FCW Insider: Aug. 26

USCIS cancels furloughs

The planned furloughs of more than 13,000 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services employees set for Aug. 30 have been called off, the agency announced.

Trump nominates Chad Wolf as permanent DHS chief

Wolf has served as acting secretary since November 2019 but is currently embroiled in a controversy over the legitimacy of his appointment.

OMB launches data reskilling pilot

The Office of Management and Budget develops another technology reskilling pilot aimed at fostering data science talent.

Cyber Command takes the fight abroad

The head of U.S. Cyber Command defends "persistent engagement" strategy with adversaries, explaining that proactive cyber operations won't lead the U.S. into an "all out war."

Quick Hits

*** Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, launched a probe into whether the political activities of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo violate internal State Department policy and the Hatch Act.

*** The General Services Administration's robotics, space platform and drone contract vehicle ASTRO hit the streets this week, Washington Technology reports. One major change from the way big IDIQ contracts typically work is that vendors will not be competing on price or cost to win a seat on ASTRO, but pricing will be competed at the task-order level.