Federal Drive with Tom Temin

Before the Trump administration issued its Federal Data Strategy this spring the bipartisan Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking listed the strategy goals in a report to the president and Congress. Katharine Abraham is a former commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, now the director of Maryland Center for Economics and Policy. It's been two years since the original report. As the commission’s former chair, she told Federal New Network’s Jory Heckman why Congress should revisit some of the group’s recommendations, and explained why she thinks federal statistical agencies are due for an overhaul. Hear more on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

A U.S. District Court recently ruled that the FBI's terrorist watchlist, used in part in airline passenger screening, is unconstitutional — or at least the way the government is using it. Does that render the list useless, or can the government revamp the program surrounding it? For some answers, Jacques Singer-Emery, editor-in-chief of the National Security Law Journal, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Michael Wooten became the 15th administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy about six weeks ago. More importantly, he became the first permanent head of federal procurement during the Trump administration. In his first two public speeches, Wooten hit all the expected notes that an OFPP administrator is supposed to reach around workforce, technology and data. In his weekly feature, the Reporter's Notebook, Federal News Network Executive Editor Jason Miller writes about why Wooten has an opportunity to move the acquisition workforce out from under the flow charts of government procurement. Miller joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin in studio for more discussion.

The Office of Personnel Management has issued new guidance to federal agencies on ways they can speed up hiring short of doing anything that would require new legislation. People may have heard it before. Jeff Neal, a former chief human capital officer at the Department of Homeland Security, and now senior vice president at ICF, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin. He said the guidance is merely old wine in a new bottle.

Agencies finally have a basic understanding of the threat landscape around the federal technology supply chain. And chief information officers, acquisition executives and others shouldn’t feel good about what they’ve learned. The Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Information and Communications Technology Supply Chain Risk Management Task Force identified 190 threats across nine groups, including counterfeit parts, cybersecurity and economics. In his weekly feature the Reporter's Notebook, Federal News Network Executive Editor Jason Miller writes about the task force's four recommendations and what it means for agencies. He joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin for more discussion.

Congress and at least three administrations have pushed for data-driven decision-making at federal agencies. So have senior federal managers themselves. Now a group led by the Volker Alliance is proposing to try out specific curriculum to train a specific group of federal employees in use of data and evidence. The group has received a grand prize in the GEAR Challenge sponsored by the General Services Administration and the Office of Personnel Management. The president of the Volcker Alliance, Thomas Ross, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to share what they're up to.

When the time comes and you decide to retire from your federal career, what exactly is the first step? Certain pieces of the federal retirement process can leave you feeling uneasy. There are a few steps you can take to make the process smoother though. To find what they are, Federal News Network's Eric White spoke with federal retirement expert Tammy Flannagan on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

The Defense Department is worried about its reserve component. Taking more time away from family after working a civilian job just isn’t as appealing as it used to be. DoD asked the RAND Corporation to figure out ways it can keep reservists and recruit new ones. Federal News Network’s Scott Maucione spoke to RAND senior political scientists Molly Dunigan and Steve Dalzell on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Agencies are a step closer now to sidestepping another government shutdown this year. The House passed a seven week continuing resolution late last week. It gives Congress until November 21st to finish their work on a package of appropriations bills. The Senate is expected to vote on the CR this week. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko joined the show with more on the CR and what it means for one agency in particular.

When it comes to government oversight, agency inspector generals see power in numbers. That’s why 70-plus IGs formed the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) a decade ago. The council has gained new responsibilities in recent years. And IGs have more authority now than they have in the past. But members of Congress want more transparency into how IGs police themselves. Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman joined the show with more.

Once again, it looks as if the government, budget wise, will come out of the starting blocks crawling. The 2020 fiscal year starts next week under a continuing resolution. That's better than a shutdown. President and CEO of the Professional Services Council, David Berteau, joined us to discuss.

Suicides among veterans has become a vesting and persistent challenge for the Veterans Affairs Department. In recent months it's been trying some new strategies to reach at-risk veterans before it's too late. We spoke with Dr. Matt Miller, the VA's Acting Director for Suicide Prevention for more.

Dr. Paul Lawrence walked into what you might call a complicated situation when he took over as the undersecretary for Veterans Benefits at the Veterans Affairs Department in 2018. Among the priorities were fixing the disability claims process and carrying out the Forever GI bill. We discussed all of this and more in my most recent interview — starting with how and why he instituted quarterly performance briefings.

The Air Force is putting the finishing touches on a proposed overhaul of its personnel management system for officers. They would be the first large-scale reforms since the 1980s, and by the end of the process, the service says it wants a system that actually promotes officers who have the characteristics the Air Force says it values. Federal News Network's Jared Serbu has the details.

Kidney cancer is among the most deadly and hard-to-fight forms of cancer. But breakthroughs have been occurring and lives saved thanks to the work of Dr. Marson Linehan. He's chief of the urologic oncology branch of the National Cancer Institute and a finalist in this year's Service to America Medals Program.