Sequester Cuts Impact Oklahoma Disaster Relief – Plus the DorobekINSIDER’s 7 Stories

On GovLoop Insights’ DorobekINSIDER:

• Turning data into decisions, it sounds obvious but for large organizations compiling, formatting and interpreting vast amounts of data can be almost impossible. But Army Lieutenant Colonel Bobby Saxon and his team have created a system that does just that for the Army. It’s called Enterprise Management Decision Support System (EMDS). Click here for the full recap.

The SEVEN stories that impact your life

• As disaster personnel and volunteers comb through the havoc left by the tornadoes that tore through Oklahoma on Sunday and Monday, they are going to rely on critical federal funding that was severely cut by the massive cuts known as sequestration, reports Government Executive. The President has already directed federal aid for state and local recovery. This allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide temporary housing, home repairs, loans for the uninsured home, and other disaster relief programs.

• Federal Chief Information Officer Steven VanRoekel will temporarily lead the White House Office of Management and Budget’s management team, reports NextGov. OMB Director Sylvia Burwell asked VanRoekel to lead the management team on an interim basis until a new deputy director for management is confirmed.
• The number of Thrift Savings Plan participants enrolled in the L Funds reached a record 864,469 in April. And, Federal Times reports, the L Funds’ growth rate is accelerating. The number of L Fund enrollees grew 5 percent in the first four months of 2013 — greater than the 4 percent growth the L Funds experienced in all of 2012.
• Meanwhile, the Treasury is about to tap into federal employees’ retirement and disability funds to keep the government going. That’s until Congress votes to raise the debt ceiling. At that point, Treasury would borrow fresh money and repay the retirement accounts with interest. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew says the tactic can keep the lights on until at least Labor Day. Congress voted to temporarily suspend the debt limit in January. That suspension ended Sunday.

• There are new assistant secretaries at the Treasury and Agriculture departments and they came to their positions more easily than usual. President Barack Obama appointed them using the faster process passed by Congress last year, reports The Washington Post. Senators still have the power to object to an appointee, but they no longer require Senate approval. Natalie Wyeth Earnest was name the assistant secretary for public affairs at Treasury and Gregory L. Parham was name assistant secretary for administration at the USDA.

• The first phase of a coordinated entry/exit data exchange trial between U.S. and Canadian border agencies reconciled about 95 percent of the immigration records it transmitted, according to the Department of Homeland Security. FCW reports, the data exchange program is aimed at cutting down on visa overstays, determining immigration program eligibility and monitoring deportations.

• And on GovLoop: Here is a staggering stat: 130 millions Americans own a smartphone, including roughly 1 out of 2 adults. That’s a technology that wasn’t even around 5 years ago. So how can government leverage this technology to connect, engage and empower government employees and the general public? Tune in to find out with the DorobekINISDER Live panel on June 26th at noon EDT. Register for the free online webinar now.

DorobekINSIDER Water-cooler Fodder:

• ACT-IAC honors GSA’s Dave McClure with Franke Award

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