Un(der)reported News—Weekend Edition

Government workers are off for the weekend, so it’s time to check out what they were up to last week.

The low-drama activities of the Executive Branch are usually too uncontroversial or positive to be covered by the mainstream media. But they shape the world we live in. The Un(der)reported News Weekend Edition presents a few stories from our executive agencies for some perspective on this administration’s projects and priorities.

Joined by Governor Perdue, Vice President Announces an Initial $183 Million in Awards to Expand Broadband Access in Seventeen States
Vice President Biden today kicked off $7.2 billion in Recovery Act broadband grant and loan programs, of which $2 billion will be made available on a rolling basis over the next 75 days to bring high-speed Internet to communities that currently have little or no access to the technology.

U.S. contribution part of $3.5 billion joint announcement from Australia, France, Japan, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the United States, joined by Australia, France, Japan, Norway, and the United Kingdom, agreed, in the context of an ambitious and comprehensive outcome in Copenhagen, to dedicate a total of USD3.5 billion as initial public finance towards slowing, halting and eventually reversing deforestation in developing countries.

Archaeologists Preserve Underwater Heritage
Archaeologists with the U.S. Navy History and Heritage Command are conducting underwater research to study wrecks, recover artifacts and preserve Navy history.

Chu Presentation at Copenhagen Available on Facebook
Today at the Copenhagen climate conference, on behalf of President Obama, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the launch of a new initiative to promote clean energy technologies in developing countries.

Sebelius Releases New Report: Protecting Families and Putting More Money in Your Pocket: How Health Insurance Reform Will Lower Costs and Increase Choices
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released a new report, Protecting Families and Putting More Money in Your Pocket: How Health Insurance Reform Will Lower Costs and Increase Choices. The report highlights how health insurance reform will benefit families across the country and is available now at www.HealthReform.gov.

Secretary Napolitano and USCIS Director Mayorkas Announce Full Implementation of New Law Providing Permanent Residence Eligibility for Surviving Spouses and Children of U.S. Citizens
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas today announced that DHS has fully implemented recent legislation allowing USCIS to approve immigrant petitions for permanent resident status in the United States filed by or on behalf of widows and widowers of U.S. citizens and their unmarried children under 21 years old.

Terrorism Defendants Sentenced in Atlanta
FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Greg Jones said, “The radicalization of U.S. citizens by jihadist recruiters abroad is a very real and growing concern that the FBI and the U.S. Government as a whole must deal with.”

US Department of Labor recovers nearly $1 million in back wages for 206 Seattle security company workers
An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has recovered almost $1 million in back wages for 206 employees of a Seattle-based security company, the department announced today.

Treasury Receives First Quarterly Repayment from General Motors
Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury received the first quarterly $1 billion repayment from General Motors as part of the company’s accelerated plan to exit the U.S. Government’s investments under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).