Federal Drive

  • In today's Federal Newscast: OMB Director Shalanda Young warns that a continuing resolution could discontinue hiring. CQ Brown gets the green light to replace Mark Milley. And the GSA IG says the water in some federal buildings could give you Legionnaires’ disease.

    September 21, 2023
  • 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.

    September 20, 2023
  • 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.

    September 20, 2023
  • 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.

    September 20, 2023
  • 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.

    September 20, 2023
  • 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. 

    September 19, 2023
  • 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.

    September 19, 2023
  • 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. 

    September 19, 2023
  • 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.

    September 19, 2023
  • Luckily, most federal employees do not have contact with the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), which deals with, among other things, bad treatment by supervisors, whistleblower retaliation, and mistreated veterans. But when you need the OSC, you can have a powerful ally, which has been led for six years by Henry Kerner, who will be moving on soon, as his term up expires. Federal Drive Host Tom Temin talked to Henry Kerner.

    September 18, 2023
  • With government shutdown on everyone's mind, the Senate this week is trying to fashion a package of three bills. This as the House seems to be at war with itself. Well, one of the party's, at least. For a Capitol Hill update, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Loren Duggan, Bloomberg Government Deputy News Director.

    September 18, 2023
  • In today's Federal Newscast: Homeland Security advisers are calling for technology investments that support remote work. A congressional investigation continues into potential COVID-19 record-keeping violations at NIH. And the IRS is in search of accountants for high-paying jobs to ferret out tax cheats.

    September 18, 2023
  • Federal Drive Host Tom Temin's guest is a former federal chief information officer, who served in both political and non-political appointed positions. He has a thing or to say about government performance and delivering on programs. And he's published a book about it. Former IRS and Homeland Security CIO Richard Spires joins Tom Temin for this conversation.

    September 15, 2023
  • A venture capitalist-turned-professor and business manager outlines the case for a new approach to how a fast-moving sector of the economy can help the government.

    September 15, 2023