wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  • The Office of Management and Budget is promising on-time delivery of its plan to reorganize the government. The report is due June 9th. Deputy Director Jeff Zients tells a Senate subcommittee, OMB has held 250 meetings with agency leaders, frontline employees and members of Congress. It’s developed a web site for federal workers to submit their ideas for streamlining. Zients says the re-org plan will focus on how to boost trade, exports and U.S. competitiveness. Separately, two Senators have introduced a bill that would cut $5 billion in redundant government programs. The programs were identified in a March Government Accountability Office Report. That bill from Oklahoma Republican Tom Coburn and Virginia Democrat Mark Warner.
  • A federal appeals court in California has harsh words for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and it backs up those words with tough action. NextGov reports Judge Stephen Reinhardt, of the 9th Circuit Appeals Court, has ordered the VA to develop a systemwide plan for mental health services. Reinhardt cited what he called VA’s unchecked incompetence in veterans’ care. The ruling overturns a lower court, which had said two groups suing the VA lacked standing. Reinhardt pointed out that 1,000 Veterans attempt suicide every month. 18 succeed.
  • The debate between Boeing and the National Labor Relations Board continues and is getting even hotter. Boeing CEO Jim McNerney wrote an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal in response to an accusation from NRLB. The Board says the company’s decision to put an assembly site in South Carolina – instead of Washington – was in retaliation against the Machinists Union for past strikes, explains the Wichita Business Journal. But the Boeing CEO says the NLRB is wrong and has far overreached its authority. McNerney says other factors led to Boeing’s decision, not just its inability to reach a long-term, no-strike agreement with the Machinists. Unless they make up, the next step could be a hearing in June.
  • GAO auditors are staying busy. They’ve busted the Transportation Workers Identity Credential program, or TWIC. This time, investigators were able to use counterfeit TWIC cards to get into secure ports while carrying fake explosives. And they were able to use fake IDs to get genuine TWIC cards, complete with fingerprints and photos. The latest Government Accountability Office report cites internal control weaknesses in the TWIC program. Those weaknesses center on the enrollment and background-checking processes. TWIC is operated by the Transportation Security Administration.
  • Just when you thought bedbugs couldn’t get more creepy, here is a real cause for concern. Canadian scientists have found MRSA in bedbugs from Vancouver hospital patients. Scientists don’t want to push the panic button just yet. However, while bedbugs are not known to spread disease, this drug-resistant bacteria has researchers watching closely. They’re not sure yet whether the bugs carried MRSA, or if they picked up the germs from hospital patients. The study was published in “Emerging Infectious Diseases,” which is published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More news links

Postal union contract ratified (WashingtonPost)

AP sources: White House set to unveil cyber plan

THIS AFTERNOON ON FEDERAL NEWS RADIO

Coming up today on In Depth with Francis Rose:

–Day four of “BRAC Impact: A Federal News Radio and WTOP In-Depth Series.” Walter Reed is closing its current location…the latest on making the move to Bethesda and Fort Belvoir.

–You need to keep your best people motivated and engaged…advice from people who are doing it in government right now.

Join Francis from 3 to 7 pm on 1500 AM or on your computer.

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