Federal Drive with Tom Temin

There's some new data on efforts to expose risks in the millions of products the government buys annually. The General Services Administration has identified tens of thousands of products that pose a concern. For more, Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Postal Service, now a year into a 10-year reform plan, is showing signs of recovery, thanks in part to the Postal Service Reform Act signed into law. USPS is now focused on overhauling its facilities. But Postmaster General Louis DeJoy tells Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman, there's a long way to go. Jory joined the Federal Drive with highlights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The F-35 has become synonymous with all of the problems the 21st century Pentagon deals with. For fiscal 2023, the topline budget calls for buying only 61 new copies instead of the 94 originally planned for. The stealth aircraft continues to have problems with performance and sustainability. Here with some new problems, long-time critic and fellow at the Project on Government Oversight, Dan Grazier. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No one knows for certain whether Russia used a hypersonic missile against Ukraine. The Russia's leaders lie about everything else. But there's no doubt Russia, like China, is pursuing such weapons. My next guests argue, the U.S. needs to step up its own hypersonics program. Joining the Federal Drive from Purdue University's Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy, director Bonnie Glick, and Senior Research Fellow, Dan DeLaurentis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White House recently received some expert advice about its signature cybersecurity initiative. Namely to get every agency to move to zero trust systems architectures. But the group warned the project is at risk of becoming an incomplete experiment. We get highlights now from the chairman of the board of Qualcomm and a longtime member of the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee, Mark McLaughlin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trillions of dollars in federal spending can lead to billions of dollars that aren’t paid to the right place, or in the right amount. To address a record-high rate of improper payments, House lawmakers plan to introduce legislation on the issue. Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman has the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Coast Guard’s rollout of its financial system modernization has been two decades in the making. The Coast Guard is now on a shared system with other Homeland Security agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration. It’s a major lift for the Coast Guard with a fair share of challenges. But shows the service’s drive to embrace more cloud and standardized IT systems. Federal News Network’s Amelia Brust has more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two new cybersecurity courses developed by the Air Force are available to anyone in the Defense Department. We get the details from the director of the DC3 Cyber Training Academy, Casey Szyper. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spring break might over, but the after effects linger for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Five cadets on spring break in Florida were hospitalized after ingesting what appeared to be fentanyl-laced cocaine. Here to explain the legal ramifications, the managing partner of the law firm Tully Rinckey, Sean Timmons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new and impressive statistic has emerged from the pandemic. Everyone knew that remote medical visits, or telehealth, grew when people could not or were afraid to visit health providers in person. Now the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General has quantified it for one large section of the population. Some 28 million people on Medicare used telehealth in the first year of the pandemic. Here with more of what they found and why it's important, assistant IG Erin Bliss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Defense Department is implementing dozens of reforms to help reduce sexual assault and harassment, but some say they don’t go far enough. A new campaign started up this month called Red, White and Bruised. It asks women in the military community to share their stories of assault and abuse. The campaign is also making specific requests like the resignation of commanders who fail to investigate incidents. Federal News Network’s Scott Maucione spoke with Never Alone Advocacy founder Amy Braley Franck, and executive director of Combat Sexual Assault, Lindsay Knapp. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Intelligence agencies are seeing some success using automation and machine learning for narrow applications. But officials say a more “integrated” approach is needed to transform spy tradecraft using artificial intelligence. For more, Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When president-elect John F. Kennedy asked Bob McNamara, then-president of Ford Motor Company, to join his cabinet, McNamara said that he didn't know anything about government. JFK is said to have replied, "well, we can both learn on the job. I don't know how to be President." And so it's been ever since, according to my next guest. Dr. Michael Siegel is senior education specialist at the Federal Judicial Center and adjunct professor at two universities. He's also written a book: The President as Leader. And he joins the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Government Accountability Office often gets way down in the weeds for its oversight work. Who said what, when. Chapter and verse on what part of the federal acquisition regulation wasn't followed. Dollars misspent using a federal credit card. Month-by-month timelines for wobbly programs. But GAO also takes in the big picture. A case in point is its latest study on the big trends that will affect the government. The managing director for strategic planning and external liaison, Steve Sanford, joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to share more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The President's Management Agenda last week went from idea to action plan, complete with strategy leaders and metrics for success. For some of the rationale behind the latest updates, and what they mean for you, Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget Jason Miller joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices