Federal Drive Interviews — Feb. 7, 2013

Self-service kiosks are everywhere these days at subway stations, at the grocery store and even your doctor’s office. But up until now, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has only offered automated services for a select group of pre-enrolled passengers. That’s all about to change. CBP is getting ready to roll out a kiosk that everyone can use.

Listen to the full interview today at 10 a.m., or download later at Agency of the Month.

The Pentagon plans to extend some benefits to gay service members’ same-sex partners. It could be one of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s last moves before retirement. He has shepherded the military through the end of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. But another law may present challenges to this latest move to treat gay service members equally. Allyson Robinson is executive director of Out Serve SLDN, an advocacy group for gay service members and their families.

Gary Barlet is the chief information officer for the Postal Service’s Office of the Inspector General. He tells executive editor Jason Miller about why the OIG’s office is focusing so heavily on smartphones and tablet devices.

Listen to the full interview today at 10:30 a.m.

Postal Service’s IG’s office proclaims 2013 as year of mobile

The administration’s top brass is trying to calm federal employees’ fears over potential furloughs. Or so it seems from a hastily-called meeting earlier this week. A group of federal union representatives was having a routine meeting, when they got a call. Office of Management and Budget Controller Danny Werfel and Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry were on the line. They wanted to talk about the across-the-board budget cuts that could come next month.

The General Services Administration is slowly adding to the list of companies approved to sell cloud computing to the federal government. Under it’s Fed-RAMP process, GSA has koshered two so far. Fed-RAMP makes sure companies are secure. That means agencies can hire them without further security testing. The latest to receive Fed-RAMP approval is CGI Federal.

No more letters on Saturdays starting in August. That’s how the Postal Service plans to save $2 billion a year. Some on Capitol Hill support the idea. But not Northern Virginia Congressman Gerry Connolly. He says the Postal Service doesn’t have the legal authority to cut service.

USPS employees to see less overtime, more buyouts under 5-day delivery plan (related story)