Defense
Defense Policy Bill Establishes a Defense Civilian Training Corps
The corps will address “critical skills gaps” in the department’s workforce.
Management
Congress Moves to Block OPM-GSA Merger
A provision in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act would first require an independent study of the challenges facing the Office of Personnel Management.
Nextgov
Microsoft and Pentagon to Kick Off JEDI Cloud Prep
Microsoft and Defense Department officials will meet for three days to discuss the cloud project despite Amazon lawsuit.
Management
Why When You Eat Might Be as Important as What You Eat
An NIH-funded study showed that participants who limited daily food intake to a 10-hour period lost on average 3 percent of their weight and about 3 percent of their abdominal fat.
Nextgov
TSA Isn’t Doing Enough To Ensure Screening Tech Continues Working Over Time, Watchdog Says
A report shows the airport security agency is good at building and deploying tech but doesn’t have a process to ensure those tools keep operating at a high level.
Oversight
Analysis: Impeachment Gets Weird
Democratic Chairman Jerry Nadler virtually lost control of Monday's House Judiciary Committee hearing.
Route Fifty
Cities Increasingly Enacting Bans Restricting Homeless People, Report Says
In the last three years, more cities have prohibited camping, sleeping in public, sharing food, and living in vehicles.
Route Fifty
Opportunity Zones Investors Show Appetite for Real Estate Over Startups
Nearly three quarters of $4.5 billion that has poured into the program is in investment funds that plan to focus at least in part on residential real estate.
Nextgov
Amazon Claims Pentagon Got Almost Everything Wrong in JEDI Evaluation
The company alleges the president’s public beef with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos influenced “substantial and pervasive errors” in the Defense Department’s technical evaluation of bids.
Management
Democratic Senators Urge Social Security to Restore Telework
Lawmakers ask the agency to reconsider its decision to end a 6-year-old pilot program, citing concerns about the burden it places on employees and productivity.
Route Fifty
Too Many Drugs, Too Little Data
COMMENTARY | Unlike other states, Massachusetts leaders relied on data—crucial in developing policies, but too often not available—to guide their decision to begin allowing medication-assisted treatment for drug addiction in jails.
Oversight
House Passes Bill to Boost Civil Rights at Homeland Security
Legislation follows surge of whistleblowers saying civil rights office has been neutered under Trump.
Workforce
Maryland Senator Says President is the 'Wild Card' in Spending Negotiations
While Democrats and Republicans negotiate on appropriations, it’s unclear how the president will react.
Nextgov
GAO Handbook Helps Answer Whether That New Tech Is Right For Your Agency
The handbook outlines how the Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics Office prepares reports for Congress, but the principles can be applied to any organization looking at new technologies.
Nextgov
What Veterans Affairs Aims to Accomplish Through Its Artificial Intelligence Institute
The agency plans to streamline and advance its AI efforts to better meet veterans’ needs.
Management
Viewpoint: If the Witnesses Could Exonerate Trump, Why Aren’t They Testifying?
Trump’s defenders suggest that White House aides could exculpate the president—but the evidence suggests otherwise.
Route Fifty
Honolulu Passes Strict Single-Use Plastics Ban
The Honolulu City Council last week passed a sweeping single-use plastics ban that affects the entire island of Oahu, home to 70 percent of Hawaii residents.
Route Fifty
Uber Sexual Assault Report Spurs Calls for New Government Policies
New data released by Uber showing almost 6,000 sexual assaults in last two years is prompting some officials to call for new requirements on ride-hailing companies to improve safety.
Pay & Benefits
White House, Democrats Reach Deal to Provide Paid Family Leave to Feds
A tentative agreement on the fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act would provide all federal employees with 12 weeks of paid family leave each year.
Management