The Federal Drive
Top News
- IRS to pay $70M in bonuses, Grassley says
- Senators push Tangherlini for assurances GSA is improving
- As VA works to eliminate one backlog, one more might emerge
- Furlough song: Laugh or you'll cry
- Senators seek cost cuts for F-35 fighter jet
- GAO: Smooth launch unsure for health law
- GSA's Dorris builds online gateway to government services
- 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
- Does security clearance process need a makeover?
- 8 contract executives guilty of 8(a) contracting fraud
- Whistleblower suit leads to $12M false claims settlement by SAIC
- USPS reaches energy reduction goal ahead of schedule
- House passes sweeping $638 billion defense bill
- NASA picks 8 new astronauts, 4 of them women
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 federal headlines - Dec. 27, 2012
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, Veterans Affairs is cutting red tape for vets applying for benefits.
OPM better defines leadership development roadmap
The agency issued the Federal Supervisory Training Framework that details three levels of competencies for new or existing managers. The guidance is one of several initiatives OPM put forward over the past few years to improve employee leadership skills.
Federal Drive Interviews -- Dec. 26, 2012
Tom Devine from the Government Accountability Project tells us how the new whistleblower law will protect you. Policy expert Don Kettl gives us his federal predictions for 2013, and The Hill Newspaper brings us the latest on the looming sequestration deadline.
Double-digit increase in reported sexual assaults at military academies
Reports of unwanted sexual contact increased sharply in the past academic year. The Pentagon believes the spike shows more reporting, not more crimes.
Iran media report new cyberattack by Stuxnet worm
An Iranian semi-official news agency says there has been another cyberattack by the sophisticated computer worm Stuxnet, this time on the industries in the country's south.
Grassroots group trying to improve employee morale at HUD
The Department of Housing and Urban Development ranked at only number 20 this year on The Best Places to Work in the Federal Government survey by the Partnership for Public Service. However, a budding grassroots group of agency employees called the Under 5 Group seeks to improve its agency's morale, inch up those rankings and find ways to keep their newest hires aboard and not from wanting to jump ship.
Panetta: Complete background checks by Jan. 21
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is giving the Defense Department and the military services until Jan. 21 to review the backgrounds of all employees who have contact with children in department programs and to report back in writing.
Federal Drive Interviews -- Dec. 21, 2012
NORAD fills us in on how it's tracking Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. David Berteau of the Center for Strategic and International studies reviews the State Department's rough week. Ed Hardy of Brighthand.com talks about a good move by the maker of BlackBerry. Dr. Jacques Gansler of the University of Maryland discusses the acquisition challenges the government will be facing in the coming years.
Feds given the day off on Christmas Eve
Federal employees got the news they were waiting for today. The White House announced they'll be given the day off on Monday, Dec. 24, giving them a four-day weekend many had been hoping for.
Friday morning federal headlines - Dec. 21, 2012
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, Veterans Affairs is cutting red tape for vets applying for benefits.
Cliff poses tiny dollar gap, wide political ravine
When it comes to resolving their "fiscal cliff" impasse, the dollar gap between President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner is tiny in federal terms. That masks a monumental political ravine the two men must try to bridge, with most of the burden on the now-beleaguered Boehner.
Pentagon greenlights Army's cloud-based intelligence system
A decade in the making, the Army gets the nod to start deploying a multi-billion dollar computing infrastructure to support intelligence work.
GSA challenges real estate developers with a 'once-in-a-several-lifetimes' opportunity
The General Services Administration issued two requests for information earlier this month to redevelop the FBI headquarters building and the area of Washington known as Federal Triangle South. Acting Administrator Dan Tangherlini said he's willing to entertain any and all ideas for saving the government money, making the buildings more efficient and helping to transform the neighborhoods.
House OKs federal pension hike as part of fiscal-cliff alternative
The House approved a bill Thursday requiring federal employees to contribute more toward their retirement as part of a broader deal to avert the the so-called fiscal cliff. The 2012 Spending Reduction Act is nearly identical to a measure passed by the House last spring.
Lawmakers, State officials tangle over Libya raid
The State Department on Thursday acknowledged major weaknesses in security and errors in judgment exposed in a scathing independent report on the deadly Sept. 11 assault on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya. Two top State officials appealed to Congress to fully fund requests to ensure diplomats and embassies are safe.
Panetta: Layoffs unlikely over 'fiscal cliff'
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is assuring Pentagon workers they will not face layoffs immediately if the government cannot avert the year-end federal tax increases and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff."
OMB offers agencies sequestration guidance as deadline looms
The Obama administration offered agencies new guidance on sequestration, telling agency leaders and federal-employee unions that sequestration won't have an immediate impact on the federal workforce or government operations even if the automatic budget cuts go into effect Jan. 2.
New FAR rule would permanently require prompt payments to small subs
The Federal Acquisition Regulations Council's proposal would implement part of a July 2012 memo from the Office of Management and Budget. The memo directed agencies to take specific steps to ensure accelerated payments to small businesses.
Colleges seeking DoD tuition money face new requirements
Beginning next year, public and private schools will have to sign up to protections for service members in order to receive DoD tuition assistance funds.
US Mint testing new metals to make coins cheaper
When it comes to making coins, the Mint isn't getting its two cents worth. In some cases, it doesn't even get half of that.
