The Federal Drive
Top News
- IRS to pay $70M in bonuses, Grassley says
- Small companies won't feel effect of lowered contractor pay cap
- Senators push Tangherlini for assurances GSA is improving
- As VA works to eliminate one backlog, one more might emerge
- BRAC-like commission proposed to hunt down government cost savings
- Sequestration claims another conference: DHS's GFirst cyber event
- Postal Service closing Capitol Hill post offices in 'symbolic' move
- Senators seek cost cuts for F-35 fighter jet
- Fed pens new furlough song
- Web guru Dorris brings new life to government websites
- EPA CIO Jackson returning to private sector
- Navy strikes enterprise licensing deal with Oracle
- Contractors with security clearances lack path to report problems
- NSA leak case gives vendors reason to reevaluate personnel
- 8 contract executives guilty of 8(a) contracting fraud
- Whistleblower suit leads to $12M false claims settlement by SAIC
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.
Thursday morning federal headlines - Jan. 17, 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, OPM Director John Berry has some tough words for federal managers reluctant to work with employee unions.
OPM: D.C. feds can take unscheduled leave, telework Thursday
Federal workers in the Washington D.C. region can take unscheduled leave or telework Thursday, the Office of Personnel Management announced. A Winter Storm Watch will remain in effect for the D.C. region through much of the day Thursday.
Pentagon issues dire warning to Congress about budget cuts
The nation's top military leaders warned Congress in unusually stark terms that its failure to pass a 2013 defense budget - coupled with the threat of automatic budget cuts - has pushed the Pentagon to the brink of a crisis.
AFGE vice president Bowman dies
Dwight Bowman, the national vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees' 14th district, died suddenly Wednesday morning, the union announced.
GI's motive barely admissible in WikiLeaks case
A military judge's ruling on Wednesday tightly limited an Army private's ability to argue he had good reasons for allegedly sending hundreds of thousands of classified documents to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks.
House bill blocks pay increase for feds
Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) introduced a bill that would block a 0.5 percent pay raise for federal workers slated to go into effect March 27. In an executive order issued late last month, President Barack Obama mandated a 0.5 percent pay increase.
Smithsonian to reopen 1 of Mall's oldest buildings
The Smithsonian Institution announced plans Wednesday to create an innovation pavilion with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in one of the oldest buildings on the National Mall.
Army unveils massive solar-powered energy system
The $16.8 million array includes nearly 15,500 sun-tracking solar panels spread across 42 acres. It will be capable of producing 10 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, enough to meet about 10 percent of the need of the missile range.
Begin saving cash now, Air Force tells commanders
The Air Force orders commanders to start cutbacks in advance of the next budget emergency.
Federal Drive Interviews -- Jan. 16, 2013
Cindy Auten of the Telework Exchange talks about a new report on BYOD. Robert Khuzami explains why he is stepping down as the SEC's enforcement director. Peter Schroeder of The Hill newspapers discusses the looming debt-ceiling showdown.
Salazar to step down as Interior secretary
Ken Salazar, a former Colorado senator and attorney general, handed in his resignation as secretary of the Interior to President Barack Obama, according to a department spokesman. Salazar joined the administration in 2009, when Obama assumed his office.
Wednesday morning federal headlines - Jan. 16, 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 Justice Department is considering joining a lawsuit against Lance Armstrong.
Ex-FEMA official pleads guilty in conflict case
The former director of human resources at the Federal Emergency Management Agency pleaded guilty Tuesday to negotiating a job for himself at the Gallup Organization while he was supervising Gallup's multimillion-dollar contract with FEMA.
Agencies tackle cloud, mobile, big data convergence
OMB and NIST are seeking help from industry and academia on how to integrate cloud computing and the large amount of information that is created from mobile computing. The goal is not just to know what data agencies have, but the value the data brings. With all this focus on cloud and big data integration, could agencies be on the hook for a new "big data" strategy?
House rejects agency budget cuts in Sandy relief bill
The House soundly rejected an amendment to the Superstorm Sandy aid bill that would have required an across-the-board 1.63 percent cut to agency spending to offset the emergency funding. Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) introduced the amendment last week along with a separate proposal to revoke a mass-transit subsidy for federal workers.
Schumer, Boxer to back Hagel for Pentagon's job
Chuck Hagel secured the backing of two of the staunchest pro-Israel Senate Democrats in a clear boost to the Republican's prospects of becoming President Barack Obama's next defense secretary.
USPS aims to boost revenue with special projects, but losses loom large
The cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service can't only cut its way to financial viability. In an increasingly digital world of declining mail volume, it also must find ways to increase revenue, the Government Accountability Office stated in a new report. Currently, USPS is pursuing 55 new initiatives designed to boost revenue.
Army cuts size, increases efficiency of its vehicle fleet
At the end of fiscal year 2012, the Army's vehicle fleet numbered around 70,800 vehicles, which is about 12,000 less than it had in 2009. As it cuts back on the number of overall vehicles it has, the Army is also assembling a greener, more environmentally friendly fleet.
Federal Drive Interviews -- Jan. 15, 2013
Kal Stein, president and CEO of EarthShare, talks about his company's new role as the manager of the Combined Federal Campaign of the National Capitol Area. Attorney John Mahoney weighs in on a recent ruling by the EEOC. Gen. Charles Wald of Deloitte talks about the ever-changing aerospace markets. Anne-Marie Fennell of GAO discusses Alaska Native Corporations. Ed Moscatelli discusses how the Army has eliminated 8,000 vehicles.
Tuesday morning federal headlines - Jan. 15, 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, lawmakers have until mid-February to raise the debt limit and the Postal Service's Board of Governors is directing the agency to speed up restructuring initiatives to cut costs.
