Tom Temin

  • Theaters, opera halls and concert venues were all hit hard by the pandemic. People didn't want to gather in close quarters. To get a gauge on how and where people might be participating in the arts again, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) focused on that topic in its most recent five-year survey. For more on the methodology and how the results guide NEA activities, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin talked with the agency's director of research and analysis, Sunil Iyengar. 

    December 20, 2023
  • In today's Federal Newscast: Lt. Gen. Timothy Haugh has been nominated to be the next NSA director and commander of U.S. Cyber Command. Seven federal agencies are banding together to form the Biden Administration's "Climate Corps.” And it took three years, but the Navy finally has a new acquisition chief.

    December 20, 2023
  • An acting commissioner for the Federal Acquisition Services. Two governmentwide acquisition contracts to be awarded and a third launched. Dealing with the FBI relocation mess. The General Services Administration you might say, has a lot on its plate.

    December 19, 2023
  • In today's Federal Newscast: Martin O'Malley turned 60 this year; now he gets to run the Social Security Administration. The Defense Department IG is warning that systemic problems with military health care could be leading to opioids being overprescribed. And one of the Energy Department’s major labs is creating a new hub for artificial intelligence research.

    December 19, 2023
  • The National Defense Authorization Act, which Congress finished just days ago, moves the marker on several matters peripherally connected to the armed forces. Covington and Burling attorneys Alex Hastings and Michelle Pearce dropped by the Federal News Network studios in Chevy Chase, Maryland to talk with the Federal Drive with Tom Temin. 

    December 19, 2023
  • They somehow cobbled together two consecutive continuing resolutions. Now members of Congress aren't sure what will happen when the current one expires. At least one Democrat in leadership predicts a shutdown next month.

    December 18, 2023
  • The Biden administration's executive order on cybersecurity from three years ago alerted the uninitiated to the existence of software bills of material (SBOMs). The idea is, knowing all of the elements that make up a software package can help buyers better understand their cybersecurity holes. But can the SBOM also give hackers the blueprint they need. For analysis, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin talked with Endor Labs adviser and former federal cybersecurity manager Chris Hughes. 

    December 18, 2023
  • More organizations worried about cybersecurity are turning to software bills of material (SBOMS). Getting them from software suppliers as a matter of compliance is one thing. Gaining cybersecurity intelligence from them is another.

    December 18, 2023
  • In today's Federal Newscast: Army and Air Force Exchange Service employees in Germany vote to join AFGE. A company that makes bug-repellent combat uniforms is stung with charges from the Justice Department. And HHS has developed a suite of tools other agencies can use to improve grant management.

    December 18, 2023
  • More than a million military service members participate in the so-called blended retirement system. It lets them make TSP-style savings contributions that are portable. The funds go with them when they leave the military. But there is more to financial readiness, something to think about in a high-spending season.

    December 15, 2023
  • In today's Federal Newscast: Service members will see basic allowance for housing rates increase by an average of 5.4% starting January 1. Senate Republicans say they smell a rat in the case of the missing OPM use-of-official-time webpage. And a bipartisan bill in Congress aims to increase the salary of VA radiation specialists from an annual $195K to $280K.

    December 15, 2023
  • The war in Ukraine, and to some extent Israel, have drained away U.S. weapons and ammunition stockpiles. Numerous studies have cited a shortage of shells, missiles and launch platforms, as well as whether the industrial supply chain and the military's own organic supply chain have the capacity to sustain the demand. For one informed view, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin talked with Al Abramson, the Vice President of Strategic Engagement with the National Armaments Consortium and a retired U.S. Army brigadier general. 

    December 14, 2023
  • With the markets going stong, more TSP millionaires emerge. Here's how you can join their ranks.

    December 14, 2023
  • Even in today's inflationary times, the word millionaire has a certain cachet. With a little self discipline and the power of compound interest, millionaire status is available to federal employees who make wise use of the Thrift Savings Plan.

    December 14, 2023