Federal Daily - April 25, 2008

Committee to Probe Report of Political Interference at EPA

A House panel will investigate allegations of extensive and widespread political interference with the work of scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said April 23 his panel in May will look into a report by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) that said 889 of nearly 1,600 EPA staff scientists reported they experienced political interference in their work over the last five years. Of the 969 agency veterans with more than 10 years of EPA experience, 409 scientists (43 percent) said interference has occurred more often in the past five years than in the previous five-year period, according to documents posted on the UCS Web site. Also, hundreds of scientists reported being unable to openly express concerns about EPA’s work without fear of retaliation, the UCS report said. “Political appointees at EPA and other agencies appear to be a major source of political interference,” Waxman said in an April 23 letter to EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. “These survey results suggest a pattern of ignoring and manipulating science in EPA’s decision-making.” To see more, go to: www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/hundreds-of-epa-scientists-0112.html or Waxman, http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1899.

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Petraeus Named to Head Military Operations in Middle East, Afghanistan

President Bush has named Army Gen. David Petraeus, the man responsible for implementing the troop “surge” in Iraq, to be the next commander of U.S. Central Command (Centcom), Defense Secretary Robert Gates said April 23. If confirmed by the Senate, Petraeus would replace Navy Adm. William Fallon, who resigned abruptly in March after published accounts reported that he was at odds with Bush over Iran policy. Army Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, Petraeus’s former top deputy, is to replace Petraeus in Baghdad. As Centcom commander, Petraeus, 55, would oversee the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. “I recommended him to the president because I am absolutely confident he’s the best man for the job,” Gates said in a statement. “I don’t know anybody in the United States military better qualified to lead that effort.” To see more, go to: www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=4216.

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Hearing Planned on Federal Employee Benefits Upgrades

A House federal work force subcommittee will hold a pair of hearings next week to consider ways to upgrade benefits that will help the government retain current employees and develop top recruits. The House Government Reform subcommittee on the Federal Workforce will hold the hearings, entitled “Catching Up: Benefits That Will Help Recruit and Retain Federal Employees,” on April 29, said panel Chairman Danny Davis, D-Ill. The first hearing will focus on potential improvements to the Federal Employee Thrift Savings Plan, such as automatic enrollment. The second hearing will discuss H.R. 5550, which would provide expanded health insurance benefits to young adults enrolled as dependents in the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). To see more, go to: http://federalworkforce.oversight.house.gov.

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