Monday - Friday, 6-10 a.m.

Hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp bring you the latest news affecting the federal community each weekday morning. Be up-to-date before you step in the office.

Contractors can expect uncertain, difficult times ahead, expert says

Michael Tinsley, CEO of NeoSystems Corp., tells The Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Emily Kopp, there's little contractors can do to influence agencies facing impending sequestration beyond maintaining good communications and weathering the storm.

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Federal Drive Interviews -- Feb. 5, 2013

Robert Litan discusses a Bloomberg Government study about rule-making in the Obama administration. Michael Tinsley, CEO of NeoSystems Corp., offers insight on how furloughs might affect federal contractors. Procurement attorney Joe Petrillo weighs in on a a 2012 Supreme Court case that could come back to bite federal agencies facing budget cuts under sequestration. Gregory Wilshusen discusses a new GAO report on how prepared agencies are to fend of online assaults. John Palguta of the Partnership for Public Service talks about sequestration and the threat of furloughs.

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Army seeks better mental health coordination

Army leadership is looking to improve coordination among its mental health programs and other soldier-resilience efforts, acknowledging Monday that a patchwork system of tools is often confusing for both commanders and soldiers.

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Tuesday morning federal headlines - Feb. 5, 2013

The Morning Federal Newscast is a daily compilation of the stories you hear Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp discuss throughout the show each day. The Newscast is designed to give FederalNewsRadio.com users more information about the stories you hear on the air. In today's news, the IRS is telling tax return prepares to obtain ID numbers and GSA has doubled the number of companies certified to sell medium-security cloud computing services to agencies.

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Senate passes bill to improve embassy security

By voice vote, the Senate passed the bipartisan measure that would give the department the authority to use surplus funds that are no longer needed in Iraq, where the United States has scaled back operations. The bill now goes to the House.

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More diversity likely in next Obama job selections

President Obama is said to be looking at diverse candidates for top slots at the departments of Commerce, Labor and Interior, and for his own White House budget office.

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OMB offers first major rewrite of grant-making, oversight processes

New proposed guidance from the Office of Management and Budget would streamline and consolidate grant regulations for every agency. Comments on the recommendations are due May 2.

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Federal Drive Interviews -- Feb. 4, 2013

Terry Weaver, president of Weaver Consulting, discusses an overhauled version of Section 508 regulations. Jamison Cush, chief editor of TechTarget's Technology Guide, talks about the new BlackBerry Z-10. Tom Lee, director of Sunlight Labs, explains what's behind "Docket Wrench," a new tool to make it easier to track actions related to proposed rules.

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Monday morning federal headlines - Feb. 4, 2013

The Morning Federal Newscast is a daily compilation of the stories you hear Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp discuss throughout the show each day. The Newscast is designed to give FederalNewsRadio.com users more information about the stories you hear on the air. In today's news, the federal government shed 5,000 jobs last month.

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Obama to campaign for gun proposals in Minnesota

The fate of his gun proposals on Capitol Hill uncertain, President Barack Obama is seeking to rally support from the public and law enforcement community for his calls to ban assault weapons and install universal background checks for gun buyers.

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By year's end, troops will be unable to respond to crises, Pentagon says

Shortfalls in operating accounts would mean military units would be undertrained, underequipped and unable to deploy by the end of fiscal 2013, senior DoD officials predict.

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John Kerry to address colleagues at State Dept.

New Secretary of State John Kerry will be introducing himself to his agency's employees Monday after spending much of the weekend making connections with leaders around the world.

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Obama seeks closed loopholes, 'smart' reductions

President Barack Obama says the U.S can reduce its budget deficit by closing tax loopholes and making "smart" reductions in spending.

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Another GOP senator backs Hagel for defense post

A second Republican senator says he will back former Sen. Chuck Hagel as the next Pentagon chief.

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LA mayor shoots down rumors of Cabinet position

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is putting an end to rumors that he's up for a Cabinet position in the Obama administration.

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Secret Service chief to step down this month

Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan announced his retirement Friday, bringing to a close a turbulent period for the law enforcement agency that included a South American prostitution scandal and a pair of White House gate-crashers.

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Marine survey lists concerns on women in combat

Male Marines listed being falsely accused of sexual harassment or assault as a top concern in a survey about moving women into combat jobs, and thousands indicated the change could prompt them to leave the service altogether.

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Clinton out, Kerry in as secretary of state

Hillary Rodham Clinton formally resigned Friday as America's secretary of state, capping a four-year tenure that saw her shatter records for the number of countries visited. John Kerry was sworn in to replace her.

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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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Shriek! Texts on missing kids startle cell users

The next time a child is abducted near you, your cellphone may shriek to life with an alert message.

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