FederalDaily - November 16, 2007

Lawmaker Calls for Citizenship Check of All Feds

In the wake of a security failure involving a former FBI and CIA employee, Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, is asking President Bush to order a complete re-verification of every federal employee’s citizenship. King made his request on Nov. 14, the day after former FBI and CIA employee Nada Nadim Prouty pleaded guilty to conspiring to fraudulently obtain citizenship and illegally accessing the FBI computer system. According to court documents, Prouty entered the United States on a one-year, nonimmigrant visa from Lebanon in 1989. She faked a marriage to an unemployed U.S. citizen and in 1999 was hired by the FBI as special agent at the bureau’s field office in Washington. Prouty, who joined the CIA in 2003, resigned from the agency as part of her guilty plea. Earlier this year, King, the ranking Republican on the House immigration subcommittee, highlighted a government report showing that 11,000 local, state and federal employees did not have legal immigration status. To see more, go to:  www.house.gov/list/press/ia05_king/111407illegalcia.html.

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GAO Sneaks Bomb Parts Past TSA Screeners, Checkpoints

Government Accountability Office (GAO) agents, working undercover, were able to sneak liquid explosives and detonators past Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints at 19 airports in March, May and June of this year, according to a report from the office. GAO did not identify the airports. The report was delivered Nov. 15 at a hearing of the House Oversight Committee, which had requested the probe. “Our tests clearly demonstrate that a terrorist group, using publicly available information and few resources, could cause severe damage to an airplane and threaten the safety of passengers by bringing prohibited components through security checkpoints,” the report said. The investigators learned about the components on the Internet and purchased the parts at local stores for about $150, the report said. The agents then studied public information about TSA policies and procedures to devise methods to fool screeners. At one point, an investigator placed coins in his pockets to ensure he would receive a secondary screening at the checkpoint. But after doing a pat-down and a sweep with an electronic wand, the screener was unable to detect the prohibited items the investigator brought through the checkpoint, the report said. To see more, go to: http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1625.

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Initiative Expands Military Spouse Career Options

The Departments of Defense and Labor on Nov. 14 announced a joint three-year pilot project to expand educational and career opportunities for military spouses. The Military Spouse Career Advancement Initiative (MSCAI) will be offered at 18 sites in eight states with large military populations, the departments said in a joint statement. According to the agencies, military spouses suffer an unemployment rate that is three times that of their civilian counterparts, and nearly 77 percent of them report that they want or need to work. In addition, the frequent moves required by the military often make it difficult or cost-prohibitive for spouses to establish long-term careers or meet state credentialing and licensing requirements. The MSCAI would help by offering up to $6,000 in assistance to help spouses overcome some of these educational and credentialing barriers. Military spouses may apply at One-Stop Career Centers on or near Voluntary Education Centers at the participating installations. The two departments are jointly approving $35.2 million over three years to fund the effort. To see more, go to: www.MilSpouse.org.

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