Retaliation by US Marshals Service leaders

The Federal Headlines is a daily compilation of the stories you hear discussed on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

In today’s Top Federal Headlines, the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General found three senior officials with the U.S. Marshals Service targeted employees who were cooperating with another IG investigation.

• The Justice Department inspector general found three bosses retaliated against underlings cooperating with an investigation, by the inspector general. One of the retaliators is the now-retired Marshals chief deputy. The IG found they pressed employees for information, restricted work assignments, and made threats. They were also less than candid when dealing with the IG. Those findings head to the Office of Special Counsel. (Department of Justice Office of Inspector General)

• Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said this year’s federal budget will be a “true America first” budget. Mulvaney said an early budget blueprint includes $603 billion for defense spending and $462 billion in non-defense spending. He said the administration is on schedule to present a full budget by early May. (Federal News Radio)

• House Armed Services Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) said the Trump administration “can and should” do more to increase the military budget. This comes after the Trump proposed increasing the defense budget by $54 billion and decreasing the domestic budget by the same amount. Opponents fear domestic cuts will leave domestic agencies gutted. (House Armed Services Committee)

• The new background investigations bureau is facing a rough start in the acquisition world. The Office of Personnel Management’s National Background Investigations Bureau is almost five months old and already embroiled in its first bid protest. OPM awarded Primus Solutions a $117 million contract on January 23 to provide investigative support services. But two unsuccessful bidders are protesting to the Government Accountability Office that award. Maximus Federal Services and Next Tier Concepts filed complaints with GAO alleging OPM’s evaluation of their proposals was flawed. GAO has until May 24 to decide the protest. (Federal News Radio)

• The Army’s long, complicated search for a new handgun might be delayed even further because of a bid protest. Last month, the Army picked Sig Sauer’s P320 handgun to replace soldiers’ sidearms, finally ending a six-year process that’s become emblematic of the red tape involved in the Pentagon’s procurement procedures. But on Friday, a losing bidder, Glock, filed a bid protest with the Government Accountability Office. The protest could delay the contract’s implementation until at least June, assuming GAO upholds the Army’s decision. (Government Accountability Office)

• New Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin said he’s working with Congress on a new bill to hold VA employees accountable. They’re also working on legislation that would reauthorize the VA Choice Program past its Aug. 7 expiration date. Shulkin said the plan is renewing then redesigning the Choice Program. Shulkin named his top 10 priorities for VA in a speech before the Disabled American Veterans. It was his first public speech as secretary. (Disabled American Veterans YouTube Channel)

• The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is set to evaluate eight leases for Veterans Affairs outpatient clinics. According to the committee’s markup schedule, the clinics will help veterans living in rural areas get better access to medical services. VA Secretary David Shulkin listed infrastructure as one of his top ten priorities for the agency. (House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee)

• Wilbur Ross is confirmed as the next Commerce Secretary by a 72-27 vote. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation said Ross’ experience as a businessman revitalizing struggling businesses makes him an “exceptional fit to revitalize” the economy. Ross is expected to be sworn in today. (Federal News Radio)

• The agency which administers the Thrift Savings Plan is lagging behind on its cybersecurity improvements. An independent auditor reviewed the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board’s IT security in fiscal 2016. It found the agency lacked complete continuous monitoring, risk management, and incident response programs. User access is slowly getting better. The board said it should have two-factor authentication in place for all users by the end of next quarter. (Federal News Radio)

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