Federal Drive with Tom Temin

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently expanded a contract to improve the cybersecurity of its main databases, as well as move the agency to that all-important zero-trust architecture. For the details, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with the USPTO Chief Information Officer Jamie Holcombe and the President of Trustwave Government Solutions, Bill Rucker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Federal Drive host Tom Temin launches a week-long series: The Worst Place to Work in the Federal Government. Having best places to work, means some employees endure the worst places. And the worst of all, according to the rankings for 2022 compiled by the Partnership for Public Services, is the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), a component of the Justice Department. It's overall index of 35, compared to 55 for the Justice Department itself, is the lowest of any agency. And it dropped a statistically significant five points from the year earlier. Temin's series starts with an overview of the BOP's workforce challenges, with a discussion with Michael Horowitz, the Inspector General of the Justice Department. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode of the Federal Drive with Tom Temin: We hear from Justice inspector general Michael Horowitz, as we launch a special series, The Worst Place to Work in the Federal Government. The Patent and Trademark Office wants to improve the security of its crown jewels. A fresh legislative effort to get federal employees back into the office. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the world of food, the word organic remains vague, and the rules a bit loose. Now the Agriculture Department has proposed new rules to tighten up the production and handling of food sold as organic. To hear some details, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke to Dr. Jennifer Tucker, the Deputy Administrator of the National Organic Program. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It may not be likely to become law, but a new bill to reform federal civil service shows how deeply some members of congress feel about the issue. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) just introduced a bill that would turn all federal employees, not just senior executives, into employees at-will. For one reaction, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke to Bob Tobias, a Professor of Management at American University in Washington, D.C. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode of the Federal Drive with Tom Temin: What exactly is organic food? The USDA wants to make sure everyone follows the rules. A long time federal employee advocate reacts to the latest civil service reform gambit. The Defense Logistics Agency moves away from a legacy application in COBOL. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Department of Veterans Affairs is renewing its multibillion-dollar contract for a new Electronic Health Record, with new terms meant to hold the vendor accountable for persistent outages. The VA announced Tuesday that it reached an agreement on a renegotiated contract with EHR contractor Oracle-Cerner. Tuesday marked the deadline for VA and Oracle-Cerner to renew the five-year base period contract signed in 2018. The VA announced last month it is indefinitely putting all future deployments of the Oracle-Cerner EHR on hold, until it addresses problems at the five VA sites already using the system. The VA has obligated about $9.4 billion on the EHR modernization program since fiscal 2018. The renegotiated contract includes larger fines Oracle Cerner will need to pay VA, if the EHR doesn’t meet performance targets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Navy thinks it has some answers to the “fix our computers” problem, and those answers can’t come soon enough. Officials estimate the service is losing about one man-year of productivity every single day by virtue of how long it takes employees to log into their desktops and laptops — and that figure only accounts for the service’s workforce within the five walls of the Pentagon. The Navy’s latest attempt to improve user experience will also start inside the Pentagon, where all of its users could start seeing major improvements by next month. That choice was made partly because, for even the most senior leaders there, the experience is far from good. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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On today's episode of the Federal Drive with Tom Temin: What NIST is hearing from industry about critical infrastructure cybersecurity. In our Service to America Medals series: How the Air Force went from logjam to innovation factory. If the government defaults, you might need that cash in you mattress Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More questions than answers surround the possibility of a government debt default. But it wouldn't be good for federal employees or retirees. For the duration, you might need to live on whatever rainy-day cash you've got saved up. For more, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with certified financial planner Art Stein. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Air Force was among the earliest agencies to organize around the need for innovation. Its approach, known as AFWERX, got started back in 2017 and became a model for many other agencies. The idea man behind AFWERX is now a finalist in this year's Service to America Medals program. He's the first of a series of finalists Federal Drive Tom Temin will be talking to through October. He's Mark Ingram, the Chief Strategy Officer of the Air Force Integrated Capabilities Directorate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some things in life are certain. Death, taxes and, wait for it: updates to NIST cybersecurity documents. Now the National Institute of Standards and Technology is evaluating comments for a revision to guidance on critical infrastructure cybersecurity. For an overview of the more than 100 comments NIST has received, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with attorney and Wiley Rein partner, Megan Brown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Legal obligations to provide accommodations to pregnant employees under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) apply to employers nationwide, but federal agencies may have a slightly different route for implementing the new law. The PWFA, which President Joe Biden signed into law in December, will officially take effect June 27. It requires employers — including federal agencies — to offer accommodations to employees who have “known limitations” in the workplace that stem from pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With shortages from production down through the supply chain, the Pentagon’s acquisition leadership wants to close the gap by purchasing more commercially available products. To make that work, contracting officers must overcome not just buying issues but budget and planning issues. Military acquisition professionals speaking at the Acquisition Research Symposium in Monterey, California said Thursday they need better ways to get commercial products, particularly those involving advanced technology, into the hands of service members. Some initiatives are helping move Defense acquisition toward commercial products, but more needs to be done. “What you’re seeing now are organizations springing up in order to try to fill that gap. Whether that’s AFWERX in the Air Force, or the unmanned task force that the Navy has played with, or the Office of Strategic Capital now trying to make some effort with money seeding,” said Navy Vice Adm. Francis Morley, military deputy to the assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices