The federal government is struggling to conduct background checks on people seeking security clearances, creating a backlog that one industry group says encompasses more than 700,000 applicants. As of March, the process for a top secret security clearance took more than 450 days to conclude, a federal official reported in May, more than a half-year longer than it took in April 2016. As the backlog has mounted, the Office of Personnel Management recently stopped reporting on the numbers of people waiting for approval. Last year, the agency reported the backlog of unfinished clearances was roughly 570,000. [The whistleblower who exposed U.S.’s flawed security clearance system finally gets his reward]Members of Congress are pushing the agency for more transparency on the issue.

Source: Washington Post August 27, 2017 19:52 UTC