To listen to the federal newsletter on your phone or mobile device, subscribe to PodcastOne or Apple podcasts. The best desktop listening experience can be found using Chrome, Firefox, or Safari.

• the Inspector General of the Small Business Administration raised red flags on $ 78 billion in economic disaster loans during the coronavirus pandemic. The IG discovered that the SBA had approved nearly $ 63 billion in EIDL loans for which the same IP addresses, email addresses, bank accounts and business names were used to apply for multiple loans. The agency also approved $ 14 billion in loans that went to different bank accounts than those shown on the loan applications. Since July, the SBA has approved more than 14 million EIDL loans worth nearly $ 170 billion.

• Civil rights groups are suing the Trump administration over the presidential executive order banning certain types of diversity and inclusion training. the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, National Urban League and the National Fair Housing Alliance filed a complaint in Federal District Court. They argue that the executive order limits First Amendment rights over them and over current and potential federal contractors and grant recipients. They also say that the IB does not provide any objective means of determining what activities are permitted or prohibited.

• Federal employee unions are trying every trick in the book to block the latest presidential decree. Employee groups are asking the Democrats for help. They want Congress to write language in the next continuous resolution or the next omnibus budget package that would block the implementation of the Annex F presidential decree. They say the EO is an attempt to bury political appointees in the federal career workforce. House Democrats introduced new stand-alone legislation earlier this week that would overturn the executive order. (Federal Information Network)

• House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-Calif.) Has said that if Democrats take the White House, they could change the Defense Department’s national defense strategy. Currently, the strategy is focused on fighting two major competitive wars with China and Russia. Smith has said that the hypothesis of two simultaneous cold wars is expensive and that he does not accept the idea that the United States has the means to subdue both China and Russia in a direct conflict.

• A new bill aims to help prepare American workers for emerging tech jobs and persuade entrepreneurs to keep those jobs here. Congressman Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) Calls his bill a 21st century jobs law that would create a federal institute of technology with about 30 locations across the country. It would also allocate $ 900 billion in research and development for emerging technologies such as advanced manufacturing, synthetic biology, artificial intelligence, biotechnology and cybersecurity. The bill also funds STEM education and includes tax incentives for federal entrepreneurs who locate part of their workforce in rural or untapped areas of the country.

• The SANS Institute is launching its largest public service effort to date. He wants to encourage more students to join the cybersecurity field. CyberStart America will allow approximately 100,000 American high school students to play a cybersecurity game where they solve realistic challenges while playing the role of cyber protection officer. The game will run until the end of February, and students who complete 20% or more of the challenges will be eligible to participate in a scholarship round where $ 2 million will be available to help pay for their education.

• The Board of CFOs is developing a strategic plan for the workforce of tomorrow. CFOs working on the strategic plan plan to complete their work in early 2021. CFOs have spent nearly a year on strategy and have reviewed over a thousand articles and trend articles. emerging in the financial workforce. The strategy will examine the skills that federal financial professionals will need over the next 15 to 20 years. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the CFOs Act, and several good government groups have marked the occasion with reports examining how emerging technologies have reshaped this line of work. (Federal Information Network)

• Some agencies say they are advertising or considering positions entirely remotely now. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have said they are open to hiring new employees who live and work away from their physical office buildings. The National Nuclear Security Administration is making similar arrangements. Agencies say the fully remote arrangements have opened up new recruiting opportunities and expanded their talent pools. It also allowed agency supervisors to focus more on managing tangible performance results. (Federal Information Network)

• The military had to completely rethink recruiting with the coronavirus this year, but it still achieved some of its goals. It was expected to reach 485,000 active duty soldiers this year. He hit that benchmark, but he also lowered his standard on how many rookies he would bring. The service originally wanted to sign contracts with 65,000 new soldiers. He revised that figure to 62,150 and hit that target by the October 1 deadline. A high retention rate helped the army reach its final strength. However, the lower-than-expected recruit count associated with the continued effects of the coronavirus means the service could come out of a hole for 2021. (Federal Information Network)

• An allegation of reprisal of whistleblowers by the director of the US Geological Survey is founded, the Office of the Inspector General of the Ministry of the Interior said. The complaint was brought against manager James Reilly by a USGS employee who filed a complaint against the manager’s conduct and said they were reassigned as a result. The employee stated that he did not request the reassignment, that he had not been notified beforehand and that his new position had different responsibilities and working conditions. The OIG also determined that the reassignment resembled whistleblower retaliation and referred the matter to the Home Secretary’s office.

• Quietly, the government has a new federal head of information security. Without fanfare or official announcement, Camilo Sandoval has been appointed the new federal head of information security. Sandoval has been an advisor to the federal IOC office for the past several months and rumors have it that he will take the federal CISO position. Neither the OMB nor the White House announced the appointment, but the IOC Council website now lists Sandoval as a federal CISO. The OMB subsequently confirmed that earlier this month Sandoval officially replaced Grant Schneider, who left at the end of August to join the private sector.

• the General service administration has a new general counsel. Trent Benishek joined GSA as General Counsel yesterday. He leaves the White House, where he was special assistant and associate adviser to the president. There he oversaw a variety of subjects including Federal Advisory Committees, the Law on Ethics in Government, and the Freedom of Information Law. Previously, Benishek worked for the law firm Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher. At GSA, Benishek will also be the designated ethics officer. He replaces Jack St. John, who left two weeks ago.