Melissa Hathaway, the Obama administration’s acting cybersecurity director, said Friday she is one of the candidates being considered for the permanent cybersecurity post. Hathaway confirmed her candidacy for the “cybersecurity czar” position to reporters after a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C. policy group. Hathaway said the administration is considering several candidates but President Barack Obama has not yet conducted any interviews. Hathaway, who led the White House’s 60-day review of cybersecurity policy, said Obama is deeply interested in improving cybersecurity and his leadership will help institute change. “It’s personal to him … they’ve…
Monthly Archives: June, 2009
House and Senate conferees reached an agreement late Thursday on the $105.9 billion war supplemental bill, which includes $7.7 billion to respond to pandemic flu. The Centers for Disease Control and the Health and Human Services Department will receive $1.5 billion in additional fiscal year 2009 appropriations, as well as $5.8 billion for a contingency fund for expanding detection efforts, increasing federal drug stockpiles and developing and administering vaccines. President Barack Obama had requested $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2009 funds and $2 billion in contingency funds. In addition, the supplemental provides $350 million to help state and local governments…
Federal agencies will be trading in more of their gas guzzlers for fuel-efficient cars soon. The General Services Administration announced today that it ordered 14,105 vehicles from the big three automakers, using $210 million in stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. That’s on top of the 3,100 hybrid vehicles GSA purchased in April for $77 million. Another order for $15 million in advanced technology buses and electric vehicles will be made by Sept. 30, GSA said. The new vehicles will replace older models that are less fuel efficient. Of the total vehicles purchased so far, 7,924 are Fords, 6,348…
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved two nominations today: Martha Johnson, to be administrator of the General Services Administration. Rand Beers, to be under secretary for the National Protection and Programs Directorate at the Homeland Security Department. Both now face confirmation by the full Senate.
It continues to be a rough year for the Postal Service, which said this week that it lost $385 million in April alone — that’s on top of the $2.2 billion it has already lost this year. The numbers are pretty striking: This year’s April revenue was $1 billion lower than last year’s, and the loss was far worse than the $18 million the Postal Service projected.
On Monday, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is scheduled to vote on the nomination of Martha Johnson to lead the General Services Administration. In anticipation of the big event — and in celebration of Friday – we bring you some fun facts about Pres. Barack Obama’s pick to lead GSA, as harvested from this lengthy questionnaire released prior to Johnson’s June 3 confirmation hearing. She was born in New Haven, Conn. In the summers of 1967 and 1968 she was a waitress at Sims Café in Dickinson, N.D. She taught English in Taiwan from 1974-1976 In 1992, she was…
The House adopted an amendment to the Transportation Security Administration Authorization Act to allow TSA employees to voluntarily wear protective equipment during a public health emergency. The House passed the amendment by voice vote Thursday during floor debate on the bill, HR 2200. The House later passed the bill 397-25. The amendment, offered by Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., would allow workers to wear surgical and N95 masks and gloves and use hand sanitizer during an emergency. The amendment was spurred by departmental reactions to the recent H1N1 flu outbreak. Unions pushed the Homeland Security Department to allow TSA and Customs…
 Update: AFGE has also sent yours truly this point-by-point refutation of industry’s opposition to the CLEAN UP Act. We told you earlier today about a Republican bill introduced yesterday to promote the outsourcing of commercial work performed by federal employees. Now enter the American Federation of Government Employees, a privatization foe, announcing it has taken “its contracting out reform campaign to the House of Representatives.” In a June 4 news release, union boss John Gage applauded the introduction of Mikulski’s CLEAN UP Act in the House by Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Md. Gage said: The CLEAN UP Act is vital to any serious effort to…
In April, several senate Democrats, led by Maryland’s Barbara Mikulski, introduced a bill to convert some contracted work to federal performance and otherwise prevent the government from competing federal jobs with the private sector. Mikulski’s “CLEAN UP Act” – short for “Correction of Longstanding Errors in Agencies Unsustainable Procurements Act” – drew applause from unions and criticism from industry groups. But now Senate Republicans are getting in on the act with their own bill designed to do the opposite. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., introduced the “Freedom From Government Competition Act” yesterday. The bill mandates federal agencies rely on the private sector for…
UPDATE: The official release is now online here. Written comments should be sent to: Defense Business Board ATTN: Ms. Phyllis Ferguson 2521 South Clark Street, Room 650 Arlington, VA 22202 ORIGINAL POST: The three-man board reviewing the National Security Personnel System is about to formally announce its two-day schedule of public meetings. The second day — June 26 — will be devoted to hearing the thoughts of Defense Department employees and managers under the controversial pay-for-performance system. Pentagon spokesman Les’ Melnyk just told me that the board wants anyone interested in testifying to write a letter — not an e-mail, not…