Agency Oversight
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In today's Federal Newscast: The Navy no longer requires a high school diploma to enlist. A long-time federal technology executive is retiring. And a former acting IG has been sentenced to 18 months in prison in a software-theft conspiracy.
January 30, 2024 -
It's not an agency, but it works to transfer vital technology developments out of federal laboratories and into the market. The Federal Lab Consortium encompasses some 300 federal organizations.
January 29, 2024 -
In today's Federal Newscast: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to make a full recovery, according to doctors at Walter Reed Military Medical Center. The Department of Homeland Security is pushing hard to improve customer experience. And sex and work-culture scandals at the FDIC catch the attention and ire of Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst.
January 29, 2024 -
Lawmakers are also investigating whether the SSA IG inappropriately referred the DHS IG to an outside law firm.
January 25, 2024 -
Members of the Senate Finance Committee are calling on the Internal Revenue Service to rely on barcodes to process millions of paper tax returns more quickly.
January 25, 2024 -
Federal improper payments roll on and on, year after year. Among the most frustrating are fraudulent unemployment benefits, federal dollars that get spent by the states. Last fall, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimated that as much as 15% of pandemic-era unemployment spending went to fraudsters, or as much as $135 billion.
January 24, 2024 -
The Labor Department's watchdog is not only losing staff, but racing against the clock to complete its ongoing work on pandemic-era fraud before time runs out.
January 23, 2024 -
For better or worse, the Postal Service will replace its old local delivery trucks with a combination of gasoline and electric ones. It's a huge acquisition at nearly $10 billion. The program includes the acquisition of electric chargers, which require testing and evaluation. The USPS Office of Inspector General took a look and the Federal Drive with Tom Temin talked about it with Deputy Assistant IG Amanda Stafford.
January 22, 2024 -
The Postal Service is rolling out the first of its new electric vehicle charging stations, and laying the foundation for a majority-electric fleet. USPS on Monday unveiled its first set of electric vehicle charging stations at the South Atlanta Sorting and Delivering Center (S&DC).
January 22, 2024 -
Offering telework to federal employees supports recruitment, retention, satisfaction and engagement, Mark Green, chief human capital officer at the Interior Department, told members of the House Natural Resources committee this week.
January 18, 2024 -
The CSRB is modeled after the National Transportation Safety Board, but some experts say the cyber board needs more independence and transparency.
January 18, 2024 -
Conservative Supreme Court justices have voiced support for weakening the power of federal regulators, but it's unclear whether a majority would overturn a major 40-year-old decision. Billions of dollars are potentially at stake in front of a court that was remade during Donald Trump’s presidency by conservative interests that were motivated as much by weakening the regulatory state as by social issues including abortion. The court on Wednesday debated whether to overturn a 1984 case colloquially known as Chevron. Courts have relied on the case to uphold regulations, including on the environment, public health, workplace safety and consumer protections. The justices heard cases from New Jersey and Rhode Island.
January 18, 2024 -
In today's Federal Newscast: National Cyber Director Harry Coker calls for more diversity when hiring for federal cyber jobs. The Space Development Agency has made $2.5 billion worth of awards to build its tracking layer. And the VA is looking to reduce the child-birth mortality rate for women veterans.
January 17, 2024 -
The Postal Service says its competitive package business is growing, following its busy year-end holiday season.
January 12, 2024 -
Climate change and what is known as environmental justice top the list of management challenges for the Environmental Protection Agency this year. No surprise there. But the EPA's office of inspector general, in its annual listing, found several other priorities. For details, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin talked with supervisory auditor Claire McWilliams.
January 11, 2024