Federal Drive with Tom Temin

In today's episode of The Federal Drive with Tom Temin: The Agriculture Department promotes new ways to manage and use a very old resource. Why federal employees are watching the political landscape more than ever.  For contractors, the 2024 budget request doesn't quite add up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Federal contractors don't see a lot of room for growth after inflation in fiscal 2024, with a few large agencies actually requesting a reduction in funding relative to what was enacted in 2023. For a few observations, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke to Stephanie Kostro, Executive Vice President for Policy at the Professional Services Council. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you wonder why federal employees worry, along with everyone else, consider: mini financial crises, a stubbornly bear stock market, no breakthroughs on Social Security solvency, and the debt-ceiling debate dragging out. For one point of view, Federal Drive host talked with John Hatton, Vice President for Policy at the National Association of Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You would think everything wood can be used for has been thought of. But wood, considered a renewable resource, has a lot of life. The Agriculture Department is running a competitive grant program to come up with new ways to manage, promote and use wood. For the details, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with Brian Brashaw, the Forest Service's Assistant Director for Wood Innovations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is looking to position a new “Cyber Analytics and Data System” at the center of national cyber defenses, as the agency’s post-EINSTEIN plans come into focus in its fiscal 2024 budget request. CISA is seeking $424.9 million in the 2024 budget for “CADS.” The program is envisioned as a “system of systems,” budget documents explain, that provides “a robust and scalable analytic environment capable of integrating mission visibility data sets and providing visualization tools and advanced analytic capabilities to CISA cyber operators.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode of The Federal Drive with Tom Temin: Social Security establishes a new office just for native Americans. This tribal leader wants sovereignty restored she says the government erased 50 years ago. Congress takes up more of the budget this week, and a few repeals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An influential Defense advisory board has a harsh critique of the Defense Department’s strategies for recruiting talent into its civilian ranks: there isn’t much of a strategy at all. The new Defense Business Board (DBB) study also found the Pentagon, as a general matter, doesn’t have a discernible talent pipeline for civilians, and that little effort has been spent to market DoD as an attractive civilian employer. The board believes those and other factors put the department at a severe disadvantage to other employers, especially when it comes to mission-critical occupations with intense private sector competition, like nurses, software developers and logisticians. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Budget hearings will take up much of Congress's time this week. The Department of Transportation (DOT) will be big, plus there is a vote on a nomination to a crucial DOT agency. To get the rundown on all of this, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with Loren Duggan, Bloomberg Government's Deputy News Director Loren Duggan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Among the longtime Native American tribes, consider the Muwekma Ohlone tribe. It once occupied land in what is now in California's Santa Clara and San Francisco counties. The Bureau of Indian Affairs recognizes nearly 600 indigenous tribes, but not the Muwekma Ohlone. To see if that might soon change, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with Charlene Nijmeh, Chairwoman of the Muwekma Ohlone tribe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Social Security Administration recently established an office for helping Native Americans. The agency, in its words, wants to elevate and centralize efforts devoted to tribal members and Alaska Natives. For details, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with the Director of the Office Native American Partnerships, Richard Litsey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Agencies are continuing to move toward a new era for the federal workforce, one that has become colloquially known as the “future of work.” To help them get there, agencies have new information from the Office of Personnel Management, which has outlined a vision for what that future of work should look like. “We endeavor to position the federal government as a model employer that empowers the workforce to solve our nation’s toughest challenges,” OPM Director Kiran Ahuja said in a March 7 memo to agency heads. “OPM is committed to supporting and strengthening agencies to ensure they are resilient for the future while continuing to achieve their respective missions in service of the people and communities they serve.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Defense Department’s 2024 budget highlighted the Pentagons’ priorities for upgrading its technologies through a combination of research, development, technology and science. Although the topline numbers for the department show an all-time high of $842 billion, leaders say the increase of $26 billion over last year’s enacted but is basically flat due to inflation. The combined Navy and Marine Corps budget represented a 4.5% hike at $255.8 billion. The Army requested $185.5 billion, a 4.6% increase over the Army’s $178 billion budget last year. And the Air Force, including Space Force, wants $259 billion with $215 billion for the Air Force and $30 billion for the Space Force. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode of The Federal Drive with Tom Temin: Meet the man who spent decades photographing the affairs of one large cabinet department. New guidance from the Commerce Department for anyone who deals with data. Union negotiations at Veterans Affairs are still stuck in a rut … for a decade so far Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone knows data is the essential element in improving government operations, understanding trends in the world, and solving big problems. Yet sometimes data can reveal too much, like people's personal information. That is why data sets have to undergo what is known as de-identification. Now the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has updated crucial guidance on how to do this. For more, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with NIST Computer Scientist Simson Garfinkle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Still annoyed by the Trump administration's relocation of two Agriculture Department bureaus, a senator has introduced legislation to raise the bar for agency moves. It would require agencies to do some homework before they move. Federal Drive host Tom Temin talked about the bill with Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices