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Reports: Senate’s Fiscal 2017 Defense Bill Faces WH Veto Threat
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Reports: Senate’s Fiscal 2017 Defense Bill Faces WH Veto Threat


PentagonThe White House has threatened to veto a Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2017 over provisions that would impose organizational changes at the Pentagon and block planned closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison, The Hill newspaper reported Tuesday.

Rebecca Kheel writes the Senate’s defense policy bill includes a proposal to split up the responsibilities of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisitions, Technology and Logistics between two other offices.

“Reorganizing DOD without careful study and consideration would undermine the department’s ability to continue to carry out its national security functions,” the White House said in a statement of administration policy.

Kheel reports the Obama administration also opposes NDAA provisions that would extend a ban on the transfer of detainees from a U.S. detention facility in Cuba to other countries that are included in State Department-issued travel alerts and would limit the number of National Security Council staffers to 150.

The House of Representatives passed its fiscal 2017 defense policy bill last month, but the legislation faces a veto threat from the White House because it uses war funds to increase the defense base budget, Patricia Zengerle of Reuters reported Tuesday.

According to Zengerle’s story, the Senate’s NDAA did not adopt the House’s strategy to shift funds from the Pentagon’s overseas contingency operations account.

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DOT IG Office Seeks New CIO to Oversee IT Resources
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DOT IG Office Seeks New CIO to Oversee IT Resources


Department of TransportationThe Transportation Department‘s Office of the Inspector General is looking for candidates to take the role of chief information officer to manage information technology resources and support the agency’s mission needs.

A notice posted Monday on the USAJobs website says the CIO will provide national leadership to support the economical delivery of resources and oversee the development of applicable policies, plans, standards, guidelines and procedures.

The CIO will also develop and maintain information system security programs, assess training requirements and provide IT services to meet customer service and performance accountability requirements.

Duties also cover setting standards for products and services and coordinating IT development plans and strategies with the DOT chief information officer.

GAO Asks VA to Develop Performance Standards for Sole-Source Affiliate Contracts Development
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GAO Asks VA to Develop Performance Standards for Sole-Source Affiliate Contracts Development


healthcare systemThe Government Accountability Office has called on the Department of Veterans Affairs to construct performance standards for the development of sole-source affiliate contracts in order to maintain timely formation of high-value, long-term SSACs.

GAO said Monday it found that three of the five VA medical centers examined spent about three years to develop and award 11 high-value, long-term SSACs and that two medical centers failed to adopt high-value, long-term SSACs.

“High-value, long-term SSACs generally require the most oversight of all SSACs by the Veterans Health Administration, have total initial values of $500,000 or more and provide affiliate services for more than one year,” GAO noted.

Officials from the five medical centers acknowledged that long development timeframes could create gaps in patient healthcare and lead to repetitive development of short-term solutions.

GAO also discovered that contracting officers with responsibility for the development of SSACs in the 21 VHA network contracting offices lack the required experience.

Auditors also called for the setup of the minimum amount of time required to develop and award short-term SSACs and step up the retention of contracting officers.

CDC Director Tom Frieden Calls On Congress to Support $1.9B Zika Emergency Package
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CDC Director Tom Frieden Calls On Congress to Support $1.9B Zika Emergency Package


CDC Director Tom Frieden Calls On Congress to Support $1.9B Zika Emergency Package
Tom Frieden

Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agency, has urged the Congress to back President Barack Obama’s $1.9 billion request in emergency funds for Zika virus response efforts.

Frieden wrote in a blog post published Monday the Department of Health and Human Services has repurposed funds to meet laboratory requirements, develop diagnostic tests and track infections in the U.S. and territories.

He said a so-called “stopgap” funding package is not sufficient to support the Zika mitigation measures that the U.S. needs.

Frieden noted Congress should follow the efforts of private sector leaders such as the anti-Zika campaign of the CDC Foundation — a non-profit organization that partners with private sector entities to aid CDC.

CDC Foundation partners have donated Zika prevention kits to Puerto Rico to aid pregnant women and supported health education missions in U.S. communities, Frieden said.

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Merit Systems Protection Board Seeks New Chief Privacy Officer, Info Services Director
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Merit Systems Protection Board Seeks New Chief Privacy Officer, Info Services Director


JobAdThe Merit Systems Protection Board has begun its search for a candidate who will serve as both chief privacy officer and director of the information services team.

MSPB said in a notice posted Monday on USAJobs the chosen candidate will craft and implement privacy programs that seek to protect personally identifiable information from unauthorized access and sharing as well as ensure the board’s compliance with privacy laws and regulations.

The selected candidate will serve as legal adviser to MSPB’s senior management officials and staff on privacy matters and will oversee privacy controls and assessments of privacy risks on a periodic basis.

The incumbent will work within the clerk of the board’s office and will also be responsible for records management operations and programs related to the Paperwork Reduction Act and Freedom of Information Act.

The agency will accept applications for the position through June 15, according to the notice.

