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Head of the Office of Management and Budget Sylvia Mathews Burwell has a tough road ahead if she's lucky enough to be confirmed as the next Health and Human Services secretary. President Barack Obama tapped her last week to replace Kathleen Sebelius. Burwell will go from the small, inside-the-White-House agency to a sprawling institution that, with Obamacare, is in the eye of the political storm. Elise Viebeck, staff writer at The Hill Newspaper, told Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp that Burwell will face five big challenges.
The measure that will shed light on federal spending data is expected to sail through the House when Congress returns from recess. A version of the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act cleared the Senate last week and brought transparency advocates a step closer to governmentwide financial data standards. Hudson Hollister, executive director of the Data Transparency Coalition, explained differences between the House and Senate versions of the DATA Act to Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp.
Service members sometimes face a tough challenge when they leave the military: finding a job. Both federal agencies and contractors have programs for hiring veterans, but they're not all effective. Military Times has complied a list of the best potential employers for veterans. George Altman, education and employment writer for Military Times, told Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp how employers were evaluated. Companies who would like to participate in next year's survey can email BestForVets@militarytimes.com.
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, NTEU worries about its IRS employees, and a Russian aircraft repeatedly flew close to U.S. guided missile fire.
Forty-one agencies don't have designated inspectors general of their own, according to Senate Financial and Contracting Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.). She's sponsoring a bill that focuses on these small agencies that don't have the budget or resources for their own IG. Beryl Davis, director of financial management and assurance issues at the Government Accountability Office, testified recently before the subcommittee. She tells
Defense Department contracting officials are under orders now to double check prices on the General Services Administration's Federal Supply Schedule. DoD says the GSA Schedule doesn't always have the best price possible. Guy Timberlake, chief visionary and chief executive officer at the American Small Business Coalition, writes about it in this week's Gov-Con newsletter. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose "one size fits all" may not apply to your agency's contracting policy.
Electronic health records have been a priority of the Obama administration since the get-go. Defense and VA are still trying to work out a unified electronic health records system. Health and Human Services has been working with the private sector on the EHR puzzle. IBM has some technology ideas that might help speed things along. The company is also sponsoring a Federal Healthcare Forum in D.C. on April 24. Dr. Michael Weiner, retired Navy Captain and now director of healthcare strategic services at IBM, shared the ideas with Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp.
A House panel recently held back-to-back hearings: one with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on the agency's budget request, and the other with the authors of a report on security at NASA centers. NASA is under pressure to show Congress it's tightening security following a high-profile case of a Chinese spy and other cybersecurity breaches that have flown under the radar. NASA requested a review of its security procedures after spotting some red flags. Joe Thompson, project director of the National Academy of Public Administration, organized the review. He told Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp about the study. Read Federal News Radio's related article.
The Obama administration says discrimination is partly to blame for a pay gap between men and women. But Congressional Republicans are skeptical. They have balked at a bill to address pay inequality. In the meantime, President Barack Obama has signed an executive order for federal contractors. They will have to report to the Labor Department detailed salary information broken down by race and gender. They also won't be able to retaliate against employees who discuss salary. Trey Hodgkins, senior vice president for the public sector at the Information Technology Industry Council, told Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp how contractors are reacting to the executive order. Read Federal News Radio's related article.
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, NASA goes ahead with a visit to the International Space Station despite a dead computer, and OPM makes changes to the Combined Federal Campaign.
Janet Bodnar, editor of Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, discusses the cost of owning a pet and how to cut some of those costs as well as whether outlet malls are really a good deal.
Julie Perkins hosts a roundtable discussion of the hottest topics in the federal government. April 11, 2014
Sandy Smith, transition services manager for the Arlington Employment Center in Arlington Virginia, will discuss what her organization is doing to help veterans enter the civilian job market. April 11, 2014
Governmentwide expertise gets a big boost at the Federal Acquisition Service this week. Commissioner Tom Sharpe rolls out five tools the General Services Administration will offer through the Common Acquisition Platform. Federal News Radio Executive Editor takes a look at CAP Inside the Reporter's Notebook this week and he explains what category management will do.