Tuesday Morning Federal Newscast – May 24th

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 Government Accountability Office says contractors who received stimulus money owe $757 million in back taxes. A Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing will look into the matter today. Senator Tom Coburn (R-Ok.) says it’s a matter of fairness for the contractors to pay their taxes. The GAO report due out today finds 37-hundred stimulus recipients owe taxes. Together they received $24 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
• Robert Gates’ ideas for major Defense Department cuts could get an airing in a speech today at a think tank. One of Gates’ final tasks before retiring as Defense Secretary is to set the Pentagon on a budget-cutting course. Gates has said savings on a major scale are not possible without slicing military power.
• Current and former spies and other intelligence professionals are warning against deep funding cuts by Congress. They say the United States could end up with the same intelligence failures that led to the September 11th attacks. Lawmakers say the spy budget is just about flat for 2011 and 2012, keeping it at about $80 billion for the third straight year. Lawmakers have also quietly agreed to keep funding the CIA unit that found al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.
• Congress is reacting favorably to a sweeping White House cybersecurity legislative proposal. The administration sent its proposal to Congress earlier this month. Yesterday, members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee members offered wide support for it. Chairman Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) called the administration’s proposal a turning point for U.S. policy. The White House plan leaves cybersecurity for critical infrastructure in the hands of industry, but with federal oversight and reporting requirements. It makes Homeland Security the departmental lead on protection of federal civilian networks.
• The Government Printing Office names its new chief technology officer. GPO’s Richard Davis will take over the job. Davis was acting superintendent of documents and managing director of library services and content management. In his new role Davis will be responsible for aligning the agency’s information technology vision with its business strategy. Davis will also oversees GPO’s Federal Digital System.
• FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate is in Missouri, as the agency begins assessing what kind of aid might be needed from the federal government. Tornadoes flattened towns and left 116 people dead in the city of Joplin alone. The White House says a FEMA Incident Management Assistance Team is also en route. FEMA is awaiting a formal request for disaster assistance from Missouri’s Governor before they deploy all their resources. It is a busy time for FEMA. The Emergency agency is already responding to deadly twisters in Alabama and Mississippi, that killed hundreds several weeks ago. It’s also helping flood victims along the Mississippi River.
• NASA has posted a video of the tornado that ripped through Joplin, Missouri. The satellite imagery shows the progression of the line of thunderstorms that generated the monster tornado. The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite called GOES-13 provides forecasters with continuous visible and infrared imagery of weather systems across the U.S. The GOES series of satellites are managed and operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NASA’s GOES Project is located at NASA Goddard.
• The Navy SEALS made headlines for the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. Now their website needs some back up after a huge spike in visitors. Federal Computer Week reports the SEALS are issuing a small business set-aside solicitation for web-hosting services. They say it’s imperative the website does not experience periods of downtime. The SEALs want all bids by May 26.
• Do you need the perfect name for your bundle of joy? Why not let the federal government help. The Social Security Administration has a baby name app. It’s called the “Baby Name Playroom.” SSA is responsible for releasing the annual list of most popular U.S. baby names, since they hold a record of every child born in America. Now you can browse their lists and search baby names right on your iPhone.

More news links

Senate considers Patriot Act despite concerns

USPS offers discount for mail with smartphone-friendly barcodes (PostalNewsBlog)

Vitter will Block Interior Sec. Salazar’s $19,600 Pay Raise Until Permits Issued at Pre-BP Rate (press release)

USDA lowers pork’s safe cooking temp

THIS AFTERNOON ON FEDERAL NEWS RADIO

Coming up today on In Depth with Francis Rose:

–If you think your presentations are a little weak, learn how to spice them up from Scott Schwertly, author of “How to be a Presentation God: Build, Design, and Deliver Presentations that Dominate”.

–The Homeland Security Department cancels its second try at modernizing its financial systems. Some ideas on where to go next from an industry expert.

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

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