Federal Drive with Tom Temin

Bank stocks might look like dicey propositions these days. There's nothing to focus investors' minds like the possibility of a run on the banks. It's not 2008 though, and we probably won't see the failure of hundreds of banks like we did back then. For more on the state of money and investments, big and small, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with Certified Investment Planner Art Stein. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the Trump administration moved two small agencies of the Agriculture Department to Kansas City, Missouri, it lit a storm of opposition. The agencies have more or less settled down, but the move remains an object of study. Now the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has laid out what it calls leading practices for re-locations. To get the details, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with Steve Morris, GAO's Director of Natural Resources and Environment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than $22 million in cash prizes are available to teams with the best ideas accelerate widespread, equitable energy efficiency and building electrification upgrades. The Energy Department's Buildings Upgrade Prize, or Buildings UP, is asking teams to submit innovative concepts to increase building energy upgrades, with an nod toward equity or innovation. To learn more about the contest, Federal News Network's Eric White spoke with the contest's prize administrator Holly Carr. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Biden administration is setting a high bar to improve customer experience across government, but the VA’s National Cemetery Administration is already at the top of the charts, according to one scorecard. NCA ranks number one among all public and private organizations on the American Customer Satisfaction Index. It’s the seventh time NCA has won the top honor, but the latest ranking is the agency’s first since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Matthew Quinn said in a recent interview with Federal News Network that NCA’s top marks from the ASCI, a scorecard released every three years, underscores the agency’s commitment to “own the moment” for veterans and their families. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For many federal agencies, employee engagement and satisfaction scores continued to slip in the 2022 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings. In a preview of the 2022 Best Places to Work that the Partnership for Public Service and Boston Consulting Group published Wednesday, the organizations unveiled the top 10 agencies for large, midsize and small agencies, as well as agency subcomponents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The General Services Administration is facing a crisis of confidence. The third scathing IG report since 2016 once again reinforced how headquarters can’t make the Technology Transformation Service play by the government’s rules, in turn leading agency chief information officers and other technology executives to question whether GSA, as a whole, can be trusted. Interviews with five current federal technology executives, three former technology leaders and industry experts say the trust between TTS, and in some ways GSA, has, unfortunately, once again been broken. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode of The Federal Drive with Tom Temin: There's a quick way to settle EEO disputes, but few agencies try it. USAID revamps the way it engages with overseas development partners. How contractors can develop a better nose for where the money is. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With all those congressional hearings, it's noisy on Capitol Hill this week. But contractors who listen closely will hear the sounds of opportunity, as agencies discuss their spending plans for 2024. For more on how to sharpen your hunting skills, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with federal sales and marketing consultant Larry Allen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Equal employment opportunity disputes still occur in federal agencies. People feel wrongly discriminated against or they really are discriminated against for the wrong reasons. Now the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has fresh advice on ways to settle EEO complaints without expensive and long litigation. For the details, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with Virginia Andreu, the Assistant Director of the EEOC's office of federal operations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) does all of its work overseas. It engages with local grantees and contractors to do the work in a particular country. Now USAID is launching a new strategy for what it calls A-and-A, acquisition and assistance. For details, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with Paloma Adams-Allen, USAID's Deputy Administrator for Management and Resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode of The Federal Drive with Tom Temin: What one longtime government watchdog group recommends for the 118th Congress. Veterans Affairs campuses are designed to be open. Maybe too open. At least the congressional budget hearings are following regular order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode of The Federal Drive with Tom Temin: We'll get a progress report on the Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability. DISA fields a classified version of a very widely used cloud application. Rebuilding the Office of Personnel Management will take years longer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TikTok was not the only thing discussed on Capitol Hill last week. Good, old-fashioned budget hearings also broke out all over. They revealed a lot about hoped-for spending priorities in 2024. For a the details, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with Jack Fitzpatrick, a congressional reporter with Bloomberg Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Barely two months old, the 118th Congress is getting advice from all over. For decades, the Project on Government Oversight (POGO) has issued a list of 13 steps Congress could take to restore trust in government, improve program performance, and keep things honest. For the highlights, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, POGO's Government Affairs Manager. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Veterans Affairs Department's big medical campuses are full of physical security gaps, the VA's office of Inspector General has found. Unlocked exterior doors, broken surveillance cameras and a shortage of VA police officers top the list. For details, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with Deputy Assistant Inspector General Leigh Ann Searight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices