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A new bill that would limit how much time doctors, nurses and other employees at the Veterans Affairs Department could spend on union business has support now from VA itself. The department said having its employees spend 100 percent of their hours on official time is "necessary, reasonable and in the public's best interest."
The strength and durability of the budget depends not only on the agency, but also on regulations such as the federal hiring freeze. David Lewis, professor of political science at Vanderbilt, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss how federal executives can deal with the potential crossover.
Thousands of rules come out each year from regulatory agencies that place a large burden on the economy. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), chairman of the subcommittee on regulatory affairs and federal management, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss why regulatory reform is needed.
Although the Veterans Affairs Department handed over a dozen large construction projects to the Army Corps of Engineers, VA is still responsible for certain management functions, like knowing when a project will be finished and for how much. David Wise, director of physical infrastructure issues at the Government Accountability Office, shares some insight on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.
The Veterans Choice Act provides VA with the opportunity to redefine what its role will be in 10 years.
For the Veterans Affairs Department, low morale and difficulty attracting talent are two of the challenges keeping it on the Government Accountability Office's high-risk list. Margot Conrad, director of education and outreach at the Partnership for Public Service, offers her take on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.
Now we know what federal managers are asked to do in the latest executive order from the Trump administration. It's not the first time they've been asked to look for waste and redundancy. Don Kettl, professor of public policy at the University of Maryland, offers some perspective on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.
What happens when a government contractor employee calls out to the government suspected wrongdoing by his or her company? That's the topic of an ongoing pilot program launched in 2013. Marie Mak, director of acquisition and sourcing management at the Government Accountability Office, tells Federal Drive with Tom Temin how that program is working out.
Federal Freedom of Information Act offices saw a record number of information requests in fiscal 2016, an accomplishment that highlights the need to be able to efficiently and effectively serve stakeholder and citizens.
Gail Wilensky, a former federal health official and senior fellow at Project Hope, has been part of the oversight of reforms at the Veterans Affairs Department. She joins Federal Drive with Tom Temin with an update on reform.
The federal inspectors general community has an opportunity, as the federal hiring freeze and other resources continue to tighten, to share administrative and mission areas services.
Official time has been a hot topic for House lawmakers this week. A new bill would limit official time for all employees at the Veterans Affairs Department and would set special limits for doctors and other workers involved in direct patient care.
GAO Comptroller Gene Dodaro told the Federal Drive with Tom Temin that the agency's seen significant progress in getting troubled federal projects off its High-Risk List.
Since Michael Missal took over as inspector general at the Veterans Affairs Department about a year ago, his office has turned up some improvements, some deteriorations and the odd surprise.