The house has passed a bill that makes it easier and quicker to fire Veterans Affairs employees. Some see Congress’ latest drive to hold government accountable as noble. Others see it as an impending civil rights violation. Susan Tsui Grundmann is chairman of the Merit Systems Protection Board. As Federal News Radio’s Emily Kopp report, she falls into the latter category.
The Defense Department’s program to let employees use smartphones on the secret network is becoming more popular than anyone ever imagined. After moving from the pilot to the full production stage in June, the Defense Mobile Classified Capability – Secret is in demand -- not just in the military but across the government. Federal News Radio executive editor Jason Miller is here with details on why DoD’s program is so popular.
The Air Force is forming partnerships with the communities surrounding its bases to share support services and facilities. It's called the Air Force Community Partnership Program, and it's proving valuable for both the service and the local communities. Steve Zander is the program's director. For his work, he's been named one of the 33 finalists for this year's Service to America Medals. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to share more about the program.
The number of federal employees under age 30 drops from 9.6 percent of the workforce to 6.6 percent over the last five years. And the number of employees under age 25 is down from 2 percent of the federal workforce to 0.9 percent in the same time. That's according to the 2014 Best Places to Work analysis from the Partnership for Public Service and Deloitte. Tim McManus is vice president for education and outreach at the Partnership. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose that recruiting the younger generation is one of agencies' biggest challenges.
An employee at the Housing and Urban Development Department used his government charge card to make nearly $12,000 in personal purchases for a few months back in 2013. HUD didn't tell the Office of Management and Budget about the violation because the Office of Inspector General hadn't yet confirmed if the transactions broke federal law. A typical investigation like this usually takes several months or years for the Inspector General to finish. Frank Rokosz is deputy assistant inspector general for audit at the Housing and Urban Developement Department's OIG. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose that HUD shouldn't have waited.
Secretary Jeh Johnson is reorganizing the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) and elevating the role of the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC). He named Andy Ozment and John Felker to run the NCCIC.
In this week's Inside the DoD Reporter's Notebook, Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work tells the deputy chief management officer to come up with an implementation strategy for a “rationalized” Pentagon organizational chart.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald says he's baffled by the way the federal government tends to separately brand each one of its IT offerings, especially its public-facing ones.
Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work tells the deputy chief management officer to come up with an implementation strategy for a “rationalized” Pentagon organizational chart.
About 30 goats from Browsing Green Goats of Calvert County, Maryland, started chowing down on invasive plant species this week at Historic Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
Stan Lowe, VA’s deputy assistant secretary in the Office of Information Security, becomes the second senior executive to leave this week.
Stephen Warren, Veterans Affairs' number-two information technology official, will step down in late August according to a memo from VA CIO LaVerne Council.
Retiring NTEU president Colleen Kelley says she never considered herself a Beltway insider after living in the DC area for more than 28 years. She said she spent about half her time as president on the road, listening to federal employees voice their concerns. She said that's the best advice she can offer her successor once NTEU casts its votes next Tuesday.
The biggest shortfall in your agency may not be a budget shortfall. It may an energy shortage. Dr. Marta Wilson is the author of the new book: "Energized Enterprise -- Leading Your Workforce to New Peaks of Performance in the Public Sector and Beyond". She's also a management consultant to public and private sector organizations, and tells In Depth with Francis Rose that an energy shortage is something every manager should watch out for.
This week, Women of Washington is on location at the Executive Women in Government Leadership Summit for a special episode. Hosts Aileen Black and Gigi Schumm interviewed two of the presenters at the forum to get their take on in the federal government.