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John Goolgasian: NGA Reaches Out to Private Industry for Satellite Accuracy Measurements
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John Goolgasian: NGA Reaches Out to Private Industry for Satellite Accuracy Measurements


NGA-logoThe National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is continuing on its strategy to enlist the help of private industry imaging and analytics systems in order to grow the agency’s intelligence portfolio, C4ISR & Networks reported Monday.

Adam Stone writes the NGA’s plans include the exploration and evaluation of commercial geospatial intelligence data and products to address product delivery speeds and help streamline acquisitions through the support of industry partners.

“We have been doing a number of assessments among the satellite builders, asking how accurate the satellites are, and how these providers and capabilities can satisfy our mission sets,” said John Goolgasian, NGA director and source/content portfolio manager.

The report added NGA will monitor new approaches that commercial companies can offer the agency and specifically articulate its needs and expectations during its discussions with industry partners.

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GAO: VA Worked to Manage Costs, Obligations to Prevent Funding Gaps
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GAO: VA Worked to Manage Costs, Obligations to Prevent Funding Gaps


budget analysis reviewThe Government Accountability Office has said the Department of Veteran Affairs launched efforts to manage estimated costs and obligations to prevent future funding gaps following VA’s projected $2.75 billion budget shortfall in fiscal year 2015.

GAO said Friday obligations for hepatitis C drugs and VA’s care in the community programs accounted for $408 million and $2.34 billion of the funding gap, respectively.

VA applied new policies that direct VA medical center and Veterans Integrated Service Networks to use historical data in CIC cost estimation; compare CIC estimated costs with estimated obligations; address discrepancies and certify whether these steps were taken each month, GAO added.

GAO further noted VA distributed funds for CIC and hepatitis C drugs across VAMCs and began comparing each center’s obligations in the two areas against allocated funds to determine if obligations match financial resources.

The VA also added FY 2015 data into the projection it uses to estimate budgets in three to four years to reflect increased CIC utilization, GAO said.

GAO said despite VA’s efforts, challenges remain in health care services utilization such as the Veterans Choice Program — a CIC initiative which faces enrollment delays that could impact utilization estimates for fiscal years 2016 and 2017.

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FAA Seeks to Encourage Aircraft Owners to Install ADS-B Avionics Through Rebate Program
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FAA Seeks to Encourage Aircraft Owners to Install ADS-B Avionics Through Rebate Program


AirportRunwayThe Federal Aviation Administration will offer by late September a $500 rebate to each owner of general aviation aircraft in order to help them procure the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out avionics system for their planes.

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta announced the planned rebate program with Deputy Administrator Mike Whitaker and Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in an agency release published Monday.

The FAA introduced the rebate program in an effort to help aircraft owners meet the Jan. 1, 2020 deadline to equip their planes with the ADS-B Out platform as part of a final rule issued in May 2010.

ADS-B Out works to facilitate aircraft surveillance operations through satellite-based positioning and is part of the FAA’s NextGen initiative that seeks to update the U.S. air traffic control system through the adoption of avionics platforms.

The FAA said it will issue 20,000 rebates on an annual basis to owners of registered single-engine, fixed-wing piston aircraft with avionics systems that meet the agency’s technical standards.

Colorado Springs Gazette: President Obama Opposes VA Privatization
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Colorado Springs Gazette: President Obama Opposes VA Privatization


medical health doctorPresident Barack Obama has outlined his opposition against the privatization of the Department of Veterans Affairs in an interview with the Colorado Springs Gazette published Sunday.

Megan Schrader writes Obama plans to address what issues remain at the VA over the remaining few months of his second term and called a proposal for the department’s privatization a “mistake.”

Obama told the Gazette an overhaul to the system would hamper his administration’s efforts to modernize healthcare for veterans.

“If you look at, for example, VA healthcare, there have been challenges getting people into the system,” Obama told the publication after the 2016 Air Force Academy graduation ceremony at Falcon Stadium.

“Once they are in, they are extremely satisfied and the quality of care is very high,” Obama added.

The department currently is in partnership with some private health centers under the Veterans Access to Care Act in 2014 to provide care to veterans if a VA clinic is beyond 40 miles, Schrader reports.

“We’ve done some work for individuals in special circumstances so that they have access to the healthcare that’s nearest to them,” Obama said.

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Sen. John Cornyn Seeks to Authorize FBI to Access Electronic Records Without Court Order Via Amendment to ECPA
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Sen. John Cornyn Seeks to Authorize FBI to Access Electronic Records Without Court Order Via Amendment to ECPA


cybersecuritySen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) has proposed an amendment to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act that would authorize the FBI to gain access to “electronic communication transactional records” through the use of a national security letter, the Washington Post reported Monday.

Ellen Nakashima writes the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled Thursday to tackle the bill that Cornyn introduced as per the bureau’s request.

An NSL is an administrative subpoena that would allow the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to collect information on an individual’s online browsing history, internet protocol address as well as the time a person spends on a specific website without the need for a warrant or judge’s approval in intelligence and terrorism cases, the Post reports.

FBI Director James Comey said the proposed legislation aims to rectify “a typo” in ECPA and would be the agency’s top priority in 2016, according to Nakashima’s report.

The bureau told the publication that the proposed amendment to ECPA would not cover search engine queries and email content.

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