The Federal Drive
Top News
- Contractors with security clearances lack path to report problems
- Proposed commission would give teeth to cost-saving ideas but some lawmakers skeptical
- Feds outside the Beltway react to furloughs
- Contracting executives guilty of 8(a) program fraud
- EPA CIO Jackson returning to private sector
- Navy strikes enterprise licensing deal with Oracle
- 29-year-old NASA engineer going where no one has gone before
- USPS reaches energy reduction goal ahead of schedule
- NOAA meteorologist helps save lives one storm at a time
- ICE Director John Morton stepping down
- NASA picks 8 new astronauts, 4 of them women
- House passes sweeping $638 billion defense bill
- NIH tops list of best companies for baby boomers
- Latest postal reform proposal OKs 5-day delivery
- IRS official contradicts claims about reviews
- House presses VA for more details after cyber attacks
- DoD maintains BRAC fight, despite opposition
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.
Federal Drive Interviews -- Dec. 13, 2012
Pamela Wright talks about innovation and paper records at NARA. Max Stier of the Partnership for Public Service elaborates about the best federal agencies to work based on the nonprofit group's survey. A retired federal couple, one is on FERS and the other on CSRS, tell how they make it work.
Thursday morning federal headlines - Dec. 13, 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, Partnership for Public Service has released a survey of where you can or can't find the happiest federal workers and DHS has been given a deadline for a clean audit.
'Best Place to Work?' -- Not so much
The Partnership for Public Service and Deloitte released the 2012 Best Places to Work in Federal Government rankings today. While some agencies improved their employee satisfaction rankings, the majority did not, resulting in the greatest overall change -- a 3.2 point drop -- since the rankings began.
Sequestration worse than thought, Pentagon frets
As planning begins for sequestration, the military may have to cut billions more than previously imagined. DoD, like all agencies, is waiting for instruction from the OMB on how to reduce their budget.
In deficit talks, fed groups fear alternatives could cut benefits
Many in government are worried about the threat of sequestration, the across-the-board budget cuts set to take effect in January unless Congress and the White come up with an alternative deficit-cutting plan. But federal employee groups and sympathetic lawmakers are also concerned about such alternatives -- if they contain changes to federal employee pay or compensation. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and a slate of federal-employee unions and groups are warning of such proposals in the deficit talks to replace sequestration.
25 years later, FERS still 'excellent' plan for feds
Arthur Stein, a financial planner and former federal manager, told The Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Emily Kopp Wednesday that FERS has been a boon for feds, both young and old.
Federal Drive Interviews -- Dec. 12, 2012
Dr. A. Hunter Fanney talks about a house the NIST Engineering Lab is using to study green technologies. Dr. Cheryl Martin discusses the Energy Department's recent round of grants to foster new technology. Financial Planner Arthur Stein discusses the impact of FERS over the last 25 years. Pete Kasperowicz of The Hill newspapers reviews upcoming legislation on Capitol Hill.
Wednesday morning federal headlines - Dec. 12, 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, Maryland is receiving money for road improvements near Walter Reed Medical Center and the Agriculture Department has eased its nutritional rules for school lunches.
TSA's playbook keeps terrorists guessing
The agency developed a playbook to help officials keep their processes and procedures unpredictable. Deputy Administrator John Halinski said TSA is using a risk-management approach to protecting transportation systems. GAO said DHS as a whole is doing a better job using risk to make decisions.
What federal applicants should know about polygraph tests
More and more Americans reported last year to having to submit to a polygraph examination in the quest of a coveted security clearance for federal employment or to keep a federal job. But unless you are like George Washington and you "cannot tell a lie" about cutting down the cherry tree, this controversial method could leave you rattled and unaware that you might have incriminated yourself during the process.
Agencies turn to social media to engage public in an emergency
During Hurricane Sandy, agencies like FEMA and NOAA used various social media platforms to communicate with the public. They were able to dispel rumors and follow the situation on the ground as it unfolded.
Survey: Limits on MSPB resources affect employee productivity
A closer look at the results of the Merit Systems Protection Board's 2012 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) reveals that the limits of the agency's resources are having a negative effect on it employee's ability to do their jobs.
Federal Drive Interviews -- Dec. 11, 2012
Todd Harrison of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment talks about possible defense cuts due to sequestration. Attorney Bill Bransford discusses the legal ramifications of lie detectors. Social media expert Justin Herman of the GSA explains how social media is being used in the aftermath of emergencies. John Palguta of the Partnership for Public Service ponders what may be in store for feds in 2013. Paul Verkuil explains what the Administrative Conference of the United States has been up to.
Tuesday morning federal headlines - Dec. 11, 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, 23,000 postal workers are taking advantage of early-out incentives offered by the Postal Service, and the Government Printing Office received a seal of approval for environmental friendliness.
Senators press Army on suspension and debarment delays
A bipartisan group of senators has written to top Army officials to express concern about delays in the suspension and debarment process that leave the service open to contracting waste and fraud. In a letter to Army Secretary John McHugh and Chief of Staff Raymond Odierno, the senators questioned "significant time lapses" between referrals for suspension and actual debarment of contractors in Afghanistan.
Navy SEAL killed in rescue was from Pennsylvania
A Navy SEAL killed during a weekend rescue mission in Afghanistan was identified by the Pentagon on Monday as Petty Officer 1st Class Nicolas D. Checque of Monroeville, Pa.
Supreme Court ruling allows feds to appeal some discrimination cases in district court
The Supreme Court ruled Monday that federal employees can appeal decisions of the Merit Systems Protection Board stemming from discrimination-related complaints in federal district court. The ruling follows earlier lower court decisions that required employee appeals to go solely through the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The justices' decision applies to federal employees filing "mixed cases" — complaints involving both allegations of wrongful termination and job discrimination — under the Civil Service Reform Act.
Federal Drive Interviews -- Dec. 10, 2012
Paul Firman, instructor and program director at The Air Force Culture and Language Center, discusses AFCLC's latest pocket guidebook. Nela Richardson, senior economic analyst for Bloomberg Government, talks about a new report on mortgage giants Fannie May and Freddie Mac.
Navy Cyber Forces command to move to Suffolk
Navy Cyber Forces will begin moving from Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia Beach to the former Joint Forces Command headquarters in Suffolk in August.
Monday morning federal headlines - Dec. 10, 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, a the Federal Housing Finance Agency reports the salaries of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac executives and the White House puts a price tag on Hurricane Sandy relief.
