Lawmakers blasted the Department of Homeland Security today for not formalizing the use of protective face masks by employees working along the U.S.-Mexico border during the recent swine flu outbreak, suggesting the department has placed bureaucratic considerations ahead of the health and safety of its own workers.

Homeland Security Undersecretary for Management Elaine C. Duke told members of a House subcommittee Thursday afternoon that DHS based its decisions on the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other government agencies coordinating the federal government’s swine flu response.

Duke admitted that some Customs and Border Protection supervisors at U.S.-Mexico border crossings did not permit CBP officers to wear masks while screening travelers. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano made the ultimate decision on protective masks, Duke said.

“Your excuses are lame when you say you’re following the medical advice,” subcommittee chairman Rep. Stephen F. Lynch (D-Mass.) told Duke.

“If I’ve got to legislate that they have the right wear masks to protect themselves, their family and their communities, that’s what I’ll do. But I shouldn’t have to blow up the bureaucracy to get something done,” he said.

DHS began issuing guidelines in late April to Customs and Border Protection and Transportation Security Administration employees, instructing them to quarantine infected passengers, frequently wash their hands and stay home if they feel ill. The department instructed officers to wear protective masks if they came into contact with infected passengers. Unions urged the department to issue similar instructions to all officers working along the border or at international airports.

Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.) blasted the department’s decision, suggesting it was more concerned with diplomacy and public relations than public health concerns.

“Madam, I’m sorry, but frankly this is an indictment of the system that they worry more about perceptions rather than allowing people to make their own decisions on their health,” he said to Duke.

Union representatives provided the committee with testimonials from workers they said were denied the right to wear protective masks. National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen M. Kelley, whose union represents CBP and TSA employees, said some of her members working along the U.S.-Mexico border could see their Mexican counterparts wearing protective masks.

“It is unacceptable and shocking that more than three weeks after the onset of the so called swine flu and despite repeated urging from NTEU and others, there is still no comprehensive guidance in place to protect the health of these frontline employees,” Kelley said.

“The greater good is not well-served if the public servants become transmissions for deadly diseases,” said T.J. Bonner with the American Federation of Government Employees.

Two men are seen trespassing at Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park on May 4 in this image taken from a National Park Service Web cam. (Photo courtesy of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility)

The National Park Service has cited six men with illegal possession of park material, off-trail travel and public urination after an incident May 4 at Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park. The men, all employees of a park concessionaire, left the boardwalk near the geyser and two of the men urinated into or near the famed spout. Three have appeared before the park's federal magistrate judge with the other three set to appear soon.

Why might such an incident catch the Eye of a Washington Post reporter thousands of miles away? Because the incident was reported to park officials by someone watching Old Faithful on a live Web cam. The park has five Web cams -- four static and one live -- providing uninterrupted vistas of the park for anyone seeking a look at one of the nation's most popular national parks.

This impressive act of voyeuristic vigilance has raised concerns with a government employee group that warns the cameras could signal the future of national park security.

"We’re on the threshold of cyber parks. This kind of use could dramatically expand and it has implications that I don’t think the Park Service has yet to grapple with," said Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, an outspoken national alliance of local, state and federal resource and environmental professionals.

Ruch suggested that web cams might depress visitation at national parks, because "If you can watch it 24/7 from your living room, do you need to go there?" The cameras might also eventually lead the Park Service to cut back on the work hours of park rangers.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at New York University graduation ceremonies on Wednesday. (Reuters Photo by Mike Segar)

Happy Thursday! One year ago tonight, Hillary Rodham Clinton won the West Virginia primary and suggested her victory was a turning point in the long fight with Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination. For one of only a few nights, Clinton's message of experience had trumped Obama's message of change.

Fast forward 364 days to yesterday's New York University commencement ceremonies, during which now-Secretary of State Clinton told graduates, "We know that there is much yet ahead that none of us can predict. There is no way to stop change. Change will come." (Emphasis added.)

Speaking at Yankee Stadium, where she received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree, Clinton announced that Foggy Bottom will match U.S. colleges and universities with overseas embassies to establish Virtual Student Foreign Service Internships, allowing diplomats to conduct "digital diplomacy" that better reflects a more wired world.

