Federal Drive with Tom Temin

Modern disinfectant products work really, really well at killing disease-causing microbes. But they bring problems along with them – from possible long-term environmental damage to antibiotic resistance. But what if you could create a chemical that was just as good at killing bacteria, but neutralized itself into harmless, natural molecules after it did its job? Researchers at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service think they may have done just that. Billy Hart-Cooper is an ARS research chemist in Albany, California. For his work on those biodegradable disinfectants, he’s been chosen as a finalist in the Service to America Medals’ Emerging Leaders category. He talked with the Federal Drive about why ARS is interested in disinfectant research, and what his team has developed so far. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Defense Department's cybersecurity maturity model certification program, CMMC has barely gotten off the ground. But it must be here to stay because some groups are already looking to reform it. Case in point: The congressionally chartered IT Acquisition Advisory Council has partnered with the CMMC accreditation body to establish a Center of Excellence. More now from attorney and CMMC expert Robert Metzger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among America’s veterans population. An estimated 500,000 veterans are living with a prostate cancer diagnosis today. So it makes sense that the Veterans Health Administration would make prostate cancer research a priority. One of the latest developments is a partnership with the prostate cancer foundation. Among other things, it’s helped to fund research into precision oncology – treatments that are tailored to each patient’s specific physiology. Dr. Matt Rettig is the chief oncologist at the VA of Greater Los Angeles. He talked with me about some of the research questions VA’s trying to answer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The military is rethinking how its approaching its readiness of the future. The Pentagon’s top force management official said this week, that the Defense Department needs to move away from its short-term readiness goals and to think farther into the future. That strategy involves taking a data-driven approach. Federal News Network’s Scott Maucione joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Joe Biden's pick to lead the Office of Federal Procurement Policy elicited a collective response from the federal acquisition community. Most long-time acquisition experts asked who is Biniam Gebre? Gebre is a former appointee under the Obama administration at HUD and leads the Accenture Federal Service management consulting practice. In his weekly feature, the Reporter's Notebook, executive editor Jason Miller asked former OFPP administrators for some insights and advice for Gebre. Jason joins me now to discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Acquisitions can go wrong when the agency downplays price, but makes an award on price anyway. That's what the Air Force found out in one recent buy of professional services. Federal Drive with Tom Temin got the details from Smith Pachter McWhorter procurement attorney Joseph Petrillo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate has established a strategic plan for how artificial intelligence and machine learning can help the DHS mission. It covers both the technology and people sides of this growing field. For details, Federal Drive with Tom Temin spoke with the acting deputy director of the Science and Technology Directorate, John Merrill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It took three years to build and now the Cannon House Office Building, once known as the Old House Office Building, is in the midst of a redo that will take 10 years. The original cost is unknown, but the renovation is heading towards $1 billion. For the latest assessment of the project, Federal Drive with Tom Temin turned to the managing director of infrastructure operations at the Government Accountability Office Terry Dorn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Federal agencies like to compete with each other on the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. And it's no different inside the National Institutes of Health. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases ranked the highest of all NIH institutes on last year's viewpoint survey. It created a tool several years ago to help leaders identify bright spots and pain points with employee feedback. Camille Hoover is NIDDK's executive officer, and Dr. Griffin Rodgers is the institute's director. They told Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko what was behind their success on the survey again this past year, and about NIDDK's long journey to diversify its ranks and attract new voices to the scientific community. Hear the full interview on Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the end of another fiscal year starts to approach, it won’t be a surprise federal agencies if the next one begins under a continuing resolution. They’ve gotten very, very used to it over the last many years. But this time there are real questions about the duration of that CR, and whether it’ll be long enough to avert a government shutdown. Larry Allen is president of Allen Federal Business Partners. He joined the Federal Drive to talk about what might be ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

That recent Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee's report on federal cybersecurity has cyber experts worried. It found that seven departments hadn't fixed serious deficiencies the same committee identified two years earlier. For what it means in terms of spying, Tom Temin talked with Weifeng Zhong, a senior fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee has cited seven federal departments, including Health and Human Services and the Social Security Administration, for failing to establish minimum cybersecurity controls. And of not protecting personally identifiable information. For analysis, Tom Temin spoke with senior fellow at the Center for Growth and Opportunity at Utah State University, Will Rinehart. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The road to federal digital transformation is paved with more than just good intentions. Siloed teams, inefficient legacy systems, massive amounts of data, unique customer needs - these are just some of the challenges. But several agencies have made progress in digital transformation by tackling these obstacles head on. Federal News Network Digital Editor Amelia Brust has more details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 4th  U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals doubled down on the validity of prepublication review processes for federal employees who want to publish information about their experiences in government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the vaccine debate madness engulfing the country, you might overlook that members of Congress are under no mandate to get vaccinated. And they're under no obligation to say whether they are. But they are watching closely what's going on with the federal workforce. More now from WTOP Capitol Hill Correspondent Mitchell Miller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices