Defense Department to take over background investigations for federal government

[highplainsdem]

Source: The Hill

President Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order transferring responsibility for conducting background checks from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to the Defense Department.

"The primary responsibility for conducting background investigations Government-wide be transferred from the Office of Personnel Management to the Department of Defense (DoD)," the order said, citing "needed reforms" as part of the reason for the change.

Under the order, the department will change the name of the the Defense Security Service (DSS) to the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). The DCSA will be the primary agency charged with conducting background checks for the federal government.

-snip-

"This executive order reflects the administration's commitment to reform the personnel vetting enterprise to ensure a trusted federal workforce and achieve an efficient, effective, and secure operation that meets all government-wide needs for background investigations," the Defense Department said in a statement.

-snip

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/defense/440658-defense-department-to-take-over-background-investigations-for-federal

---

Anyone trust the admin's reasons for doing this?

[Phoenix61]

1. No, not one teeny, tiny bit. Nt

[Freethinker65]

2. Weeding out those not loyal to Trump?

Making requests for more money for defense department that Trump can use as his slush fund?

[William Seger]

3. Preparing to restock his adminstration with grifters, I'd guess

[TreasonousBastard]

4. Gets him one step further away from Congressional oversight of...

hiring and security clearance practices.

[ArizonaLib]

5. The Defense Department by default can cite national security as excuse to hide records

The OPM can't, usually. This allows for much more secrecy, much more difficulty to obtain FOIA records for the public, and reductions in funding/easier to circumvent control procedures - like those under scrutiny for Don Jr., Jared Kushner, and the others. More dismantling of the administrative state.

Dems need to pass LAWS reforming the process, not just leaving it up to Republican administrations to do whatever they want. If Dems/Libs don't want republican administrations gutting regulations, regulations must be made into legislation and passed as laws.

Please call your congress person!

[lagomorph777]

19. +1 "Dems need to pass LAWS reforming the process"

Trump is definitely up to something here. Something extremely dangerous.

[Justice]

6. What happens to Tricia Newbold and other rank and file at OPM who did this work?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

7. OPM had hired a contractor to do the work.

The background checks were not being done in-house.

IIRC, there had been some slip-ups.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. Damn. Beat me to it.

I was just gonna say that much of that is contracted out. I know because I think around 2010 or so, I had to re-up and login and use eQip to update (they were so backlogged in the '80s and '90s that they blew past the 10-year and then a 15 year, but they finally had a contract guy come to my office to do the interview).

[not fooled]

8. What do you want to bet

that at some point the background investigations get linked up with i360, the massive database the 666kook666 brothers have amassed on almost every American of voting age. i360 includes extensive information on voting behavior and political affiliation harvested from online activities.

So, people who e.g. are registered Democrats and frequent DU could be deemed ineligible to be Federal workers.

It's coming if red don remains in office.

This is a fascist country.

[RicROC]

10. War Department

Let's go back to the old name because it more precisely defines the function of that department.

[jiminvegas]

11. Now make it retroactive and revet everyone.

[truthisfreedom]

17. this, right here. Right now.

[Firestorm49]

12. With that pack of slippery rodents, you know there is an ulterior motive .......

And we’ll find out more about it when they start rounding up “subversives”. (Just kidding, of course)

[jmowreader]

13. If Trump wasn't involved, I'd say this is a pretty good move

Except for the Department of Energy and the intelligence agencies, the Department of Defense probably has more cleared people than the rest of the government put together. Hence, giving the Army the authority to clear the relatively small number of classified-information-using employees in the rest of the government isn't all that bad of an idea.

Donald Trump, however, has nefarious intent here. You know he does.

[icymist]

14. Just in time for the 2020 Census!

I wonder if loyalty to party (Rump) will be an interview question.

[Stonepounder]

15. And don't forget that the pResident is the Commander in Chief of the DOD,

so all he has to say is "Give this guy a Top Secret Clearance and don't bother vetting him, he's the guy I want. And, as this would be a lawful order, the DOD would have to comply.

[idahoblue]

16. Every seasonal worker needs a background check

The are already way behind, summer workers should be starting in May. They used to be able to work while the security check is pending but no more.
I am talking about trail crew, not anything to do with national security.

[neohippie]

18. He is trying to close OPM

He is trying to close as many agencies as he can and OPM is first


https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/if-trump-has-his-way-this-major-federal-agency-is-on-the-way-out/2019/04/09/935e2dfe-54c0-11e9-9136-f8e636f1f6df_story.html?utm_term=.e335ff120fde

But they wont't stop there


https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/03/16/what-does-trump-budget-eliminate/99223182/