Pining to know what the Environmental Protection Agency is up to while you’re away from your desk? Well, the agency has a solution for you: A Web site tailored specifically for cell phone users, m.epa.gov. This pared-down, text-only site will let the mobile user access agency contact information, find environmental information by ZIP code, read news releases and access the agency’s blog Greenversations. The agency said in a news release that it plans to add more features later. EPA is the latest agency to launch a site that’s easy to load and view on mobile devices. You can find a…
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The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is holding a hearing on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — specifically, why they got so involved in the subprime mortgage market. The hearing itself isn’t terribly interesting, but the committee released some fascinating documents. They include a June 2005 internal report (pdf) produced at Fannie Mae that chronicles Fannie’s first forays into subprime mortgages. The report advises Fannie to “pursue ‘underground’ efforts to develop a subprime infrastructure”: If we do not seriously invest in these “underground” type efforts and the market changes prove to be secular, we risk becoming a niche player;…
Elise mentioned last week that procurement reform is a top priority for Defense secretary Robert Gates. Gates expands on that idea in a lengthy article on defense strategy in the January/February issue of Foreign Affairs. He notes that “resources are not unlimited,” and argues that current procurement focuses on buying smaller amounts of more and more expensive military equipment. The Defense Department has to consider whether in situations in which the United States has total air dominance, it makes sense to employ lower-cost, lower-tech aircraft that can be employed in large quantities and used by U.S. partners. This is already…
Federal building managers already are buzzing over President-elect Barack Obama’s plan, announced in his weekend radio address, to make public buildings more energy efficient. Obama said he would launch a “massive effort” to upgrade federal buildings with new heating systems and more efficient light bulbs to help jumpstart the economy. Additional details will be released in coming weeks, with the hope that Congress will pass the plan immediately after reconvening in January. Agencies already are under intense pressure to meet existing energy reduction mandates, so the announcement that more requirements are forthcoming was a “curveball,” said Mark Ewing, who manages energy consumption…
Our lead story this week is from an interview with Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff, who talks about reorganizing the department, lessons learned from the Mumbai attacks, and the top challenges facing his likely successor, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano. We’ve posted a few video excerpts from the interview — here’s Chertoff on reorganizing DHS: You can view more clips of the interview — which also included Coast Guard commandant Adm. Thad Allen — right here.
The president-elect hinted on Monday that he would keep FEMA inside the Homeland Security Department. DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff said yesterday that the alternative — pulling FEMA out as a separate agency — would be a mistake. Today, two prominent senators voiced their support for keeping FEMA where it is. In a letter to the New York Times, Sens. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., and Susan Collins, R-Maine — the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee — said FEMA needs to stay inside DHS. The agency still needs improvement, but our reforms are working: FEMA’s…
Defense Secretary Robert Gates pledged to give more personal attention to procurement and acquisition challenges as he continues his work under the Obama administration. Here is what he had to say during a media briefing yesterday: I suppose it should go without saying, but I have no intention of being a caretaker secretary. Our challenges, from the budget to acquisition and procurement reform, war strategy, care of wounded warriors, meeting the needs of warfighters, decisions on important modernization and capitalization projects and more, all demand the personal attention of the secretary of Defense and they will get it. When asked…
Citizenship and Immigration Services has a new director for the third time this year. Jonathan Scharfen announced his resignation today; Scharfen has been the acting director since Emilio Gonzalez left the top job back in April. He’ll be replaced by Michael Aytes, a longtime career staffer who’s currently the acting deputy director. Aytes is also the staffer who was designated to lead the agency between Inauguration Day and the confirmation of a new director. In a memo to employees last week, Scharfen said he was leaving the agency for “new professional challenges in the private sector”; no word on where…
Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff sat down with reporters from Federal Times this morning to share his thoughts on the transition, the department’s big programs, and its progress over the last six years. Chertoff gave high marks to the Obama administration’s secretary-designate, Janet Napolitano; he’s known Napolitano for more than a decade, and praised her management style. He also outlined what he saw as the most immediate priorities for the department under the new administration: Finish implementing the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which requires all travelers to show a passport when entering the United States, even citizens returning from countries…
No surprises from the president-elect’s press conference this morning. You can read about Obama’s national security team, and watch the conference, on the transition Web site. But there was an interesting bit of language in Obama’s introduction of Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, his nomination for Homeland Security secretary: She understands the need for a homeland security department that can respond to terrorist attacks and respond to catastrophes. What’s interesting is the part about “respond[ing] to catastrophes.” That’s the responsibility of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. And there’s been a lot of talk about removing FEMA from DHS and restoring it…