Monday - Friday, 3-7 p.m.

Francis Rose keeps you updated on all the federal news happening during your workday. Don't leave the office without seeing what's on the show.

CIO priorities zero in on cloud, cyber as budget uncertainty looms

Federal chief information officers remain concerned with securing their agencies' networks and systems. Cybersecurity ranked first in a list of CIOs priorities in an exclusive survey conducted by Federal News Radio. Also among CIOs' top priorities were moving back-office or commodity IT systems to the cloud and using IT to ease the budget pressures facing agencies. Roger Baker, assistant secretary for information and technology and chief information officer of the Veterans Affairs Department discussed the survey results on In Depth with Francis Rose.

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Energy Secretary Chu to step down

Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who won a Nobel Prize in physics but came under questioning for his handling of a solar energy loan, is stepping down.

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THE RESET: Gov't slowing economic and job growth

President Barack Obama declared last June that "the private sector is doing fine." And President Ronald Reagan liked to tell audiences, "Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem." Two major economic reports this week seem to lend some new weight to both provocative assertions.

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In Depth interviews - Jan. 31

On the In Depth show blog, you can listen to the interviews, find more information about the guests on the show each day and links to additional resources.

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New SBA union contract emphasizes flexible work policies

The Small Business Administration and the American Federation of Government Employees inked a new three-year deal Thursday, extending a number of flexible workplace policies to more than 2,000 federal employees. Among the new benefits are streamlined telework privileges and the ability for employees to opt in to a four-day work-week with expanded hours each day.

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Congress sends bill to Obama averting govt default

Congress sent President Barack Obama drama-free legislation on Thursday raising the debt ceiling, averting a government default and putting off the next tax-and-spending clash between the White House and Republicans until later in the year.

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DoD slow to codify some interagency contracting standards

Despite a big policy push from the administration, some agencies have lagged in implementing guidance dealing with interagency contracting, according to a recent report from the Government Accountability Office. Still, GAO said the creation of a policy framework by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy had gone a long way toward ameliorating some of the issues that landed interagency contracting on the watchdog agency's high-risk list eight years ago, such as duplication and unclear lines of authority between agencies.

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OMB lays out 11 goals to give Section 508 some punch

Steven VanRoekel, the federal chief information officer, and Office of Federal Procurement Policy Administrator Joe Jordan issued a memo detailing a new strategic plan after a recent Justice Department compliance survey found mixed results. This is the fourth memo since 2005 from the Office of Management and Budget trying to get agencies to meet the law's requirements. David Capozzi, executive director of the Access Board, said new 508 regulations could be to OMB for approval this spring.

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Joint Chiefs: Looming cuts would 'hollow' military

The military's top leaders are warning Congress that automatic spending cuts looming in March would force the Pentagon to slash operating budgets, weakening the armed forces and possibly forcing furloughs of 800,000 civilian employees.

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In Depth interviews - Jan. 30

On the In Depth show blog, you can listen to the interviews, find more information about the guests on the show each day and links to additional resources.

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Employees skeptical of managers' ability to cut deadwood

Federal employees are skeptical their managers are making effective decisions about the federal workforce, according to a new report from the Merit Systems Protection Board. Just 24 percent of the employees agreed that their agencies properly addressed poor performers, while 29 percent of respondents indicated their organizations eliminated unnecessary programs and positions, according to the survey of 42,000 feds from 24 agencies and departments.

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NASA CIO Cureton to retire in April

Linda Cureton has decided to leave government service after 30 years, including the last four as the space agency's chief information officer.

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White House petitions: Huge response, headache too

As the Obama administration kicks off its second term, it's upping the threshold for responding to Americans' petitions from 25,000 signatures to 100,000, a reminder that government by the people can sometimes have unintended consequences. In this case, a wildly popular transparency initiative has spawned a headache of the administration's own making.

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HR shuffle changes how agencies work with OPM

The Office of Personnel Management is revamping its human-resources policy shop to provide more innovative solutions to the White House's workforce priorities. The newly created Center for Strategic Workforce Planning will focus on fostering innovation in federal workforce policies and plotting future HR trends. In addition, OPM's human capital officers (HCOs), which previously acted as OPM ambassadors to individual agencies, will instead serve as "HR strategists" to staff the new center and work on pilot projects in priority areas.

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In Depth interviews - Jan. 29

On the In Depth show blog, you can listen to the interviews, find more information about the guests on the show each day and links to additional resources.

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DoD's plans to boost cyber workforce could hit hiring, training snags

The Defense Department plans to boost the ranks of cybersecurity professionals, increasing cyber staff at U.S. Cyber Command by more than five times to some 4,900 employees. But DoD's plan is daunting in more ways than one. The job qualifications and skills needed for the kinds of positions the Pentagon wants are rare and often require years of training and hands-on experience. And even if DoD looks outside the confines of the Pentagon to fill these roles, it's not entirely clear where the new cyber pros would come from.

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Senate confirms Kerry nomination for State Dept.

The Senate overwhelmingly confirmed President Barack Obama's choice of five-term Sen. John Kerry to be secretary of state, with Republicans and Democrats praising him as the ideal successor to Hillary Rodham Clinton.

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LaHood departure leaves another vacancy in Cabinet

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who lifted the profile of distracted driving as a national safety concern, is stepping down, presenting President Barack Obama with another Cabinet vacancy at the start of his second term.

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In Depth interviews - Jan. 28

On the In Depth show blog, you can listen to the interviews, find more information about the guests on the show each day and links to additional resources.

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USDA work-life office promotes telework, other flexible programs

Mika Cross, the work/life and wellness program manager at the Agriculture Department, In Depth with Francis Rose for a far-reaching discussion flexible and supportive workplace programs, such as telework.

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