"The biggest challenges we face today will be solved by the 60 percent of the world’s population under the age of 30. And already, young people, like all of you, are using their talents and ingenuity to help fashion their own brand of service and diplomacy," she said.

The secretary speaks at Barnard College's graduation next Monday and is one of several Cabinet secretaries and senior White House officials participating in commencement ceremonies this year.

• Other Cabinet and Staff News: Biden issues rosy first quarter report on economic stimulus. Janet Napolitano says FEMA will stay with DHS. Timothy Geithner and Shaun Donovan will provide an update on the Making Home Affordable plan today. Obama's health care adviser Nancy-Ann DeParle gets The Post profile treatment. Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske gets the WSJ profile treatment. Former Deputy AG James Comey pushed for Supreme Court. David J. Hayes' Interior nomination blocked (for now). Census nominee Robert Groves' advocacy for "sampling" has some Republicans worried ahead of his Friday confirmation hearing. Former Bush-era officials tell lawmakers about their unsuccessful attempts to block or reverse detainee interrogation techniques. Pentagon official charged with spying for China. Former FDIC chairman and CNBC commentator dies at 88.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood speaking Wednesday in New York City. (Courtesy of U.S. Dept. of Transportation)

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood made waves of all sorts in New York City today, presenting awards to volunteers that helped save passengers aboard the "Miracle on the Hudson" flight and announcing changes at New York City airports.

The secretary awarded the Merchant Marine Medal for Outstanding Achievement to 72 civilian mariners for their efforts in rescuing passengers of U.S. Airways Flight 1549, which crash-landed into the Hudson River on January 15. Representatives of seven ferry boat, water taxi and water cruise companies that assisted emergency personnel in transporting the flight's passengers to dry land joined LaHood on stage during the ceremony at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.

The January rescue efforts mirrored similar service provided by commercial vessels on Sept. 11, 2001, when they helped evacuate at least half a million people from Manhattan. Sea transportation also ferried stranded people during the citywide blackout in August 2003.

In addition to his riverside appearance, LaHood also announced that the Transportation Department has scrapped plans to hold "slot auctions" at New York City's three airports, first proposed last Fall by the Bush administration. Under the plan, the government would have auctioned some runway landing rights at Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty airports to ease congestion, but airlines, industry groups and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey opposed the move.

"We're still serious about tackling aviation congestion in the New York region," LaHood said Wednesday, according to the AP. "I'll be talking with airline, airport and consumer stakeholders, as well as elected officials over the summer about the best ways to move forward."

Nathan Lane, (left), and Matthew Broderick, (right), star in "The Producers," a Broadway production once backed by Obama's nominee to lead the National Endowment for the Arts. (Photo by WNET- Paul Kolnik)

By The Post's Jacqueline Trescott:

The White House is expected to announce later today that President Obama will nominate Rocco Landesman, a major player in the commercial theater world, to head the National Endowment for the Arts, a White House official confirmed.

Landesman, a theater owner and producer, has brought many of the last decade's biggest hits to Broadway, including the Tony Award winners "Jersey Boys," "Into the Woods" "The Producers" and "Proof." He produced Tony Kushner's landmark "Angels in America." And he is backing the current revivial of "Hair," nominated for a Tony.

A native of St. Louis, Landesman, 61, is president of Jujamcyn Theaters, owner of five Broadway theaters.

The appointment, first reported in today's New York Times, was immediately read as a way to re-energize the agency, founded in 1965 and the largest supporter of arts in the country. Last week the White House asked Congress to give the NEA $161.3 million in 2010, the highest request in recent years. The agency funnels grant money to almost every corner of the country and is credited with stabilizing the infrastructure of many arts organizations, though the economic turmoil has hit the nonprofit arts world extremely hard.

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By Paul Kane in Capitol Briefing:

Updated, 1:10 p.m. ET: At a press conference after the vote, Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) vowed to bring the nomination back to the floor next week when all Democrats would be present. "With their votes next week, he will be approved," Durbin said.

