Monday morning federal headlines – March 26, 2012

The Morning Federal Newscast is a daily compilation of the stories you hear Federal Drive host Tom Temin 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.

• Congressional Democrats plan to release an alternative to the GOP’s response to President Barack Obama’s fiscal 2013 budget. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) says House Democrats’ plan also would reduce the federal deficit. But he says it would preserve Medicare. Van Hollen criticized the Republican budget released last week as giving tax breaks to millionaires and ending the Medicare guarantee. The Hill newspaper reports the Democrats’ plan would cap overall discretionary spending at the levels set by last summer’s debt-ceiling deal, even though some on the left of the party say that’s too restrictive. The (Hill newspaper)
• The Supreme Court kicks off the first of three days of hearings on President Barack Obama’s health care law. The two-year-old Affordable Care Act has been surrounded by controversy, mainly over whether the federal government can require people to get health insurance. But today’s argument focuses on a more technical aspect of the law: Key provisions don’t kick in until 2014. A 19-th century law would prohibit the court from ruling until that time. But both the plaintiffs and the federal government agree the Supreme Court shouldn’t wait to act. C-SPAN will have audio of the hearing available later today. (Associated Press)
• Are airport screening procedures actually working, or are they just “security theater”? Two House committees will ask that of the Transportation Security Administration later today. The hearing will look at how TSA agents make decisions based on passengers’ body language. It will also focus on TSA’s full body scanners and Transportation Worker ID program, which is supposed to increase security at ports. Lawmakers have used their Facebook pages to solicit questions from their public. (House Oversight Committee)
• Congress is closing in on the Defense Department, trying to force the elimination of hazing. Some members want the armed services leadership to end a culture they say allows mistreatment of service members by their colleagues. Tough hearings follow several recent hazing-related deaths and injuries. Uniformed officials tell lawmakers they are moving aggressively to stamp out the problem. The House Armed Services Committee grilled top enlisted officials from all four military services plus the Coast Guard. Each testified to a zero-tolerance stance toward hazing in their services. (Federal News Radio)
• Two Veterans Affairs’ workers have served suspensions for violating the Hatch Act. They admitted to using their work email accounts to campaign for then-candidate Barack Obama back in 2008. The Office of Special Counsel says they did that, despite daily reminders from the agency about the Hatch Act and its restrictions. One employee served a two-week suspension; the other served three weeks. The Hatch Act bans government workers from using their official positions to engage in political activity. Congress is considering loosening the Hatch Act for that state and local workers — but not feds. Office of Special Counsel
• Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is making an appeal to young Latinos today. He’ll pitch the department as a great place to work in a speech to a group of Hispanic colleges and universities. Salazar also will discuss the agency’s attempts to make Latino history more prominent at national parks. But first this morning, Salazar will help Labor Secretary Hilda Solis rename that agency’s auditorium in honor of civil rights leader Cesar Chavez. Just 8 percent of federal workers are Latinom, making them the most underrepresented ethnic group in the government. President Barack Obama has called on agencies to improve diversity among their ranks. (Interior Department)
• The Agriculture Department has pushed forest-planning into the 21st century, with a final rule that replaces 30-year-old procedures. USDA says the rule strengthens public involvement in planning and requires officials to make decisions based on science. The Sierra Club says for the first time, the standards require federal forest plans to address climate change. They also contain criteria to protect the watersheds and waterways that supply about one-fifth of the nation’s water. Some wildlife advocates say the new rule gives local Forest Service officials too much control over conservation, however. Eight national forests will adopt the standards first.More than half of the Forest Service is relying on plans more than 15 years old. (USDA)

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