Federal Daily - July 25, 2008
NTEU Launches PR Campaign to Promote Feds
The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) has rolled out a public relations campaign to inform
Americans about the contributions of federal employees—and to help attract more job candidates
into federal service. The campaign—which will include television and radio public service announcements,
media relations and grassroots efforts—is called “Federal Employees…They Work For
U.S.” NTEU said the campaign features real feds talking about their work. “The federal
work force is facing a retirement tsunami of epic proportions,” said NTEU President Colleen Kelley. “A
strong, vital federal work force that attracts the best and the brightest professionals is essential
to advance the ideals of our country.” Kelley said that many Americans are not aware of the contributions
federal workers make to their lives, and that the new campaign would help fight “the negativism
about federal workers” that often prevails during political campaign seasons. “For some,
it is politically expedient to portray federal workers as bureaucrats, but in reality they are highly
skilled professionals: doctors, lawyers, CPAs, computer programmers, researchers, customer service
representatives, lab technicians and law enforcement officers,” Kelley said. To see more, got
to: www.nteu.org/PressKits/PressRelease/PressRelease.aspx?ID=1310.
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USPS Tests Fuel Cell Vehicle
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) took another step in its effort to replace its 195,000 neighborhood
delivery vehicles with more environmentally friendly ones. In a ceremony on July 23, the agency accepted
a Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell electric vehicle from GM to test on the job in Irvine, Calif. Hydrogen
fuel cell vehicles are twice as efficient as those with internal combustion engines, and emit only
water vapor. “We are looking for a vehicle that operates from a fuel source that reduces—or
eliminates—our dependence on petroleum products, that is good for the environment, good for our
customers and good for the Postal Service,” said Walter O’Tormey, USPS vice president of
engineering. He said alternative technologies were more important than ever, because a one-cent increase
in a gallon of gas costs USPS an additional $8 million a year. USPS said its fuel costs last year were
$1.7 billion—and are forecast to jump by $600 million this year. Currently, USPS leads the federal
government in the use of alternate fuel vehicles, including more than 43,000 powered by hybrid electric,
electric, compressed natural gas, liquid propane, E-85 ethanol, biodiesel and hydrogen fuel cell. To
see more, go to: www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/welcome.htm.
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GAO: DCAA Auditors Pressured to Change Conclusions
Members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee reacted strongly June 23
to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that substantiated whistleblower allegations that
auditors’ conclusions were being changed by supervisors without adequate supporting documentation—and
that DoD agencies pressured the Defense Contracting Audit Agency (DCAA) to make changes to benefit
contractors. Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., said the report revealed “blatant disregard
for the safeguards that are supposed to be in place to ensure that contractors charge the government
no more than a fair and reasonable price.” GAO launched its probe in the fall of 2006, and looked
at DCAA audits at three California DoD facility locations: Huntington Beach, Santa Anna and El Segundo.
The investigation verified whistleblower claims that supervisors overruled auditors’ conclusions
without adequate supporting evidence, and that DCAA was pressured to change its conclusions so contracts
under audit could continue to be negotiated and contractors would be paid more quickly. After reading
the report, one member of the committee, Sen, Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., sent indignant letters to DoD
Secretary Robert Gates to DCAA Director April Stephenson. “Somebody needs to be fired for this.” McCaskill
said. “As a former auditor, I read this GAO report with a mixture of disbelief and anger. This
is completely unacceptable.” To see more, go to: http://hsgac.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Press
Releases.Detail&PressRelease_id=8ea82127-123a-4346-b2bd-8296e3248ad6&Month=7&
Year=2008&Affiliation=C.
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