Federal Drive with Tom Temin

If you've ever watched paralyzed athletes play sports, you may have been impressed by the equipment they have. Rory Cooper, director of the human engineering research laboratories for the Veterans Affairs Department and a finalist in this year's Service to America Medals program, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss his work as a leading figure in the development of better wheelchairs, sports equipment and other assistive gear.

With weeks to go before final agency reform plans are due to the Office of Management and Budget workforce watchdogs are offering advice to agencies on what they'll be looking for when it comes to employee engagement. Federal News Radio Reporter Meredith Somers tells Federal Drive with Tom Temin more about oversight of the government reorganization.

The Constitution spells out the structure of the federal government, but two centuries of administrative law deal with the reality of a multi-trillion-dollar entity. Two New York University law professors looked at the creation of independent agencies. One professor, Richard Revesz, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss the findings.

Few discussions of federal cybersecurity fail to mention the historic 2015 breaches at the Office of Personnel Management. Since then, OPM has taken numerous steps to improve security but in some ways, the cybersecurity challenge never ends. Greg Wilshusen, director of information security issues at the Government Accountability Office, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss a recent GAO progress report.

The Office of Personnel Management recently released new guidance for senior executives to help them to move their careers forward at any stage. But while the framework provides a good road map for executives, is it enough to actually help them? Federal News Radio's Eric White spoke with Bob Tobias, a professor in the Key Executive Leadership Program at American University, on Federal Drive with Tom Temin to answer that question.

It can be hard for innovators working in energy technologies to gain traction for their ideas. The time and equipment is costly and corporations tend to play it safe with R&D funds. One program at the Energy Department is aimed at helping to eliminate common barriers preventing market exploration of new energy technologies. Dr. Johanna Wolfson, director of DoE's Technology-To-Market program, joined Federal News Radio's Lauren Larson on Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss the program in detail.

The churn in the federal IT community continues. Federal News Radio Executive Editor Jason Miller reports that two more long-time executives are heading out the door and a senior cyber official is taking on additional responsibilities.

More than seven months into the Trump administration, the Justice Department is still waiting for a permanent official to lead its antitrust division. But the White House isnt to blame for this particular delay. The president made his nomination for assistant attorney general for antitrust early April. Its been stuck in the Senate ever since, despite the fact that DoJ has several high-profile corporate merger cases on its plate. Juan Arteaga, partner at the law firm Crowell and Moring, spoke with Federal News Radios Jared Serbu on Federal Drive with Tom Temin about what the lack of a Senate-confirmed assistant AG means for the antitrust division.

To strengthen services for veterans and improve the work environment for its employees, the Veterans Affairs Department needs to think outside the proverbial box. That comes right from the top. VA Secretary Dr. David Shulkin says whether its eliminating veteran suicide, modernizing old systems or improving patient choice, innovative thinking will get it done. Federal News Radio Reporter Meredith Somers talked with some of those thinkers, during the VAs recent Innovation Demo Day.

More than 200 days in, the Trump administration isn't exactly brand new. Yet it's still having challenges gaining equilibrium. One metric is the number of political job nominations the White House has made or failed to make. Mallory Barg Bulman, vice president for research and evaluation at the Partnership for Public Service, shares the scorecard on this on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

The Defense Department invests billions of dollars every year in innovative technology. It has that in common with companies as diverse as Amazon and Dow Chemical. What's different is the way it manages its investments, with unfortunate consequences for innovation itself. Mike Sullivan, director of acquisition and sourcing management at the Government Accountability Office, offers his take on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

The numbers are big: $1.3 billion in Medicare and Medicaid fraud, with 400 defendants in 41 federal districts. Quite a day's work for the Health and Human Services inspector general, working with state and federal law enforcement. Tom O'Donnell, HHS' assistant IG for investigations, shares the details on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

The General Services Administration is seeing slow, steady growth for its Human Capital and Training Solutions governmentwide contract.

The Air Force is giving senior enlisted airmen an opportunity to stay in their ranks longer if they are in critically needed occupations.

Historically Underutilized Business Zones, or HUB Zones, have been a part of the federal small business contracting strategy for many years. It's not always easy to determine if a particular address qualifies as a HUB Zone. Now a new HUBZone map should ease that problem. Mariana Pardo, director of the HUBZone program at the Small Business Administration, and Alberto Colon-Viera, a programmer at U.S. Digital Service, share details about the map on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.