Federal Daily - March 19, 2008

Audit: USPS Wasted $17.8 Million on FedEx Service

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Pacific Area wasted $17.8 million on unnecessary FedEx transportation services in Fiscal Years 2005 and 2006, according to an audit by the USPS Office of the Inspector General (OIG). In addition, USPS can save about $45 million over the next 10 years by not using FedEx to transport mail that could be transported on surface networks; by transporting first class mail on passenger airlines when capacity is available; and by sorting mail before giving it to FedEx to avoid their sorting charges, the audit said. The audit noted that USPS agreed with the OIG recommendations, but could not verify the cost-savings numbers because of USPS data collection limitations. American Postal Workers Union President William Burrus said the report highlights the need for Congress to move ahead and adopt H.R. 4236, the Mail Network Protection Act, which would require USPS to negotiate before engaging in significant subcontracting. “This is another example of the wasteful, inefficient use of subcontractors by the Postal Service,” Burrus said in a March 17 statement. To see more, go to:
http://apwu.org/news/webart/2008/webart-0824-contracting_fedex-080317.htm.

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DoD Announces New Reserve Component Office

DoD on March 17 announced the creation of the Deployment Support and Reintegration Office, which it said will provide support and outreach services to reserve servicemembers and their families throughout their entire deployment cycle. The new office will be within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, Undersecretary of Defense David S. C. Chu said in a statement. The new office was mandated by the FY 2008 defense authorization act and is part of DoD’s Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program, which emphasizes preparing servicemembers and their families for the stresses associated with separation, deployment and reintegration. DoD reintegration programs are already underway through the Joint Family Support Assistance Program via a series of 15-state pilot programs. DoD said it plans to expand this program soon beyond the pilot phase to all states and territories. To see more, go to: www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=11763.

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FDA to Establish New Positions in China

In the wake of a series of imported drug and food safety scares, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received State Department approval to establish eight permanent FDA positions at U.S. diplomatic posts in the People’s Republic of China. The new postings will require authorization from the Chinese government, FDA said in a statement last week. If the move is approved by the Chinese, FDA said it will place the staff in China over the next 18 months and hire five local Chinese nationals to work with them at three permanent overseas offices, The offices are expected to be within the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, and in U.S. Consulates General in Shanghai and Guangzhou, FDA said in a statement. The new offices “are a significant step toward ensuring access to safe food, drugs and medical devices in the global market,” said Murray M. Lumpkin, FDA deputy commissioner for International and Special Programs. To see more, go to: www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01806.html.

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