Original Post

On a party-line vote, Senate Republicans blocked President Obama's nominee to be deputy Interior secretary amid a fight over the agency's new rules on oil and gas drilling, the first administration appointee to be turned back on a floor vote.

The nomination of David J. Hayes, a natural resources lawyer with vast experience in federal lands issues, fell just short of the 60 votes needed to cut off debate and move to a final vote, only the second time this year that the GOP held together on a major action to block the president's agenda or his nominees on a filibuster vote.

Hayes received 57 votes, but he has more support than that. Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) switched his vote to 'nay' in a parliamentary move that allows him to bring up the nomination again under fast-track rules should the administration reach an accord with Republicans. In addition, three Democrats who would support Hayes were absent -- Sens. Edward M. Kennedy (Mass.), John Kerry (Mass.) and Barbara Mikulski (Md.).

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Updated 3:18 p.m. ET

The Obama administration announced yesterday that it will allow states to use a small fraction of the economic stimulus funding they receive for oversight or auditing purposes, a decision sought by several states facing serious financial hardship amid the economic downturn.

The Office of Management and Budget said in a memo posted yesterday afternoon that the states can use up to 0.5 percent of the total recovery funds they receive for administrative costs. The White House hopes the new guidance will make it easier and faster for states to get money for the staff and technologies needed to handle the influx of federal cash.

"A majority of Recovery Act dollars are disbursed by the States, who thus play a central role in the prudent, timely, and transparent expenditure of Recovery funds," OMB Director Peter R. Orszag wrote in the memo. The White House noted that Orszag and Vice President Biden have heard from several state officials who greater freedom to spend some of the stimulus money on administrative costs. Several good government groups credit the administration for acting quickly to address concerns expressed by state and local leaders.

The states' need for the new instructions was widely exposed in a recent GAO report that noted several state governments have cut auditing or oversight staff amid the economic downturn, even as they assume responsibility for billions of dollars in federal assistance.

In response to the states' concerns, Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) has proposed legislation that would provide even more federal funding to state governments and offer up the use of the GSA schedules. A spokeswoman said he is reviewing the new OMB guidance to see if it resolves the issues raised by the states.

President Obama will make his first of three commencement addresses today at Arizona State University, with a (controversial) appearance scheduled for Sunday at Notre Dame University and another speech at the Naval Academy on May 22. Several Cabinet secretaries, at least one assistant secretary and two top White House advisers will also participate in diploma distribution duties across the country, passing on words of encouragement and advice to members of the class of 2009.

For example, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will speak today at Yankee Stadium for New York University's commencement ceremonies. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis will give four graduation speeches, the most of any Obama administration official. In most cases, the appearances were scheduled long before officials accepted jobs with the administration.

Here's a full rundown of the upcoming graduation obligations for Cabinet secretaries and a few senior White House aides:

Happy Wednesday! The Post 200 hits newsstands and the Web today, our annual review of the Washington region's business climate. And (shocker!) it turns out that federal spending has once again saved the economy of our Federal City:

"The boom in government spending is attracting keen interest from big utilities, technology firms, start-ups and the lobby firms they employ. And it has foreign investors scouting real estate opportunities. Even Donald Trump is prowling for prospects; he recently bought a golf course here," reports The Post's Terri Rupar.

"About a third of Washington's economy either is the federal government or is highly dependent on it, according to the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University. The sudden boost in federal spending stands out in the economy's general slump."

Couple the increased federal spending with more federal hiring and "By the time President Obama's current term is over, his administration will have hired enough new federal employees to populate a good-size city," The Post's Joe Davidson writes today.

"His proposed budget for fiscal year 2010 projects that 'The Federal Government will hire several hundred thousand new civilian employees during the next four years,' in part because baby boomers are calling it quits.

"The administration acknowledges that it needs to fix an arduous federal hiring process. For those already on the payroll, the administration says it plans to enhance training, improve evaluation methods and 'put a healthy leadership pipeline in place' that identifies successors for critical positions."

