Federal Drive with Tom Temin

The Data Coalition is rolling out recommendations to the Biden and Trump campaigns to improve the government’s data infrastructure. The group urges the next administration to invest money in the Federal Data Strategy, and to stand up a National Secure Data Service responsible for enabling better data-sharing among agencies. For details, Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman spoke with the Data Coalition’s CEO, Nick Hart. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The National Institute of Standards and Technology recently awarded more than $4 million in grants to 19 small businesses. The money, from the Small Business Innovation Research Program, is designed to spur artificial intelligence innovation. The Associate Director for Innovation and Industry Services at NIST, Mojdeh Bahar, had more information on Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everybody talks about the problem of workplace sexual harassment. But hard facts about its extent and frequency are difficult to find. That makes estimating the costs of harassment problematic. The Government Accountability Office has found few reliable estimates. For more, Federal Drive with Tom Temin turned to the GAO's managing director for education, workforce and income security issues, Cindy Brown Barnes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you went to the average contemporary farm, you'd be hard pressed to fine a hoe or a rake. But you would find information systems, GPS, and artificial intelligence driving operations. As part of its Agriculture Innovation Agenda, the Agriculture Department is looking for technologies and practices that can help U.S. farm productivity increase by 40%. The request for information is open for another two weeks. USDA's Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Bill Northey had an update on Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Army Futures Command is in charge of modernizing the Army. That includes making sure the workforce has the resources it needs. The command is providing educational opportunities at all levels so Army people understand and work with artificial intelligence. For how it all can work, Federal News Network’s Scott Maucione spoke with Doug Matty, director of AI capabilities at the Army’s AI Task Force, on Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The news about that new Schedule F executive order will not stop. The National Treasury Employees Union is suing the Trump administration over the order. And three prominent House Democrats introduced new legislation to try to block it. This all comes a day after the chairman of an influential if little-known advisory council resigned in protest over the Schedule F executive order. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to explain what all is going on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A bipartisan bill in the Senate would make the National Guard cybersecurity mission more available to state and local governments. Especially as the threat to critical infrastructure. Federal News Network's Scott Maucione describes the bill in more detail in his latest DOD Reporter's notebook, and he joined the Federal Drive to discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No less than the Congressionally-chartered Cyberspace Solarium Commission has come out with a new set of recommendations. Some of them would make the ban on Chinese telecommunications gear just the beginning. Joining the Federal Drive with his take, federal sales and marketing consultant Larry Allen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hardly a day of zoom conferences goes buy without someone talking about supply chain security. But the government supply chain is ultimately also the supply chain of industry. The next guest on the Federal Drive says the danger there is a hollowing out of the supply chain because of lean purchasing management practices. She's Deloitte's managing director for government supply chain and network operations, Melanie Rojas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The IRS this year has been blessed, or maybe it's cursed, to live in interesting times. Delayed filings. Getting millions of checks out under the pandemic stimulus Cares Act. Having nearly all of its employees telework. So how'd it do? For one look at IRS challenges, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin turned to the associate Treasury inspector general for tax administration, Russ Martin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maylin Jue, the Labor Department’s enterprisewide shared services program manager, said by consolidating human resources, personnel security, technology and procurement functions across the department, employees will receive better, faster and cheaper services. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Something or other is going to happen on stimulus relief, but not before the full Senate vote on the Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. Closer to home, some members of Congress are starting to make noise about the president's infamous order, creating that new civil service schedule that pushes career employees to political. For more details, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin spoke to WTOP's Capitol Hill correspondent, Mitchell Miller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Like the other military services, the Coast Guard often singles out members who have made outstanding contributions. Sometimes they showcase people receiving recognition from outside organizations. A case in point is my next guest. She has received the Meritorious Service Award for the Coast Guard from Blacks in Government, or BIG. Lt. Tanesha Green-Baker joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The American Federation of Government Employees has no end of complaints about the Veterans Affairs Department. Its contract bargaining has floundered. VA even charges it for office space, while slashing official time. Now the union has obtained documents it says prove systemic racism at VA. They show white employees are twice as likely to be promoted as black employees. Here with more, the president of AFGE local 2338 in Poplar Bluff, Missouri Kevin Ellis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Pentagon’s Space Development Agency is only about a year and a half old. But on Friday, the agency awarded a contract that’ll go a long way toward fulfilling one of its main missions: building a new architecture of low-earth orbit satellites. They'll detect military threats and move data to and from the battlefield. The $18 million task order for mission systems engineering and integration went to Perspecta. Ryan Frigm is deputy director of the Space Development Agency. He talked with Jared Serbu about what the contract means for the initial tranche of the new space architecture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices