OPM Sends Employee Suitability Final Rule to OMB

 Yesterday, the OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs announced that it had received a final rule from the Office of Personnel Management on “Suitability and Fitness”. The notice of proposed rulemaking was published on June 3rd, 2025. 

According to the Spring 2025 Unified Agenda entry for this rulemaking: 

“The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) plans to finalize its rulemaking to amend the Federal Government personnel vetting adjudicative criteria for determining suitability or fitness.  The purpose of the proposed rule is to improve the rigor and timeliness by which OPM and agencies vet individuals for risk to the integrity and efficiency of the service, and to make clear that individuals who engage in serious misconduct while employed in Federal service are subject to the same suitability procedures and actions as applicants for employment.” 

This rulemaking would continue the Administration’s assault on civil service protections for federal employees in their attempt to ‘drain the swamp’. 

House Accepts Senate Amendment to HR 7147 – FY 2026 DHS Spending

This afternoon the House took up, yet again, HR 7147, the Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026, dealing with the FY 2026 funding for DHS. They effectively withdrew their amended version that had been approved on March 27th, 2026, by a near party-line vote. Instead, the House voted (voice vote) to accept the Senate amendment of March 26th (actual Senate vote took place early on the 27th) that funded the Department except for the immigration enforcement activities of ICE and CBP. The bill now goes to the President for signing, probably this evening. 

While voice votes typically mean that there is widespread support (or at least minimal opposition) for legislation, that may not really be the case here. As with the Senate’s early morning vote there were only a limited number of members on the floor (see reporting here by the Washington Post) when the voice vote was held. This may have been done (in both the House and Senate) to provide cover to Republican members that were conflicted by their opposition to the lack of ICE/CBP funding and their desire to support the President. ICE and CBP continue to receive funding from the earlier Big Beautiful Bill and potentially a second reconciliation bill that the President has requested to be on his desk by June 1st. 

Review – 6 Advisories and 2 Updates Published – 4-30-26

Today CISA’s NCCIC-ICS published six control system security advisories for products from ABB. They also updated two advisories for products from Mitsubishi. 

I would like to remind folks that the Department of Homeland Security (including, of course, CISA’s NCCIC-ICS, the authors of these advisories) has still not been funded for FY 2026 operations since January. The Administration has repurposed funds (that were previously allocated for other uses passed September 30th, 2025) into paychecks for the people still working during this ‘limited shutdown’. Those funds have been expected to run out on or about May 1st. CISA’s cybersecurity operations are expected to continue; paychecks probably not until Congress works out this fiasco. 

Advisories  

Ability Symphony Advisory - This advisory discusses four vulnerabilities in the ABB Ability Symphony Plus Engineering product. 

AWIN Advisory - This advisory describes three vulnerabilities in the ABB AWIN Gateways products. 

Ability OPTIMAX Advisory - This advisory describes an incorrect implementation of authentication algorithm vulnerability in the ABB Ability OPTIMAX products. 

Edgenius Advisory - This advisory describes an authentication bypass using an alternate path or channel vulnerability in the ABB Edgenius Management Portal. 

PCM600 Advisory - This advisory discusses the Zip-Slip vulnerability in the ABB PCM600 product. 

System 800xA Advisory - This advisory describes an improper validation of specified quantity in input vulnerability in the ABB System 800xA, and Symphony Plus IEC 61850 products. 

Updates  

FA Products Update - This update provides additional information on the FA Products advisory that was originally published on April 25th, 2025, and most recently updated on February 3rd, 2026. 

MELSEC iQ-F Series Update - This update provides additional information on the MELSEC iQ-F Series advisory that was originally published on March 3rd, 2026. 

For more information on these advisories, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/6-advisories-and-2-updates-published-cc0 - subscription required. 

Review – Bills Introduced – 4-29-26

 Yesterday, with both the House and Senate in session, there were 68 bills introduced. None of those bills will receive additional coverage in this blog. 

Space Geek Legislation 

I would like to mention one bill under my limited Space Geek coverage in this blog: 

HR 8584 To require the Commander of the United States Space Command to submit a feasibility report on expanding the Multinational Force Operation Olympic Defender. Min, Dave [Rep.-D-CA-47] 

For more information on these bills, including legislative history for similar bills in the 118th Congress, as well as a mention in passing of two bills to provide congressional override authority for disaster declarations, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/bills-introduced-4-29-26 - subscription required.