Tom Temin

  • Computational chemistry may not be at your top concern, but in reality, it's a key to solving some of the world's biggest problems. It takes a massive amount of computing power, something not everyone has had access to until now. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is collaborating with Microsoft Corp. and Micron Technology to make computational chemistry broadly available to applied researchers and industrial users. For more, Federal News Network's Eric White spoke with the PNNL scientist leading the effort, Karol Kowalski.

    October 04, 2023
  • The continuing resolution, which lasts until November 17, takes a six-and-a-half week bite out of fiscal 2024's calendar. In a sense, it resets the countdown to a government shutdown, especially if House Republicans succeed in ousting Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which, in case you hadn't heard...happened. Contractors have been sorting out what it all means. For an update, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Stephanie Kostro, the Executive Vice president for Policy at the Professional Services Council.

    October 04, 2023
  • Recent analysis from the Congressional Budget Office found that on average, "enlisted personnel receive cash compensation that is higher than that received by about 90% percent of civilians of the same age and education.” So what's the best way to capitalize on that?

    October 03, 2023
  • We all saw the devastation from the wildfires in Maui. One federal agency that plays a big role in helping people get their lives back together is the Small Business Administration. SBA is currently in the process of giving out millions in Disaster Assistance loans for those impacted by the Maui wildfires. Federal Drive Executive Producer Eric White spoke to Francisco Sánchez Jr., the Associate Administrator in SBA's Office of Disaster Recovery & Resilience.

    October 03, 2023
  • In today's Federal Newscast: Half of America's federal wildland firefighters say they will quit if their temporary pay raise is not made permanent. The State Department has measurably picked up the pace for issuing passports. And a high-ranking DoD official has been charged with facilitating a dog-fighting ring.

    October 03, 2023
  • To the surprise of just about everybody, the Federal Government is fully functional this Monday, October 2, 2023. Some surprise last-minute votes in both the House and Senate on Saturday happened just in time to get a continuing resolution (CR)to the president’s desk – just hours before much of the government was set to run out of appropriations.

    October 02, 2023
  • The National Archives doesn’t hang on to every document the government generates – only the 5% or so that are deemed to have “continuing value”. But that’s still billions of pages of text, plus all kinds of other media, from maps to electronic records. There’s a new official in charge of figuring out how to preserve and present those records to the public.

    October 02, 2023
  • Every public institution needs an outside, independent look from time to time to make sure it's meeting its mission with integrity. But if you’re they biggest and most trusted government auditing organization in the country, who audits you? It turns out it is teams from other countries.

    October 02, 2023
  • In today's Federal Newscast: The National Archives has issued a new guidance to ensure agencies properly manage federal records created on so-called collaboration platforms. The VA expands its burial benefits to families transporting veterans remains to state or tribal veterans' cemeteries. And the Interior Department will no longer buy or sell single-use plastic products.

    October 02, 2023
  • A new contract awarded to Discseel® Technologies by the Veterans Affairs Department, tasks the company with training physicians to perform a new, non-surgical spine procedure - to all Department of Defense and V.A. hospitals in the United States and overseas. For more on what is called the Discseel procedure, Federal Drive Executive Producer spoke to its creator, Dr. Kevin Pauza, who is also Chief Medical Adviser and Director of Discseel® Technologies. 

    September 29, 2023
  • Recently, MITRE and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released the Open-Sourced Extension of MITRE's Caldera platform, specifically for operational technology. This is meant to be utilized by security teams to run automated adversary emulation exercises that are specifically focused on threats to operational technology.

    September 29, 2023
  • A recent audit by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), looked how the IRS deals with threats ad physical harm against IRS agents. Federal Drive Executive Producer Eric White spoke with Kent Sagara, who is the Acting Manager of TIGTA's Office of Inspections and Evaluations.

    September 29, 2023
  • In today's Federal Newscast: The Postal Regulatory Commission remains at full strength as it implements its 10-year reform plan. The Department of Homeland Security plans to develop a special hiring system for cybersecurity positions. And OPM has extended the effort to encourage the hiring of military spouses.

    September 29, 2023
  • Cynics see a federal government shutdown as a paid vacation for federal employees, at least those forced into furlough. For the most part, you can actually take paid, approved leave during a shutdown.

    September 28, 2023