Don Kettl

  • While Republicans clinched the White House and both congressional chambers, government pundits say it's important that both political parties support the federal workforce and government, especially in the D.C. area.

    November 09, 2016
  • What might a Trump administration look like for federal managers? What would another Clinton in the Executive Office mean? Regardless of who wins the presidential election, by Nov. 9 the government workforce needs to be ready to go in any direction.

    October 17, 2016
  • Cross-agency collaboration will be key to a successful transition for the next presidential administration. That's one top-level finding from a series of workshops conducted by the National Academy of Public Administration. Don Kettl, professor of public policy at the University of Maryland and chairman of the NAPA collaboration panel joins Federal Drive with Tom Temin with the details.

    August 02, 2016
  • Like the bunny-boiling lover in Fatal Attraction, the threat of a government shutdown just won't stay away. Now it's back as the weekend looms. Congress is likely to pass another continuing resolution. But just in case, federal managers have had plenty of time to plan for a lapse in funding. Joining Federal Drive with Tom Temin with more is University of Maryland School of Public Policy professor Don Kettl.

    December 11, 2015
  • Beth Cobert has not testified before Congress since becoming acting director of OPM in July. From the data breaches to workforce issues, senators have plenty of material to draw upon.

    November 12, 2015
  • “Shutdown” is too coarse a word for what happens during a funding lapse. The government acts more as a patchwork. For employees, the challenge is knowing who will also be on the job.

    September 21, 2015
  • The 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is an opportunity to revisit some lessons learned after that storm. For example, more disasters are happening now than historically. Don Kettl, a professor of public policy at the University of Maryland, and two of his colleagues write about the six major lessons to learn from Katrina. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose that more people expect government help, when a natural disaster strikes.

    August 17, 2015
  • The Office of Personnel Management and its new acting director are in crisis mode right now as the agency responds to the largest breach of federal employee data in history. But among the many challenges Beth Cobert faces as she takes the helm at OPM is making sure the agency pays attention to its basic human capital management missions -- and doesn't get distracted by the emergency at hand. Don Kettl is a management expert at the Unversity of Maryland School of Public Policy. He tells In Depth guest host Jared Serbu that the data breach probably wasn't the fault of former OPM director Katherine Archuleta -- but her departure from the agency wasn't a surprise.

    July 14, 2015
  • Danny Werfel, the former acting IRS commissioner, sheds light on the challenges Beth Cobert, the new acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, will face leading an agency in trouble.

    July 13, 2015
  • The Internal Revenue Service has lost about 10 percent of its budget since 2010. The result of that -- according to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration -- is that the IRS can't collect as much tax money as it should be collecting. Don Kettl is a professor at University of Maryland's School of Public Policy. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose that tax collectors have been unpopular for a long time.

    July 07, 2015
  • As it does every two years at the start of a new Congress, the Government Accountability Office will release its "High Risk List" today. The list calls attention to agencies and programs GAO auditors believe are vulnerable to "fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement." Don Kettl, a professor at the University of Maryland's School for Public Policy, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with more on the guide, and what's different from the 2013 version.

    February 11, 2015
  • Tuesday marks the first day of the 114th Congress, which mostly serves as a day of ceremony for freshman members. But once the fanfare is over, experts on the Hill say Republicans and Democrats will get right back to settling some old scores left over from 2014.

    January 06, 2015
  • Today is the opening day of the 114th Congress. It's got a lot to consider, and a lot to accomplish. But what can federal employees expect from this new Washington? Especially with all the new faces joining the floor later this morning. Don Kettl, a professor at the University of Maryland's School of Public Policy, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with some analysis and predictions.

    January 06, 2015
  • After 50 years of stepping on its neck, now the United States is preparing to normalize relations with Cuba. President Barack Obama's wide-ranging diplomatic bet involves finance, trade, border security and travel. That means it will spark a lot of work for you, your employees and contractors. Don Kettl, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with more on the implications.

    December 19, 2014