Radio Interviews

  • Congress is working on two bills that impact the Thrift Savings Plan. But this time you don't need to worry about someone messing up a good thing. Kim Weaver is director of external affairs at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board. She tells In Depth with Francis Rose how both bills may affect you.

    June 30, 2015
  • The next step in the debate over the OPM cyber breaches may happen in court. The largest federal employee union is suing the Office of Personnel Management. Federal News Radio Reporters Emily Kopp has on the details of the suit.

    June 30, 2015
  • It's been more than three months since astronaut and flight engineer Scott Kelly joined the Expedition 43 crew aboard the International Space Station. Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko will spend about a year living and working aboard the station to help scientists better understand how the human body reacts and adapts to the harsh environment of space. Shortly before the failure of a third try at getting supplies to the Space Station, Kelly joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin for an update on the mission. He says astronauts don't feel isolated.

    June 30, 2015
  • Ten years ago, the Environmental Protection Agency only knew whether a small fraction of the 80,000 chemicals in use were hazardous to people or the environment. That changed in 2005 after Robert Kavlock, deputy assistant administrator for science in the EPA's Office of Research and Development, established the ToxCast Lab. It can quickly screen large numbers of chemicals for health effects. For that, he was named one of the 33 finalists for this year's Service to America Medals. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to further discuss his work, and the problems it solved.

    June 30, 2015
  • The Office of Personnel Management shut down the database that holds security clearance information after finding a cybersecurity flaw. The decision by OPM to take the e-QIP system offline means thousands of federal employees and contractors will have to wait for their security clearances. Federal News Radio’s Executive Editor Jason Miller joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to discuss this latest emerging OPM cybersecurity challenge.

    June 30, 2015
  • A House bill passed last week would give the Veterans Affairs secretary much more flexibility to fire corrupt or poor-performing employees — not just top officials. The 2015 VA Accountability Act would expand on the authority of last year's Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act, which made it easier to get rid of senior executives engaged in wrongdoing. But this new authority could have some unintended consequences. John Palguta, vice president for policy at the Partnership for Public Service, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to explain some of the legislation's unintended consequences.

    June 30, 2015
  • This program will provide a progress report on Health IT in government.

    June 30, 2015
  • Today’s interview is with Glenn Cobb, Regional Vice President Americas, Solution Engineering for CipherCloud. Many federal information professionals want to move to the cloud but have serious questions about security.  During the interview,  Cobb talks…

    June 29, 2015
  • The Defense Department and General Services Administration have an information sharing problem. They aren't sharing information about space that's available on military installations and about the agencies that could use it. Brian Lepore is director of defense capabilities and management issues at the GAO. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose how the two agencies can improve that collaboration.

    June 29, 2015
  • Congress is at a standstill on the appropriations bills agencies need to fund their budgets. But the holdup is not just because both chambers are in recess this week. And it's not just because of a disagreement over the numbers. David Hawkings, senior editor of Roll Call, writes the Hawkings Here blog. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose what's going on in the budget debate and the debate over the National Defense Authorization Act.

    June 29, 2015
  • Better Buying Power at the Pentagon is only one example of attempts to innovate in the acquisition space. The new acquisition corps that's set up like the U.S. Digital Services office is another one, but it's focused on policy and process. Michael Fischetti is executive director of the National Contract Management Association. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose that government spends too much time thinking about process -- and not enough about people.

    June 29, 2015
  • Four major overhauls can turn massive data breaches from disasters to catalysts for change. Attracting talented cyber professionals and streamlining the IT cyber acquisition process are some of the key ingredients Richard Spires recommended to the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government. He is the former chief information officer at the Department of Homeland Security and the Internal Revenue Service, and now CEO of Resilient Network Systems. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose that he sees systemic weaknesses in government IT security that need to be fixed now.

    June 29, 2015
  • What are the key priorities for FBI’s Finance, Facilities, and Real Property, Division? How has the transition to UFMS changed the way the bureau does its business? What is the bureau doing to leverage mobility solutions to meet its mission? Join host Michael Keegan as he explores these questions and more with Rich Haley, Assistant Director of the Finance, Facilities, and Real Property Division and Chief Financial Officer of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

    June 29, 2015