Federal Drive with Tom Temin
About
Available on
Community
8475 episodes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Veterans Affairs Department is falling short of one hiring goal, people to help veterans dealing with substance abuse. Now it launched a multi hiring initiative to bring on behavioral health employees to treat substance abuse disorders, but auditors find the VA as far from it goal and spent less than half the money it got from Congress for this particular effort. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Social Security Administration is about to take a big bite out of the time and effort it takes to open the mail and deal with paper documents. As part of its continued effort to improve citizen and employee experience SSA is now accepting electronic signatures for 90% of most commonly used forms, Federal News Network's executive editor Jason Miller got an exclusive update from SSA's chief transformation officer Betsy Bowman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Retirement from a career should mean an exciting new phase in life...not a glidepath to the graveyard. Federal retirees tend to be a feisty group. One reason is they tend to prepare carefully. Retirement expert Tammy Flanagan has some observations, and joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Very low earth orbit satellites … known as V-L-E-Os … have become important in a variety of surveillance and imaging applications. Trouble is, they're *so* low, they don't stay up very long without propulsion to keep them up. Eventually they run out of fuel. That's a problem the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is trying to solve with a program known as Otter. For details, DARPA program manager Sarah Popkin joins me in studio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin A DARPA program to extend the life of low-orbit satellites Retirement from work isn't retirement from life Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When it comes to open cyber security jobs across the country, Seeyew Mo doesn’t want to focus on the 500,000 number that’s often bandied about. Mo is the assistant national cyber director for workforce training and education at the Office of the National Cyber Director in the White House. He says the focus should be on expanding who and what positions are considered part of that cyber workforce. During Federal News Network's Workplace Reimagined, Jason Miller got more from Mo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Army Medical corps is vital to readiness and that takes more than 4000 physicians in the active component and 2000 in the reserve. The doctor recruitment rate though doesn’t keep up with the separations and the Rand Corporation examined possible ways for the medical boost recruitment and retention. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis spoke with Rand senior economist, Michael Mattock and senior operations researcher at Ed Chan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In acquiring sonar equipment, the Navy didn't go deep enough into the fine points of small business rules. In a small business set-aside, the question of whether an offerer could be a non-manufacturer showed just how complicated things can get. Details now from Haynes Boone procurement attorney Zach Prince. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Except for a brief few years during the Trump administration … federal employee unions have had official time for decades. Official time means federal employees can spend work time on union business such as filing grievances. Now a Senate bill filed by Utah Republican Mike Lee would outlaw official time. One group in *favor* may not surprise you … the National Right to Work Committee. Committee V-P Greg Mourad joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Customs and Border Protection tests new global trading system standards A senate bill revives the official union time question The Navy made a big mistake in a small business procurement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
International trade requires communications among widely diverse computer systems. A quality called interoperability is required to make trade work smoothly. Now U.S. Customs and Border Protection is fielding new global interoperability standards ... with the hopes of testing them internationally next year. For more, we turn to the director of C-B-P's Business Transformation and Innovation Division, Vincent Annunziato. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
U.S. Special Forces Command Small Business Innovation Research Program; it’s unique among efforts around the government. Congress gave SOCOM a special authority back in 2021 to do business to business transitions through the Softworks organization. For more about how SOCOM is using this authority to meet service member needs more quickly, Federal News Network's Executive Editor Jason Miller spoke with Director of Science and Technology for Special Operations Forces, Lisa Sanders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Much of the federal workforce continues to operate in a hybrid work environment. Behind the scenes federal agencies are focusing on ways to improve technology and workflows, and that includes starting employees off on the right foot beginning with the job application process itself. As part of our recent Workplace Reimagined event Federal News Network's Drew Friedman spoke with Jason Barke, Deputy Associate Director of strategic workforce planning at the Office of Personnel Management and John Gill, OPM Executive Director of human capital data management and modernization. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A Federal Trade Commission rule against employee non-compete clauses was supposed to take effect this week. But there's an injunction against it issued by a Texas federal court. The Supreme Court ruling that ended court deference to federal agency regulation throws more sand into the F-T-C's works. With what industry is watching, we turn to the executive vice president for policy at the Professional Services Council, Stephanie Kostro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Your Thrift Savings Plan investments, like the stock market itself, has shown … volatility lately. It recovered from its early-August swoon, but who knows. Long time T-S-P participant and multi-millionaire Abe Grungold joins us with his advice for coping. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Army will find out whether so-called sustainable building materials will hold up to the wear-and-tear of military construction. It's using such materials to build new barracks for the First Multi-Domain Task Force at Joint Base Lewis-McChord ... near Tacoma, Washington. Joining me with more about this project … the principal deputy assistant Army secretary for installations, Paul Farnan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin The Army tests whether sustainable building materials have lasting value How to control your stomach during investment roller coasters Another FTC rule is in trouble...at least industry hopes so Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Intelligence community leaders say one of the biggest priorities is talent management. Whether it’s speeding up security clearance or offering virtual interviews, intelligence agencies are working to streamline typically stodgy recruiting process. Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday just got more from the Assistant Director of National Intelligence for Human Capital Cynthia Snyder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nearly every agency is figuring out its artificial intelligence strategy. Now the department of the Air Force has jumped in. It’s chief information officer Venice Goodwine has launched a new platform to track AI initiatives and spending. Federal News Network's Anastasia has more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Funding deadline — government funding runs out on Sept. 30 (one month from tomorrow) and veterans could miss their benefits if Congress doesn’t act before Sept. 20. Republicans are dealing with debates over how long a continuing resolution should be, and whether to allow riders (which would make it harder to pass the Democrat-led Senate). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We might live in a digital area. But many Americans still like to read things in print … ink on paper. Now the Government Publishing Office has expanded relationships with four university libraries to preserve federal printed materials and ensure public access. For details, we turn to the G-P-O's Superintendent of Documents, Scott Matheson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A military career is like no other. Yet it has something in common with all careers. You can't start too soon on retirement planning. Here with some tips is someone who has personal experience in this. Retired Navy captain … now president of the Navy Mutual Aid Association, Brian Luther. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin The Government Publishing Officer takes steps to preserve print. The day you enlist is the day you should start planning for retirement. Congress returns soon ... but not for very long. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If the update to OMB circular A11 was a box of sugar cereal the details about the planned pay raise for fiscal 2025 you might say is the toy at the bottom of the box. Bet you never thought of A-11 as a sugary goodness leading up to a prize. Well in his Reporter's Notebook, Federal News Network's Jason Miller proports to have eaten his way to the bottom of the box. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Whether it's a poorly configured home office router or a Starbucks full of prying eyes and eavesdroppers, federal employees face lots of cyber security threats in this age of mass telework. The interagency study committee is out with an examination of how federal employees who work outside the office can stay secure in both cyberspace and the physical world. For details, Federal News Network day with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's lead for the Interagency Security Committee, Daryle Hernandez. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A new front in the battle for cybersecurity has opened. New rules proposed by the Federal Aviation Administration would mandate better cybersecurity for airplanes. For what this means in practice, we turn to Runsafe Security C-E-O Joe Saunders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Who better than the U.S. Geological Survey to be concerned about rare minerals. One thing both the economy and national security need is more information about rare minerals … which are often a byproduct of mining for more abundant and widely used metals. To help with an information gap, U-S-G-S plans to expand a certain database. Here with details, research economic geologist George Case [calling from the Alaska Science Center]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
