In today's Federal Newscast: Two congressmen are raising concerns about child care for essential workers during a government shutdown. D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton has introduced a bill to keep the D.C. court system open during a government shutdown. And a conference committee prepares to hammer out differences over the annual defense authorization bill.
The CARES Act, enacted during the pandemic, let the government reimburse contractors for employees on paid leave: Those who could not access federal work sites or work remotely. One company took the money, then later faced a demand from the Navy for a $4 million reimbursement. It gets ugly. For more, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Haynes Boone partner Zach Prince.
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has a difficult mission. It must constantly assess the condition of the nation's nuclear warheads. Explosive testing has been banned under international treaties for decades. It's been spending billions on new instruments deep underground. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that the NNSA needs to tighten up its program management. For more, Tom Temin spoke with the GAO's Director of Natural Resources and Environment, Allison Bawden.
Dozens of Drug Enforcement Administration agents are on the job without having taken a mandatory polygraph examination or, in some cases, they failed the test. This, according to a look-see by the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General. For more, and what's happened since this discovery, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Inspector General Michael Horowitz.
Managed care. It's a substantial part of the gigantic Medicare program. The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services figures half of Medicare enrollees gets health care from the Medicare Advantage program. In the words of the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the growth of managed care has transformed how the government pays for and covers health care. This for 100 million people. That's why the IG has made managed care a top priority. For more on its new strategic plan, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with the Senior Adviser for Managed Care in the OIG's Office of Audit Services, Carolyn Kapustij.
With continuing resolution discussions seeming to nowhere, the chances of a government shutdown are rising. Contractors and federal employees will feel it first. For more, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with David Berteau, President & CEO of the Professional Services Council, who has developed a contractor checklist that might help you.
The Build Back Better Act, passed nearly two years ago, secured over $2 trillion for many aspects of the Biden Administration's agenda, one of which includes infrastructure projects for state and local governments. But accessing grant money isn't as simple as sending a Venmo request. There's a lot that goes into showing exactly how and what the money would be used for, a process not many know how to navigate. To help, members of Congress have introduced a bill tasking the Economic Development Administration to make itself available to aide local governments in predevelopment procedures. One of those congressmen is Louisiana's Troy Carter, who spoke with Federal Drive Executive Producer Eric White about the Economic Empowerment Through Predevelopment Act.
In today's Federal Newscast: After three crashes, two of them deadly, the Marines halt aviation for two days. A DHS threat assessment warns of "likely" cyber-attacks on America's 2024 elections. And GAO has given its employees several hybrid and remote work options.