The Federal Drive
Top News
- OMB reworking financial systems to focus on outcomes, not inputs
- OMB taps VanRoekel to lead management team
- Lew taps government retiree pension fund to avoid default
- PHOTOS: Meet the 2013 Service to America Medal Finalists
- Hagel: Accountability breakdown was leading factor in sexual assaults
- Former IRS commissioner faces questions about Tea Party
- SBA starting new lending program for veterans
- New Apple devices cleared to join DoD IT networks
- Army prioritizes access to data in fight over intelligence IT system
- DoD upends slow approval process for mobile devices
- Senior execs' bonuses under fire at agencies
- Gould moves the needle on many of VA's toughest challenges
- Tuesday federal headlines - May 21, 2013
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.
TSP bounces back in November
After a dull October, funds in the Thrift Savings Plan bounced back in November with all funds posting modest gains for the month. The TSP's performance in November marks a return to a mostly strong year for feds' 401(k)-style retirement-savings plan after a bit of a backslide last month.
FDA pledges support for med tech initiative
The Food and Drug Administration said Monday it will collaborate with medical device manufacturers on a public-private partnership designed to speed up the development of new medical technology.
Federal Drive Interviews -- Dec. 3, 2012
Jim Bradley of the GPO talks about The Plum Book. Administrator John Pistole discusses new security measures at the Transportation Security Administration. Dr. Patricia Hayes wants female vets to know VA is the right place for their healthcare needs. The Potomac Institute's Mike Sweetnam says the government's hodgepodge approach to cybersecurity is no way to prepare for a cyberwar.
Monday morning federal headlines - Dec. 3, 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, the Department of Homeland Security has a new watch list and the Government Accountability Office is once again calling for dollar coins to replace dollar bills.
Senate unanimously passes Hatch Act update
On Friday, the Senate passed a bipartisan bill updating the Hatch Act, the law that restricts the political activities of federal employees.
Air Force role just 1 piece of DoD's cyber puzzle
Air Force senior leaders assigned themselves several tasks after a summit on cyberspace in mid-November. But the service's role in cyberspace also awaits forthcoming guidance from the military's top leadership on the future of U.S. Cyber Command.
Feds file discrimination complaint against Forest Service
Multiple current and former Forest Service employees say they've faced sexual harassment and physical assault while on the job, and some have lost their positions for speaking up. Now, they are fighting back by filing a class action EEOC complaint for unfair treatment. The Agriculture Department, the parent agency of the Forest Service, says it is tackling a history of discrimination with more training and accountability as part of a cultural transformation program.
Veterans' gun rights sticky issue in defense bill
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) sought to amend the bill to stop the Veterans Affairs Department from putting the names of veterans deemed too mentally incompetent to handle their finances into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which prohibits them from buying or owning firearms.
Trained Navy dolphins losing out to robots
Some dolphins used by the Navy to track down mines will soon lose their jobs to robots _ but they'll be reassigned, not retired.
IRS struggling to tackle massive surge in identity theft
Faced with declining resources, the Internal Revenue Service has diverted resources from elsewhere inside the agency to try and head off skyrocketing cases of identity theft stemming from tax refunds.
Obama defense pick could come sooner than expected
President Barack Obama could name his next defense secretary in December, far sooner than expected and perhaps in a high-powered package announcement with his choice for secretary of state.
GSA to phase out apps.gov portal
The agency cites its desire to streamline services as the reason to phase out the site. But industry experts say use of apps.gov has been minimal and there was no clear market for the portal. OMB launched the site in September 2009.
NSF facing gov't branding challenge in hiring reform
In a hiring pool where NSF has to compete with academia and high-profile companies for staff from the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields, branding is everything, particularly the brand name of NSF and the federal government.
Senate moves forward with plan to reduce DoD civilian workforce
The Senate moved forward with a plan to require the Defense Department to reduce its civilian workforce by 5 percent over the next five years, after a measure striking that provision was defeated in a vote Friday. Earlier this week, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) introduced an amendment to the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act, which would lift a mandated 5 percent reduction to DoD's civilian and contractor workforces over five years. But in a 53-41 vote, Cardin's amendment was defeated.
Federal Drive interviews - Nov. 30
Lt. Gen. Pete Osman, president and CEO of the Marines' Toys for Tots foundation, talks about this year's drive. NASA astronaut Sunita Williams has returned to Earth. The end to open season is around the corner.
Friday morning federal headlines - Nov. 30, 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.
Agencies making inroads with workforce, succession planning
IRS, DoD and Interior all are pursuing an assortment of initiatives to prepare for personnel reductions. DoD will release an updated workforce strategic plan by 2015. The IRS is using an online assessment tool to measure how ready employees are to move into leadership positions. Interior is getting managers to understand their important role in workforce planning.
Senate votes to require DHS clean audit by 2013
The Homeland Security Department would be required to conduct and pass a full financial audit under a bill unanimously approved by the Senate on Wednesday. The DART Act requires the agency, long characterized by the Government Accountability Office as being at high-risk for waste and abuse, to reach a clean audit opinion by 2013.
White House threatens to veto Senate Defense bill
The White House is threatening to veto the $631 billion annual Defense bill the Senate is debating this week unless Congress makes changes. The administration took issue with a number of provisions included in the 2013 National Defense Authorization Bill, which Senate leaders hope to vote on by the end of the week.
Senate gives green light to Pentagon green energy
The Senate on Wednesday gave the green light to the Pentagon's investment in green energy. By a vote of 62-37 on Wednesday, the Senate backed an amendment that would delete a provision in the defense bill prohibiting the military from spending money on alternative fuels if the cost exceeded traditional fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and oil. The Pentagon has opposed the provision that a sharply divided Senate Armed Services Committee added in May.
