May 8, 2015
The Senate was unable to garner enough votes to override the presidential veto of S J Res 8, a measure that aims to block union election rules. The Senate voted 96 to 3 to table the measure, having the effect of ending consideration of the override without taking a vote on the measure itself. The Senate did adopt the FY16 Budget Resolution conference agreement by a vote of 51 to 48. All Democrats and 2 Republicans (Sens. Cruz and Paul) voted against the measure. The budget resolution is not a bill and does not go the President for his signature. The Senate also passed the Iran Nuclear Agreement Act by a vote of 98 to 1, with Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) as the lone dissenter. And, the Senate confirmed Willie May to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and 15th Director of NIST. The House was in recess this week.
FY16 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)
The Senate Armed Committee will begin subcommittee markups of their FY16 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) early next week. The subcommittee on Airland will meet on Monday and the remaining five subcommittees will meet on Tuesday. Three of the six subcommittees will hold open markups. The full committee will mark up the bill later in the week on Wednesday 5/13 and Thursday 5/14.
The House Armed Services Committee released its FY16 NDAA committee report this week. A copy of the report can be found at:
http://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20150511/HRPT-114-OJCR-HR1735.pdf
The House will consider the FY16 NDAA next week. Amendments were due to the House Rules Committee this week. A list of the submitted amendments can be found at:
http://rules.house.gov/bill/114/hr-1735
U.S. Fleet Cyber Command Releases Five-Year Strategic Plan
The U.S. Fleet Cyber Command (US FCC) operates and defends the Navy’s networks and shore-to-ship communications systems. This week they released an updated five-year strategic plan that lays out five strategic goals that they plan on achieving in the next five years. Those goals are:
- Operate the Network as a Warfighting Platform
Defend Navy networks, communication, and space systems, ensure availability and, when necessary, fight through them to achieve operational objectives.
- Conduct Tailored Signals Intelligence
Meet the evolving SIGINT needs of Navy commanders through more tailored operations, while continuing to deliver on NSA needs.
- Deliver Warfighting Effects Through Cyberspace
Advance our effects-delivery capabilities to support a full spectrum of operations, including cyber, electromagnetic maneuver, and information operations.
- Create Shared Cyber Situational Awareness
Create a sharable cyber Common Operating Picture that evolves to full, immediate awareness of our network and everything that happens on it.
- Establish and Mature Navy’s Cyber Mission Forces
Stand up 40 highly expert Cyber Mission Teams and plan for the sustainability of these teams over time.
For each of those five-year goals, the US FCC also cites specific, verifiable outcomes that must be achieved in the next 18 months to ensure that they are on course. And, they will develop an execution plan to translate their goals and strategies into measurable lower-tier goals. Accountability for accomplishing each lower-tier goals will reside with a role on the leadership team and there will be bi-monthly reviews between Commander and goal owners.
A copy of the strategy can be found at:
http://www.public.navy.mil/fcc-c10f/Documents/FCC-C10F_Strategic_Plan_2015-2020.pdf
FY17 Budget Guidance from OMB
Shaun Donovan, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget sent a memo to all federal department and agency heads last week directing them to submit FY17 budgets to OMB that reflect a 5% reduction below the net discretionary total provided for their agency for FY2017 in the FY2016 Budget (unless otherwise directed by OMB). The reduction applies equally to defense and non-defense programs. Agencies that are split between the two may not reduce defense by more than 5% to offset non-defense or vice-versa. OMB also requests that their budget submissions include recommendations for increasing effectiveness and reducing fragmentation, overlap, and duplication.
In addition, agencies were asked to identify additional investments in programs that support their missions, especially programs with strong evidence of effectiveness. These additional investments should be separately identified in their budget submission and ranked in priority order.
Their FY17 submissions must also exclude: 1) shifts of costs to other parts of the Federal budget; 2) reclassifications of existing discretionary spending to mandatory; 3) reductions to mandatory spending to be enacted in appropriations bills; 4) across-the-board reductions; and 5) the enactment of new user fees to offset existing spending. These may, however, be included as separate proposals for consideration.
A copy of OMB Director Donovan’s memo can be found at:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/memoranda/2015/m-15-11.pdf
New Members Appointed to Homeland Security Advisory Committee
Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson announced the appointment of four new members to the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC). The HSAC is comprised of experts from state, local and tribal governments, emergency and first responder communities, academia and the private sector who provide recommendations and advice to the Secretary of Homeland Security on a variety of homeland security issues.
The new members announced this week include: Former U.S. Representative from Arizona Ron Barber; Kayyem Solutions, LLC Founder Juliette Kayyem; Tohono O’odham Nation Chairman Ned Norris Jr.; and Council on Foreign Relations Adjunct Senior Fellow Farah Pandith.
The full list of the Homeland Security Advisory Council members can be found at:
http://www.dhs.gov/homeland-security-advisory-council-members
Political Updates
President Obama announced his intention to nominate the commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., as the 19th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The President also nominated Air Force Gen. Paul Selva to become the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Selva is now the head of the U.S. Transportation Command. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-AZ) promised this week to consider Dunford’s nomination quickly. McCain also noted that the current Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey’s term isn’t up until September, so confirmation could be held in July or September.
President Obama nominated Dr. Karen DeSalvo to be Assistant Secretary for Health at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the position she has held in an “acting” capacity since last October. DeSalvo is also the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at HHS. Before joining HHS, she served as Health Commissioner for the City of New Orleans, Louisiana, and also as Senior Health Policy Advisor for New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu. DeSalvo was a practicing internal medicine physician and professor of medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine where she also held various leadership positions.
The President also withdrew the nomination of Juan Garcia to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. Garcia’s nomination was first sent to the Senate on March 19, 2015. Garcia has been the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserves since 2009. He is resigning to take a position as a director at Amazon.
The 2016 Presidential race saw several new candidates throw their hats in the ring this week. Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas; Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard; and Ben Carson, former Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon all announced their candidacies this week.
New York’s 11th Congressional District held a special election this week to fill the vacancy from former Rep. Michael Grimm’s (R-NY) resignation. Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan (R-NY) easily won the special election. Donovan defeated Democrat Vincent Gentile, a City Council member from Brooklyn.
Coming Up
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said this week that the Senate would take up the following measures before Memorial Day: S. 995, the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015; an extension of the highway bill, and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).