Federal Drive with Tom Temin

For most of us, the worst thing that can come from a power outage is a bit of inconvenience. For people who depend on medical devices like ventilators, the consequences can be life-or-death. The Department of Health and Human Services has spent the last several years building a database of those people so that first responders can find and help them quickly in the event of an outage. Kristen Finne is the manager of the program, called emPOWER. She’s also a finalist in this year's Service to America Medals program. She talked about her work, including how it’s helping people impacted by this week’s major outages in northern California, with Federal News Network’s Jared Serbu on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

The federal government earned a 69 out of 100 on the American Customer Satisfaction Index last year. The public in general doesn't have such a positive view of government and the services it provides as a whole. But the Partnership for Public Service and Accenture Federal Services say that might not be the whole story. Agencies are finding some success as they develop customer experience programs. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko explains how they're doing it.

As the the military sorts out its strategy for managing its space assets, one thing has become clear. Satellites and satellite communications are vulnerable. Adversaries are devising ways to jam GPS or hack into satellites. Retired Army reserve colonel Lawrence Sellin, who has expertise in IT command and control joined us to discuss why he feels the the U.S. must pursue a more focused and organized approach to protecting space assets.

The military is making a big push to make its data more usable, standardized and operational so it can be used for advanced technologies like artificial intelligence. In the next three months the Navy will come out with a handful of policies to help make that happen. The policies will build broader Defense Department guidance to make data work for the Navy’s purposes. Federal News Network’s Scott Maucione talked with Thomas Sasala the Navy's chief data officer, about what’s coming down the pike.

Retiring from a federal job doesn't have to mean your commitment to the mission has to end. A case in point is Dr. Rebecca Porter. She spent nearly 30 years in civilian service to the Army, dealing with the physical and mental health of soldiers and their families. Now she's the new president and CEO of the Military Child Education Coalition. She joined us to discuss her experience and current mission.

In the new near-peer competition, Defense Department planners feel they need to take more investment risks. But they're using taxpayer funds. And they want bring in more small business innovation. Federal News Network’s Scott Maucione talked with James Geurts, assistant Navy secretary for research, development and acquisition, about the Navy’s use of small business innovative research or SBIR. Hear more on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

When it comes to hiring the talent they need, federal agencies are often working in the dark. They can't see what's down the road, or they don't consider it. So hiring doesn't follow a talent management plan nor take into account how the agency and the work it needs are changing. That the gist of what the Government Accountability Office recently testified. With more, including about the 29 recommendations, the GAO's director of Strategic Issues Robert Goldenkoff spoke to Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Some 3.7 million veterans lie interred in cemeteries operated by the Army or the Department of Veterans Affairs. Their markers give only names and the years bracketing their lives. Now the VA's National Cemetery Administration recently launched a project to give the deceased vets a new life online, where visitors can find out more about who they were. With out it all works, the Veterans Legacy Program Manager Bryce Carpenter joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

No federal executive wants his or her agency or bureau to languish at the bottom of those rankings of employee engagement. The scores come from the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. The Defense Department's Office of Inspector General was doing pretty poorly, ranking at number 295 out of 320 agencies in its size category. Acting Inspector General Glenn Fine decided to do something about it. By 2018, employee favorability ratings were way above the average. With how they did it, and maybe how others can, too, Fine spoke to Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Federal contractors are happy to see two procurement rule changes, one for civilian agencies and one for defense. They sharply limit the government's use of lowest-priced, technically-acceptable deals in services acquisitions. Both changes were mandated by law, but they took a while. Alan Chvotkin, executive vice president and counsel at the Professional Services Council, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin for his take.

Somehow data is at the center of many of the government's management challenges: Better data, better data sharing, and data-based decision-making. Now a nonprofit has won an award from the General Services Administration's Government Effectiveness Advanced Research, or GEAR challenge. Third Sector Capital Partners, in its words, will pilot an approach to integrate siloed data held by different government agencies. Third Sector's Managing Director Brian Beachkofski had the details on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

The IRS will refresh its information technology modernization drive over the next six years, and has asked Congress for billions. Congress has made it easier for the IRS to recruit and hire for tech jobs. This summer the president signed the Taxpayer First Act, restoring streamlined critical pay authority for the IRS. Former IRS commissioner John Koskinen urged Congress to bring back the program when it lapsed in 2013. He told Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman how it’ll help with modernization on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Yes, Congress is not officially not in session. But a glance at any of the cable news TV screens shows an awful lot of congressional activity, at least on the House side. Is this normal, and what about that continuing resolution? For more on what normally goes on in Congress during recesses, The Fulcrum Editor-in-Chief David Hawkings joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

The Department of the Navy has a brand new new senior official in charge of fixing a broad array of IT and cyber governance shortcomings across the Navy and Marine Corps. And although he’s been given broad discretion to implement reforms across a vast portfolio of responsibilities, the two sea services should not expect to see wholesale changes overnight. Federal News Network’s Jared Serbu had more details on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Vocational rehab is a major effort at the Department of Veterans Affairs as it tries to get veterans with service-related disabilities into gainful employment. The specific VA component, the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service, has been doing some updating and modernizing. For details, Executive Director William Streitberger spoke to Federal Drive with Tom Temin.