SBA launches investigation into fraud in 8(a) business program
The Small Business Administration is launching an investigation into the 8(a) business development program seeking to root out possible fraud. SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler ordered the full-scale audit after a Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation uncovered a years-long fraud and bribery scheme involving a former federal contracting officer and two 8(a) contractors. SBA's Office of General Contracting and Business Development will lead the audit, starting with reviewing high-dollar ad limited competition contracts. The review will go back 15 years and work with other agencies, which awarded 8(a) contracts. The Justice Department found recently $550 million in contracts were fraudulently steered through bribery and abuse of a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) contracting officer, including to one 8(a) contractor who was officially flagged by USAID as lacking “honesty or integrity."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Army turns to private sector to bolster its tech talent
The Army is turning to the private sector to bolster its tech talent. The service has launched a new website to recruit “top-tier, uniquely skilled” technology professionals into the Army Reserve. The effort follows the creation of Detachment 201, a new program where four senior executives from tech giants like Palantir, Meta and OpenAI were commissioned into the Reserve to help the service integrate and scale commercial technology. According to the website, these Detachment 201 officers will “contribute to accelerating Army modernization, evaluating technology adoption and advising on scalable solutions to enhance tactical innovation and lethality.” The website includes a form that tech professionals can fill out to express interest in Army Detachment 201. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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DoD employee arrested for removal of classified documents from Missile Defense Agency
The Justice Department has arrested a Defense Department employee for removing classified documents from a Missile Defense Agency office in Huntsville, Alabama. Ewa Ciszak made her initial appearance in federal court Monday. Beginning in February, the FBI says Ciszack began taking classified documents from MDA facilities without authorization. A June 18 search warrant turned up multiple secret-level documents at her personal residence and in her vehicle and backpack. Ciszak had been employed at MDA since January 2023. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Lawmakers press Defense Secretary to reverse dismantling of Pentagon independent weapons testing office
A top lawmaker is pressing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to immediately reverse his decision to gut the Pentagon’s independent weapons testing office. In a letter to Hegseth, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren is demanding documentation justifying the cuts, the office’s current oversight list, and how DoD is adhering to the statutory requirement for the office to be independent and whether the office will continue its cyber assessment program, In May, Hegseth instructed the director of operational test and evaluation office to “immediately eliminate any non-statutory” functions of the office, slashing the office’s staff by 74% and its budget by nearly 80%. Warren said cutting this deep into the office can violate the law. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Democrats challenge Trump administration plan to shuffle parts of Education and Labor Departments
Democratic committee leaders are disputing the Trump administration’s plans to shuffle components of the Education Department into the Labor Department. A group of four senators say moving career and technical education programs between agencies is not within the President’s authority. The lawmakers reiterated that it’s up to Congress to decide whether federal agencies should be rearranged or dismantled. They’re demanding that the administration leave Education’s programs as-is, since Congress has not approved the transition.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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