Federal Drive

Wednesday Morning Federal Newscast – June 15th

Lockheed to lay off more than 1,000

Federal News Network Staff

June 15, 2011 10:46 am

3 min read

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 Pentagon gets serious about conservation and alternative fuels. DOD has sent its first-ever operational energy strategy to Congress. The strategy details the military’s intent to begin treating energy as a critical military capability. One goal is to reduce its demand for petroleum while establishing the Pentagon as a leader in energy alternatives like bio fuel. Congress mandated the new approach partly out of concern over casualties from attacks on fuel convoys in Iraq and Afghanistan. Plus, DoD’s spending on fuel has grown 225 percent over the past decade.
CIA chief Leon Panetta has passed a milestone on the road to becoming the next Defense Secretary. The Senate Armed Services Committee approved his nomination. The voice vote was unanimous. National Journal reports confirmation by the full Senate is expected this month. Getting the job might be a breeze, but not the job itself. Panetta will inherit three conflicts including action in Libya. Plus President Obama has called for a $400 billion dollar reduction in defense and national security spending over the next decade.
The Social Security Administration made $6.5 Billion in overpayments in 2009. That includes $4 Billion under a supplemental income program for the very poor. The Inspector General for Social Security says that, in all, about ten percent of the payments made by the agency’s Supplemental Security Income program were improper. If you include the $1.5 billion dollars in underpayments, Social Security made a total of $8 billion in improper payments in 2009.
Senator John Cornyn wants the federal government to take a cue from his state of Texas. Cornyn calls on the White House to establish a sunset committee that would ferret out wasteful or obsolete programs, and end them. The Republican senator’s proposal echoes one made by the president’s deficit commission. The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission has been in operation since 1977. It has ended dozens of state programs. Cornyn attached his proposal to the Economic Development Administration authorization bill.
Lockheed Martin is laying off 1,200 employees. The aerospace and defense contractor is trying to cut its workforce by 8 percent. Lockheed Martin says these cuts come as the budget pressures force the Obama administration to pare back defense spending. That means an end to certain contracts.
The Federal Communications Commission is going to hear about how LightSquared’s proposed next-gen wireless network is still interfering with GPS service. The Washington Business Journal reports that the two sides can’t agree on a fix. The FCC told LightSquared and the GPS Industry Council to study the issue and come up with solutions in a report, which is due to the FCC today. A preview by the Wall Street Journal shows that there are not going to be any easy answers. But, the FCC says this must be resolved before the network can move forward.
The votes are in, and America’s “Hottest Dad” is an Air Force man from North Pole, Alaska. Fuel Specialist James Tritle of Eilson Air Force Base beat out 700 other dads in an iVillage competition. Tritle received his award on a national TV show. Tritle and his wife Angela won a weeklong vacation to the Bahamas. It’ll take place over their 10th anniversary. The Tritles have three children, ages 4 to 8.