Federal Drive with Tom Temin

You're heard of the term cancel culture: getting rid of people with unpopular opinions. It's not all that new. The popular new movie Oppenheimer re-enacts the revocation of the scientist's security clearance in the 1950s, because of his opposition to the hydrogen bomb. What about today? Can unorthodox opinions mean loss of clearance? For analysis, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Dan Meyer, Managing Partner at the law firm Tully Rinckey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Veterans Affairs Department has long had a nationwide network of facilities so it could be close to those it serves. But now it's taking that a step further, with a fleet of mobile medical units on wheels. VA hopes to reach homeless or other veterans who just can't get to a medical center. For the details, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Jillian Weber, VA's national program manager for homeless patient-aligned care teams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode of the Federal Drive with Tom Temin: VA takes to the streets and byways to meet at-risk veterans. How to make sure you keep that security clearance. DoD looks to expand a successful cybersecurity program.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Army is adapting the way it trains non-commissioned officers (NCOs) to meet the needs of its increasingly technology-dependent forces. As the service plans for its force of 2030, producing NCOs who can lead in cybersecurity and IT fields is informing the way training is developed and what specialties are available. In addition to the talent needs of an expanding Cyber Corps, the Army’s Signal Corps finds itself short on information technology experts. The Army not only needs senior leaders to fill those roles, it needs to keep them up to date with continuous training. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever get a cut and use cotton gauze to wipe it up? Cotton gauze is just cotton gauze, right? Not to my Federal Drive Host Tom Temin's guest. He developed new cotton fabrics that have proven more effective in trauma care and other medical requirements than the traditional ones. In fact, his invention is the first new medical gauze in 50 years. Vince Edwards is a chemist with the Agricultural Research Service and a finalist in this year's Service to America Medals Program, also known as the Sammies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Labor Department is out with a final rule to update how the government determines wages it will allow in federal construction contractors, as well as in federally assisted construction. The new rule is 812 pages long. It's not sitting well with the construction industry. For one reaction, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Claiborne Guy, from the trade group Associated General Contractors of America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Federal Communications Commission has established a task force to deal with privacy and data protection, noting what it calls the era of always-on connectivity. For the details, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Loyaan Egal, the Chief of the FCC's enforcement bureau. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode of the Federal Drive with Tom Temin: The FCC strengthens its approach to data privacy and security. Contractors take issue with gigantic new rule from the Labor Department. An old medical product gets a modern makeover thanks to this USDA scientist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The National Security Agency, amid an unprecedented hiring push, is considering options for hybrid work and other flexibilities previously unimaginable at the highly secretive agency. NSA Director Gen. Paul Nakasone described how the organization is in the middle of “perhaps the largest growth in our agency’s history” during an appearance at the Center for Strategic and International Studies today. The NSA announced earlier this year that it has openings for more than 3,000 new employees. Nakasone described the hiring surge as necessary to begin replacing an aging workforce at the signals intelligence agency. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The expert panel Congress assembled to find fixes to the Pentagon’s archaic planning and budgeting process won’t deliver its final prescription for reform until next spring. But its members say there are at least some steps the Defense Department and Congress should start taking right now, particularly in light of the fact that fixing what’s wrong is certain to be a years-long effort. The Commission on Planning, Programming Budgeting and Execution (PPBE) Reform published an interim report this week, previewing 10 of the possible recommendations it might make in its final edition next March, and urging lawmakers and DoD to start taking at least some specific steps toward improving the budget system right away. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The stability of the nation's electrical grid depends in part on large power transformers. The size of small houses, these transformers are in short supply and they take a long time to build. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that the Energy Department could help secure this important link in the electricity supply chain. For more, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with GAO's Director of Natural Resources and Environment Issues, Frank Rusco. GAO REPORT on ELECTRICITY GRIND: https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-23-106180.pdf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the Supreme Court ruled against race-based admissions at Harvard University, it opened the door to preference programs across the board. Recently a federal district court in Tennessee forced the Small Business Administration to suspend applications from small businesses to join the 8(a) program for disadvantaged companies. For what this may mean, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Haynes Boone procurement attorney Zach Prince. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hundreds of thousands of federal employees get their paychecks issued by the National Finance Center, which is operated out of New Orleans by the Agriculture Department. The whole place is in danger of meltdown because of staffing, budget, technology, and even storm damage problems. That is according to detailed study, under the auspices of the National Academy of Public Administration. To learn more about the study, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Margie Graves, the former Deputy Federal Chief Information Officer, who is now with IBM. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode of the Federal Drive with Tom Temin: This problem could cut off federal paychecks as surely as a shutdown. Here's one step the Energy Department could execute to help insure grid resilience. Could the venerable 8(a) program actually be on its way out? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In another effort to try to usher young talent into the federal workforce, the Office of Personnel Management is proposing changes to decade-old parameters for the Pathways Program. The new proposed regulations from OPM, in part, look to expand eligibility for the recent graduates’ Pathways Program, to include individuals who may not have a college degree, but who have completed different “technical education programs.” By counting experience in the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Job Corps and the Registered Apprenticeship Program, OPM said it hopes to make the program overall more inclusive, and help agencies attract a broader, more diverse pool of early-career applicants. The proposal comes amid a more recent push toward skills-based hiring, which makes the Pathways Program’s current regulations, dating back to 2012, limited in comparison. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices