Rick Perry, former governor of Texas, has been sworn in as head of the Energy Department  after the Senate confirmed his appointment via a 62-37 vote.

Perry said in a statement published Thursday that he will support DOE’s efforts to “provide stable, reliable, affordable and secure sources of American energy.”

He also aims to maintain a secure nuclear deterrent; reduce the threat of nuclear proliferation; and continue the environmental clean-up from the Cold War nuclear mission.

President Donald Trump nominated Perry for the energy secretary post in late 2016.

DOE said Texas created nearly 2.2 million jobs and reduced the state’s carbon footprint by 17 percent, sulfur dioxide by 56 percent and nitrogen oxide by 66 percent during Perry’s 14-year tenure as governor.

Perry is a U.S. Air Force veteran and former agriculture commissioner in Texas.

NASA has published the third edition of a catalog that lists free software products designed for various technical applications.

The agency said Wednesday the 2017-2018 software catalog includes contributions from NASA centers on data processing and storage, business systems, operations, propulsion and aeronautics.

Some software products include codes for drones and “quieter” aircraft, NASA added.

Steve Jurczyk, associate administrator for NASA’s space technology mission directorate, said the catalog is intended to provide access to software codes that could help create jobs, generate revenue and save lives.

The catalog is produced through NASA’s Technology Transfer program and available both in print and online.

Wilbur Ross, former WL Ross and Co. chairman and chief strategy officer, has taken his official oath of office as the 39th secretary of commerce during a ceremony headed by Vice President Mike Pence.

The Commerce Department said Tuesday Ross will work to help local businesses and entrepreneurs have access to resources necessary to drive the creation of jobs, economic growth and sustainable development.

“With Wilbur Ross as our new secretary of commerce, the President and I are confident that the Department of Commerce is going to take its right and leading role in fostering the growth that will create good-paying jobs for every American,” said Pence.

Ross succeeds Penny Pritzker as commerce secretary and brings more than 55 years of experience in investment banking and private equity as chairman or lead director at more than 100 companies around the world.

He has helped restructure at least $400 billion in assets in the airline, banking, insurance, marine transport, oil and gas, shipping, steel, textiles and other industries, the Commerce Department said.

He has been elected into the Private Equity Hall of Fame and the Turnaround Management Hall of Fame, was privatization adviser to Rudy Giuliani when he was mayor of New York City and was appointed by then-President Bill Clinton to the U.S.-Russia Investment Fund board.

The Government Accountability Office has found that the Customs and Border Protection  agency continues to face planning, infrastructure and staffing challenges in CBP’s project to build a biometric data collection system for travelers who exit the U.S.

GAO said Monday CBP works with airlines and airports to explore the use of public/private partnerships for the deployment of a biometric exit system.

CBP aims to install a biometric exit platform in at least one airport by 2018 but the agency has yet to finalize partnership agreements and implementation decisions that would complete the planning process, GAO added.

Infrastructure issues facing CBP include the lack of designated areas at U.S. airports where immigration officers can capture biometric data from exiting travelers, the congressional watchdog agency noted.

GAO reported the CBP plans to gather and use information from pilot programs to identify biometric exit technology and staffing measures that would suit the airport environment.

Auditors also found that the Department of Homeland Security‘s report on estimated overstay rates in fiscal year 2015 did not include all overstay information required by law.

GAO said DHS’ report did not cover overstay rates for foreign visitors who entered U.S. through land ports of entry or under other non-immigrant categories.

DHS aims to include overstay rates on foreign students who entered U.S. through air and sea POEs in the department’s FY 2016 report and add overstay rates for visitors that arrived through land POEs to its FY 2017 report.

The department reviewed approximately 2.7 million overstay leads from 2013 to 2015 and forwarded 26,982 of them to field offices for further investigation, GAO noted.

Carl Ghattas, formerly assistant director for the counterterrorism division at FBI‘s headquarters in Washington, has been appointed as executive assistant director of the bureau’s national security branch.

FBI said Tuesday he has been with the bureau since 1997 and held various roles within the extraterritorial investigations squad, intelligence directorate and the Washington field office.

Ghattas was named FBI’s assistant director for the counterterrorism division in April 2016  and he managed the headquarters’ terrorism investigations in that capacity.