• Cabinet and Staff News: Ray LaHood honors the Merchant Marines who participated in the rescue of the passengers and crew of U.S. Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson at 10 a.m. in New York. Robert Gates' most recent staff shakeup once again reveals he has little tolerance for missteps by the Pentagon’s civilian and military brass. Most of the military's top commanders are West Point graduates. The administration is debating the role of a proposed cyber czar. Eric Holder's recent comments on race prompt several plaintiffs to ask DOJ for help. Obama drops his NHTSA nominee and taps a chief of protocol at the State Department. Business interests consider Cass Sunstein an ally. CPO nominee Jeffrey D. Zients' nomination formally sent to the Senate. Senate Commerce will consider Aneesh Choprah's nomination to serve as CTO next Tuesday.

• Today's Big Event: The Senate Rules Committee holds a hearing at 10 a.m. to investigate concerns with the military voting process. A recent Pew study found that 25 states do not give members of the military enough time to complete and return presidential election ballots, an obvious concerns.

In other news...

It might be time for more federal employees to take up basketball like the exerciser-in-chief has been known to do. (AP File Photo by Jae C. Hong)

Updated 1:03 p.m. ET

You know the saying that if you want to get ahead in your job it's wise to dress like the boss? Federal employees may also want to start exercising like him.

As President Obama continues his health care reform efforts today, he's asked aides to identify the best private-sector employee wellness and prevention practices and consider adopting similar plans for federal employees and federal workplaces. The Office of Personnel Management will work with the Office of Health Reform, the National Economic Council, the Labor Department and the Office of Management and Budget to develop the plan, Obama announced today.

"There's no quick fix, there's no silver bullet," Obama said today following a meeting with with state health officials and the CEOs of companies that operate employee health care programs.

"Part of what we want to do here, starting here today is to lift up these best practices so other companies can identify and potentially implement them," he said, adding later that he hopes the federal government will also adopt some of the best practices for the benefit of federal employees.

Obama met with the director of an Ohio state government program developed to reduce health risks for Buckeye State employees and representatives of companies that operate employee health care programs, including Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, REI and Safeway.

The president's announcement comes as the General Services Administration prepares to take a healthy step next month and close smoking lounges in the 1,500 federal buildings it manages. His instructions are consistent with statements by OPM Director John Berry, who has said he wants the federal government to become a model employer and adopt the best practices of the private sector, if necessary.

While the president has asked OPM to draw up suggested healthy employee programs, each government agency would have to separately adopt and implement any recommendations.

But it might not hurt to "finally" take up running, or go for the salad instead of that big pizza slice next time you visit the cafeteria.

Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) has lifted his hold on the nomination of Craig Fugate to serve as the next FEMA director, ending a holdup criticized by the White House, Senate Democrats and some of Vitter's Republican colleagues as an unnecessary delay fueled by campaign politics.

Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) (Photo by Getty)

Vitter held up a full Senate vote on Fugate amid a dispute with FEMA about its rejection of three construction projects on flood-prone Grande Isle, La. The senator first sought information on the agency's rejections of the project more than two months ago and said he had not yet received sufficient answers. Under Senate rules, any senator can hold up a nomination for whatever reason and can choose to do so anonymously.

"Louisianans have gotten way too many easy spoken assurances from FEMA over the last four years that didn't mean anything," Vitter said in a statement this morning. "Now that I've secured a specific written commitment from them on the V-Zone issue, we can move forward." He said he is "very confident" the issue will be resolved soon.

Last week the White House and Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) called on Vitter to lift his objections to Fugate -- especially since the 2009 hurricane season begins June 1 -- suggesting his delay tactics were inspired more by politics than home state concerns. The criticism grew last week when the senator sent an e-mail to supporters explaining that his continued opposition "isn't about politics." Opponents noted however that a link in the e-mail led to a financial donation page on Vitter's 2010 reelection campaign Web site. In response, Senate Democrats yesterday released a Web-only video slamming Vitter's continued opposition.

Vitter faces a potentially challenging reelection campaign next year, but has avoided a serious primary challenge so far. To date, only adult film star Stormy Daniels has said she's seriously considering a run against Louisiana's first-term junior senator.