Federal Drive with Tom Temin

You might be one of the federal employees who filled out that so-called pulse survey. It's the latest way the Office of Management and Budget is hoping to get information on the workforce. It augments the yearly Federal Employee Viewpoint Surveys with more frequent measures. Data is great, but will agency managers do anything with what they learn? That's the question my next guest is asking. He's a professor in the Key Executive Leadership Program at American University, Bob Tobias. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the months tick by, more cobwebs form in the offices of the Merit Systems Protection Board. More than five years have passed since the board has had a quorum, and nearly three years since any members at all. Meanwhile the case backlog of aggrieved federal employees keeps growing. Appointees to the board are awaiting a Senate vote. For what they'll face should they be confirmed, we turn to the last MSPB member, attorney Mark Robbins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When NASA succeeds in sending people to Mars and returning them to the moon, it will be thanks to thousands of people who will never get there themselves. One of those people has had a 31-year career at NASA leading teams concerned with a variety of activities. Planning human space travel. Improving Space Station safety. Bringing commercial launch capabilities to NASA. For her career work, she's a recent Presidential Rank Award recipient. The director of the Johnson Space Center, Vanessa Wyche. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big changes are underway in the Navy Reserve. Officials are taking a top-to-bottom look at every single one of the Reserve’s units to decide which missions – and which jobs – make the most sense for the force’s future. So far, the exam has led to the elimination of hundreds of positions, but the addition of hundreds more. As Federal News Network’s Jared Serbu reports, the thrust of the effort is to get the Navy’s reserve component ready for great power competition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Gerard Badorek arrived at the General Services Administration nearly seven years ago to be its chief financial officer, he found an organization in disarray. 14 organizations managing GSA’s financial data and systems. More than 900 employees reported to various CFOs across the business units and headquarters. Baddorek, who recently left federal service, told executive editor Jason Miller about how he reshaped and revitalized GSA’s financial management. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The holiday season is just a memory now as the winter settles in. Also in the rear view mirror is the Combined Federal Campaign. Turns out, for the national capital region, federal employees crushed it, with donations exceeding the goal. For details, CFC national capital region chairman Vince Micone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people think of Santa Claus when they think of NORAD. But NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, in reality has a crucial and enduring mission. And one that is ever evolving as threats evolve. Now NORAD is embarking on a modernizing effort aimed at better situational awareness and deterrence. For details, we turn to the commander of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, Air Force General Glen VanHerck. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Biden administration goals for diversity and equity in the federal workforce are more difficult to achieve in some fields than others. Data from the Office of Personnel Management and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission shows the cyber workforce ranks among the least diverse segments of the federal government. Agencies can’t simply hire their way to a more diverse cyber workforce. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has looked into this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Air Force Recruiting Service says it sees warning lights flashing on its efforts to meet its 2022 goals. The biggest concern is future candidates for the Air and Space Forces. Thanks to COVID, Air Force recruiters say they have to think hard about new ways to reach young people. Federal News Network’s Scott Maucione spoke with operations division chief Colonel Jason Scott, and Recruiting Service chief Major General Edward Thomas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's not an easy time to be an immigration judge. The case backlog is growing thanks to a surge in immigration. And now, the Federal Labor Relations Authority has voted for the second time to take away collective bargaining rights from immigration judges who work for the Justice Department. For an update, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin turned to the president of the National Association of Immigration Judges, Mimi Tsankov. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The number of natural disasters requiring a federal response seem to be on the rise. Yet the first- response agency FEMA suffers from staffing shortages. That's one finding of a review by the Government Accountability Office. No agency can ensure mission success without the right people. The Federal Drive with Tom Temin got more from GAO's director of Homeland Security and Justice issues Chris Currie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People who track politics say the majority in Congress could switch next year from Democratic to Republican. If that's the case, that prospect will drive the Democrats' oversight agenda for the rest of 2022. Some congressional leaders have laid out their agendas on paper. For what agencies can expect, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin turned to Hogan Lovells attorney and former House Foreign Affairs Committee staff member Ari Fridman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Federal Drive with Tom Temin interviewed two federal professional union interviews, both concerning the Justice Department. In fresh complaints from assistant U.S. attorneys, they said the Justice Department salary system means they earn less than other government attorneys who work under the regular GS-system. They say it hurts recruitment and retention. For more, Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman spoke with the vice president of the National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Hanna. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White House is about to release a new strategy for federal cybersecurity. It will detail how agencies should move to zero trust architecture. This as the Office of Management and Budget eyes big changes to how people access federal systems. For more, Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday spoke to the Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Contractors who scrambled to deal with the Biden administration's vaccine mandate, well now they're scrambling to figure out what to do now that the Supreme Court has struck it down. Especially now that a Texas judge has halted the mandate for federal employees. The Federal Drive got perspective now from the executive vice president for policy at the Professional Services Council, Stephanie Kostro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices