Federal Newscast

Americans appear to have a good opinion of federal agencies overall

In today's Federal Newscast, according to a new study, Americans feel generally positive about federal agencies, but it also depends on their political party.

Eric White@FEDERALNEWSCAST

August 23, 2024 3:39 pm

< a min read

Americans feel generally positive about federal agencies, but it also depends on their political party. A new study from the Pew Research Center finds that Republicans’ views of certain agencies are starting to skew more negative. For example, Republicans and Democrats are growing further apart in their opinions of the Justice Department. About 56% of Republicans view DOJ in a negative light, while just 45% of Democrats have unfavorable opinions. The National Park Service, Postal Service and NASA have the most positive views of all federal agencies.
(Americans see many federal agencies favorably, but Republicans grow more critical of Justice Department - Pew Research Center)

Virtual and augmented reality are taking holder in civilian agencies. A majority of the CFO Act civilian agencies already are using immersive technologies. For instance, the Homeland Security Department is using simulators and other immersive technologies to train nearly 10,000 of its law enforcement employees in areas like use-of-force training, transportation security training and fire and emergency response training. The Veterans Affairs Department turned to virtual reality to train clinical staff to support mental health treatment, physical rehabilitation and pain management. The Government Accountability Office found in a new report that 17 of 23 civilian agencies are using these immersive technologies today and plan to expand them in the coming years. GAO says most frequently agencies are using these technologies for data visualization and analysis, design and planning, public outreach and remote collaboration.
(Immersive technologies: Most civilian agencies are using or plan to use augmented reality, virtual reality and more - Government Accountability Office)

Chief human capital officers are thinking about new ways to improve the federal workforce. To brainstorm solutions, the CHCO Council developed working groups on recruitment and outreach, hybrid work and supporting HR employees. But underneath it all is a goal of better collecting and using HR data. “What we’d like to do is move more into the predictive space to figure out how we use the data we have to note trends and plan for the future,” said Colleen Heller-Stein, executive director of the CHCO Council.
(CHCO Council’s new leader aims to move the needle on ‘evergreen’ federal workforce issues - Federal News Network)

A senator is calling on the IRS to waive penalties and interest fees for some of his constituents. That’s because a network shakeup from the Postal Service led to some mailed filings to arrive late to the tax agency … or not all. Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Geor.) is asking the IRS to work with taxpayers in his state who are affected by the postal snafu. Georgia had the worst mail service in the country for the second quarter of this fiscal year. About 63 percent of mail arrived on time during this period. That’s about 30 points below the Postal Service’s target for quality service.
(Sen. Ossoff Launches Inquiry with IRS into Impacts on Georgia Taxpayers of USPS Delays - Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Geor.))

The Postal Service says changes next year are a “net positive” for customers, but will mean longer waits for some. USPS says the next step of its network modernization plan is to get mail and packages to their destination in fewer trips between facilities. That’ll help the agency squeeze out about $3 billion in overhead costs each year. USPS says it’ll also mean faster, more reliable service for customers living within 50 miles of its largest regional processing plants. But for customers living in more rural areas mail and packages may remain in transit for about a day longer before reaching their final destination. USPS says most customers will see the same level of service, or faster, under this plan.
(USPS touts ‘net positive’ for customers in next phase of network modernization, but longer waits for some - Federal News Network )

Small businesses will soon have a new tool to manage their socio-economic certifications. The Small Business Administration next month will launch a new streamlined platform, called MySBA Certifications. SBA says the new platform will let small firms apply for, and manage, multiple federal contracting certifications in one place. SBA says it hopes the new site will let businesses spend less time applying for, say a HUBZone or women-owned business certification, by reducing the paperwork required. The agency also hopes the new platform lets small firms apply for multiple certifications at one time. Under the current approach, small businesses must use different systems to apply for certifications with as many as 40% being eligible for multiple certifications, but only 10% hold more than one.
(Administrator Guzman announces transformation of customer experience for federal contracting certifications - Small Business Administration)

The Navy’s cloud management office has onboarded the first mission owner into its Flank Speed Azure impact level six environment, which will allow marines and sailors to access classified data in the cloud securely. Since receiving the initial authority to operate in July, the office has received at least 15 engagement requests from various mission owners. The environment includes over 300 services that work with commonly used tools, which makes it easier for sailors and marines to perform their tasks within a highly secure environment. The Flank Speed Azure IL6 environment is available from three accredited regions worldwide.
(Navy’s Neptune Cloud Management Office onboards first mission owner into highly secure cloud environment - Linkedin)

The Army is consolidating the recompetes for two of its key contract vehicles for professional and IT services. The Marketplace for the Acquisition of Professional Services contract, known as MAPS, will be the Army’s key vehicle for acquiring a wide range of professional services, including cybersecurity, program management and business process reengineering services. The consolidated acquisition vehicle will provide benefits to current and prospective industry partners by reducing duplication. The Army is working to schedule a call with industry partners to discuss its plans for the contract before the end of the fiscal year.
(Army merging two major contract vehicles for IT and professional services - SAM.gov)