Tuesday - March 19, 2024
Federal Independent Agencies

News releases, reports, statements and associated documents from federal independent agencies.

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USAID: United States Announces More Than $80 Million in Additional Humanitarian Assistance for the People of Ethiopia
WASHINGTON, March 18 -- The U.S. Agency for International Development issued the following news release on March 16, 2024:

Today, the United States, through USAID, announced more than $80 million in additional humanitarian assistance to help people affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia. USAID Assistant to the Administrator for the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance Sonali Korde announced the funding during her visit to the country.

According to the UN, more than 21 million people are estimated to require humanitarian assistance in Ethiopia in 2024 due to the compounding effects ... Show Full Article

USAID: Administrator Samantha Power Meets With UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths
WASHINGTON, March 18 -- The U.S. Agency for International Development issued the following readout on March 16, 2024:

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The below is attributable to Spokesperson Jessica Jennings:

On March 15, Administrator Samantha Power spoke with United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) Martin Griffiths about the worsening humanitarian crises in Burkina Faso, Sudan, and Gaza. Administrator Power and ERC Griffiths discussed the dire food security situation in Burkina Faso and the obstacles to deliver humanitarian aid to Burkinabe, including ... Show Full Article

SBA IG: 'FY 2023 Federal Information Security Modernization Act'
WASHINGTON, March 17 (TNSrep) -- The Small Business Administration Inspector General issued the following report (No. 24-07) on March 7, 2024, entitled "Fiscal 2023 Federal Information Security Modernization Act."

Here are excerpts:

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

What OIG Reviewed

This report summarizes the results of our fiscal year (FY) 2023 Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) of 2014 evaluation and assessment of the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) information security systems policies, procedures, and practices. Our objectives were to determine whether SBA complied ... Show Full Article

Postal Service IG: 'Emergency Preparedness - Winter Storm Elliott'
WASHINGTON, March 17 -- The U.S. Postal Service Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. 23-094-R24) on March 12, 2024, entitled "Emergency Preparedness: Winter Storm Elliott."

Here are excerpts:

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Background

The U.S. Postal Service provides customers across the nation mail service six days a week as required by law. In December 2022, Winter Storm Elliott arrived in Western New York, and within minutes, winds went from 10 to 70 miles per hour and brought about 36 inches of snow over four days. During a winter storm emergency that may disrupt normal operations, the Postal ... Show Full Article

NASA IG Audit: Mars Sample Return Program
WASHINGTON, March 17 (TNSRep) -- NASA Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. IG-24-008) on Feb. 28, 2024, entitled "The Mars Sample Return Program."

Here are excerpts:

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RESULTS IN BRIEF

WHY WE PERFORMED THIS AUDIT

The Mars Sample Return (MSR) Program is a partnership between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) to return Martian geological samples to Earth for scientific study. One of the most technically complex, operationally demanding, and ambitious robotic science missions ever undertaken by NASA, the MSR Program consists of two major flight projects: the Earth ... Show Full Article

NASA IG Audit: High-End Computing Capabilities
WASHINGTON, March 17 (TNSRep) -- NASA Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. IG-24-009) on March 14, 2024, entitled "High-End Computing Capabilities."

Here are excerpts:

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RESULTS IN BRIEF

WHY WE PERFORMED THIS AUDIT

Since its inception, NASA has pioneered many high-end computing (HEC) technologies and techniques that have become standard. HEC, or supercomputing, provides the critical processing power and time-saving capabilities that allow NASA to gain insight from large amounts of data that would take normal computers much longer to assess. A broad spectrum of employees, ... Show Full Article

Federal Housing Finance Agency IG: Agency Regularly Analyze Workforce Data & Assessed Trends in Hiring, Awards & Promotions
WASHINGTON, March 17 (TNSrep) -- The Federal Housing Finance Agency Inspector General issued the following compliance review (No. COM-2024-004) entitled "Agency Regularly Analyze Agency Workforce Data and Assessed Trends in Hiring, Awards and Promotions.'

Here are excerpts:

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Executive Summary

In 2014, nine members of the U.S. House of Representatives asked the Inspectors General at seven financial regulators, including FHFA, to review diversity and related workplace issues at their agencies to determine whether any personnel practices were discriminatory or otherwise disadvantaged minorities ... Show Full Article