Hubbard Radio Washington DC, LLC. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
The Senate Intelligence Committee has approved the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act. The legislation is designed to expand information shared about cybersecurity threats and defensive mechanisms between the government and companies and within the private sector. The goal is to combat the rapid increase in attacks on computer systems that have resulted in the theft of millions of Americans' personal information and hundreds of millions of dollars in losses for businesses.
The Federal Newscast is a daily compilation of the stories you hear Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp discuss throughout the show each day. The Newscast is designed to give FederalNewsRadio.com users more information about the stories you hear on the air. In today's news, President Obama asks for $3.7 billion for the Mexican border crisis, and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell will distribute $43 million for conservation projects.
Tiffany Hixson, the professional services category executive at GSA's Federal Acquisition Service discusses the new professional services category management agenda for FAS and what it means for customer agencies and contractors. July 8, 2014
Susie Adams, the chief technology officer for Microsoft Federal, joins host John Gilroy to discuss some new offerings from Microsoft and what they mean for federal IT professionals. July 8, 2014
The first change of command at U.S. Cyber Command is complete. General Keith Alexander made way for Admiral Mike Rogers recently. But new revelations from Edward Snowden are a reminder that the first four years of the combination of CYBERCOM and the National Security Agency aren't without controversy. William Lynn was Deputy Secretary of Defense when the Defense Department stood up Cyber Command. He wrote about the strategy behind it in Foreign Policy at the time. He is now Chief Executive Officer of Finmeccanica North America and DRS Technologies. He explained on In Depth with Francis Rose the chain of events that caused DoD leadership to stand up Cyber Command.
We're learning a bit more about the General Services Administration's move toward a "category management" approach to federal purchasing. GSA's working on a new concept called "hallways" -- the first one's coming this fall. It'll deal with information technology. GSA says one person will manage a team of experts that will create new standards and best practices for a specific area of acquisition. Roger Waldron is President of the Coalition for Government Procurement. He explained how the hallways approach can help GSA expand its strategic sources contracts on In Depth with Francis Rose.
Congress helps set the stage for a one percent pay raise for federal employees next year, despite recent historical trends. The House and Senate versions of a government spending bill don't guarantee a salary bump, but they don't stop the president from declaring one, either. And the House already approved a 1.8 percent pay raise for military service members in 2015. Katie Maddocks is the government affairs representative for the Federal Managers Association. She explained the chances of seeing a pay raise next year on In Depth with Francis Rose.
The Senate's to-do list this week includes the next steps on information technology contracting reform and enhancing the role of the Chief Information Officer at federal agencies. But the Senate is playing catch-up: the House has already passed its version of the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act. Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) is a cosponsor of FITARA. He explained on In Depth with Francis Rose what he likes about the Senate version and what he wants to change.
The White House will release details of the President's Management Agenda any day now, and observers expect embracing risk may be an aspect of that strategy. A risk- averse federal government may find that strategy hard to implement. Linda Springer is Executive Director of the Government and Public Sector at Ernst and Young and former Comptroller at the Office of Management and Budget. Dan Blair is President and CEO of the National Academy of Public Administration and former acting OPM Director. Linda explained the concept behind enterprise risk management on In Depth with Francis Rose.
Congress returns this week to confront a number of issues that need immediate action. President Obama is asking for an additional $2 billion to help deal with the flood of unaccompanied minors. And time is ticking away for lawmakers to replenish the Highway Trust Fund, which is set to run out of money at the end of August. The Hill's White House Correspondent, Justin Sink, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to give a round up on what's going on this week.
The Defense Department isn't following one of its own roadmaps. Back in 2012, defense planners devised a plan for protecting bases and installations from the potentially damaging effects of climate change. That's all started to affect DoD's planning, but there's a lot more to do. Brian Lepore is the director of Defense Capabilities and Management at the Government Accountability Office. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to discuss what the roadmaps mean.
New analysis shows that agencies are trending away from single award contracts in favor of task orders against multiple award contracts. At the same time they're consolidating MACs to cut down on duplication. It all means some agencies are downright slow in getting awards out the door. Miguel Garrido is a quantitative analyst with Bloomberg Government. He examined contracting opportunities among agencies and compared the timing trends between them. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to discuss what he found.
Agencies' scales tip strongly in the direction of older workers. The percentage of millennials in the federal workforce fell to 7 percent in 2013 — an eight-year low. This compares to about 23 percent in the private sector workforce.
The Federal Newscast is a daily compilation of the stories you hear Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp discuss throughout the show each day. The Newscast is designed to give FederalNewsRadio.com users more information about the stories you hear on the air. In today's news, the Highway Trust Fund is running low on funds, and the U.S. commander in Europe asks to stop the drawdown in Europe.