Oversight
A Company Run by a White House 'Volunteer' With No Experience in Medical Supplies Got $2.4 Million From the Feds for Medical Supplies
A $2.4 million deal to supply the Bureau of Prisons with surgical gowns was the second multimillion dollar contract for coronavirus supplies that went to somebody who did work for the White House but had little relevant experience.
Oversight
Democratic Senators Call for USAID to Investigate Anti-LGBT, Anti-Muslim Comments by Appointees
The Democrats’ request comes as the agency grapples with internal frustration over its approach to racism and bias.
Management
Federal Agencies Have Spent Millions on KN95 Masks, Often Without Knowing Who Made Them
Government employees at several agencies are relying on KN95 masks that the agencies cannot guarantee offer the most protection. Some agencies have paid little attention to important manufacturing details and been tripped up by shifting regulations.
Management
U.S. Foreign Aid Agency Defends Political Appointees Who Wrote Anti-LGBT, Anti-Islam Posts
The statement from acting administrator John Barsa comes after ProPublica reported that Merritt Corrigan, who has condemned the “tyrannical LGBT agenda,” was appointed as USAID’s new deputy White House liaison.
Management
New Trump Appointee to Foreign Aid Agency Has Denounced Liberal Democracy and 'Our Homo-Empire'
Merritt Corrigan, USAID’s new deputy White House liaison, has condemned the “tyrannical LGBT agenda” and celebrated Hungary’s right-wing prime minister as “the shining champion of Western civilization.”
Management
Masks Sold by Former White House Official to Navajo Hospitals Don’t Meet FDA Standards
New information from the Indian Health Service calls into question why the agency purchased expensive medical gear that it now cannot use as intended.
Oversight
Democratic Congressman Calls for Probe Into Former White House Official’s $3 Million Mask Deal
Trump’s former deputy chief of staff won a $3 million federal contract just days after registering his company. He delivered masks to Navajo hospitals that may not work. Rep. Gerry Connolly asked the HHS inspector general’s office to look into it.
Management
The Feds Gave a Former White House Official $3 Million to Supply Masks to Navajo Hospitals. Some May Not Work.
Zach Fuentes, former deputy chief of staff to President Trump, won the contract just days after registering his company. He sold Chinese masks to the government just as federal regulators were scrutinizing foreign-made equipment.
Oversight
Pence’s 'Special Envoy' in Foreign Aid Office Sparked an Ethics Complaint Just Weeks After He Started His Job
Weeks before joining the administration, Max Primorac, a USAID appointee and adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, pushed the business interests of a client to an organization funded by USAID.
Oversight
Grieving Families Need Help Paying for COVID-19 Burials, but Trump Hasn’t Released the Money
FEMA has helped pay for the burials of victims of past disasters. But months into the coronavirus pandemic, the Trump administration has sat on similar requests. Families of COVID-19 victims have been forced to turn to religious centers and GoFundMe.
Management
Internal Documents Show Federal Agencies Supported the WHO Before Trump Was Against It
In a battle between China and the U.S. over global leadership, American diplomats and aid officials cited U.S. funding of the World Health Organization as key and relied heavily on the agency for help. When Trump cut its funding, he upended all that.
Management
Trump Administration Officials Warned Against Halting Funding to WHO, Leaked Memo Shows
A draft State Department memo says the move would “cede ground” to China and hobble the global response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Management
The CDC and WHO Have Already Said Mosquitoes Don’t Spread Coronavirus. Now USDA Will Study It, Too.
An adviser for the American Mosquito Control Association says the possibility of mosquito transition of the coronavirus is “nil.”
Management
The White House Pushed FEMA To Give its Biggest Coronavirus Contract to a Company That Never Had to Bid
The Trump administration has rushed through more than $760 million in contracts outside the usual bidding process during its haphazard coronavirus response. It’s highly unusual for the White House to step into FEMA’s supply bidding process.
Management
In a 10-Day Span, ICE Flew This Detainee Across the Country — Nine Times
Even as the Trump administration discouraged the public from flying, Sirous Asgari was shuttled from Louisiana to Texas, New Jersey and back on chartered flights full of migrants. He still hasn’t been deported.
Management
The Trump Administration Gutted the Staff Overseeing $1 Billion in Aid to Iraq. A Watchdog Is Raising Red Flags.
A new report warns that USAID may not be able to effectively oversee $1.16 billion in foreign aid to Iraq — including to Christian groups Vice President Mike Pence’s office favored — after the administration cut much of its on-the-ground staff.
Management
How Mike Pence’s Office Meddled in Foreign Aid to Reroute Money to Favored Christian Groups
Officials at USAID warned that favoring Christian groups in Iraq could be unconstitutional and inflame religious tensions. When one colleague lost her job, they said she had been “Penced.”
Management
The Trump Administration Issues Dozens of Corrections to Its Error-Riddled Immigration Rule
Just weeks before a sweeping immigration policy takes effect, the administration is correcting substantive errors, including ones uncovered by ProPublica that would have had big impacts on military families.
Tech
Google Says Google Translate Can’t Replace Human Translators. Immigration Officials Have Used It to Vet Refugees.
Documents shared with ProPublica show that immigration officials have been told to vet refugees’ social media posts using Google Translate. Language experts caution even students against using the service.
Management
The Administration Rushed on a Sweeping Immigration Policy and Made Substantive, Sloppy Mistakes
Trump’s new immigration policy applies more harshly to families of U.S. citizens in the military than to families of noncitizens in the military. Experts think it’s an error that suggests officials are pushing policies even they don’t fully understand.
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