Friday Morning Federal Newscast – June 10th

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. T...

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 Office of Management and Budget has sent its recommendations for reorganizing the government to President Obama. But what they are won’t be known until the president finishes reviewing them. The president’s order in launching the effort was to focus on agencies involved with trade, export and economic competitiveness. The study and recommendations were done by OMB deputy director Jeff Zients and senior policy advisor Lisa Brown.
  • The IRS boss has warned Congress, cutting the tax agency’s budget could increase the deficit. Commissioner Douglas Shulman tells a Senate appropriations subcommittee that a proposed cut of $2 billion would result in fewer collections and therefore less revenue into federal coffers. GovExec reports, Shulman set out to defend the administration’s request for a 9.4 percent increase to the IRS budget for 2012, or $13.6 billion. Shulman says an insufficient budget could also cause a decrease in tax compliance in the long term. He says the IRS has saved $190 million in an efficiency drive. IRS has closed five of 10 data centers, and it stopped automatic mailings of 1040 forms since most taxpayers file electronically.
  • The head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been dinged by the agency’s inspector general. After a seven-month inquiry, NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko was chided for withholding information from other commissioners. The IG said Jaczko broke no laws, though. At issue is the decision to stop a technical review of the Energy Department’s plan for a nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The Yucca Mountain project has cost the government $15 billion over 30 years. But it is opposed by President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. Jackzo was a science advisor to Reid before joining NRC.
  • A former National Security Agency official has agreed to plead guilty in a case that pitted the government’s need to keep secrets versus the public’s right to know. Thomas Drake had been charged with 10 felony counts, including obstruction of justice, lying to the FBI and illegal possession of classified NSA documents. Drake had pleaded not guilty, and called himself a “whistle blower.” Under the agreement, he’ll plead guilty to a much lesser charge: exceeding authorized use of a computer. The court documents in the plea deal contain no recommendation on sentencing for Drake, but misdemeanors carry a maximum penalty of one year in jail.
  • The director of the National Counterterrorism Center is resigning. Michael Leiter’s joined NCTC as a principal deputy director in 2007. He came from Office of the Director of National Intelligence, where he served as deputy chief of staff under John Negroponte. As director of the NCTC, Leiter was responsible for coordinating analysis of terrorism-related information and intelligence. The NCTC also conducts planning of counterterrorism activities. He’s expected to leave in the next month. Leiter’s departure is the latest in a series of changes within the Obama administration’s national security team.
  • In the months after Sept. 11, protecting America’s iconic structures became a top priority of federal officials. This summer, millions of visitors will swarm the monuments, forcing officials to ramp up vigilance against threats. Officials say the number of law enforcement officers within the National Park Service – which oversees both wild parks such as the Grand Canyon and national monuments such as the Statue of Liberty – has increased by 1,500 to almost 4,000 since Sept. 11. Five icons have “airport-like security:” the White House, Philadelphia’s Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, the Statue of Liberty, the St. Louis Gateway Arch and the Washington Monument.
  • The USS Carl Vinson arrived in Hawaii this week, making its first stop at a U.S. port since its six-month deployment to waters around the Middle East and the Western Pacific. The carrier hosted a team of Navy SEALs who raided Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan and buried the terrorist mastermind at sea.
  • The National Archives is opening a new exhibit today – all about food!! It’s offering visitors a closer look at presidential recipes including Lyndon Johnson’s chili, John Kennedy’s chowder and Dwight Eisenhower’s three-page guide to vegetable soup. The exhibit is called, “What’s Cooking Uncle Sam?” It includes a collection of posters showing the importance of food during wartime, plus more than 100 original documents, images, and government videos. There is an amusing look at food marketing, including a company’s pitch for branding “Vitamin Donuts,” and many antiquated nutrition guidelines. A new restaurant will accompany the exhibit. America Eats Tavern is named for the 1930s Works Progress Administration project that documented the nation’s food traditions. It’s scheduled to open as a pop-up restaurant on July 4.

More news links

New courthouse’s glass stairs draw concerns of ‘peeping’ (Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch)

THIS AFTERNOON ON FEDERAL NEWS RADIO

Coming up today on In Depth with Francis Rose:

–The Federal News Countdown, with the three most important Federal News stories of the week as chosen by Dan Chenok and Norm Lorentz.

–The Pentagon’s mission might be different that your agency’s, but Pat Tamburrino has the same HR challenges you do. He’ll tell you how he’s dealing with them.

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

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