Federal Drive with Tom Temin

Geographic information is crucial to agency missions almost everywhere. That's especially true for the U.S. Agency for International Development. The agency operates throughout the world. For how geo and geo information systems underlie development decisions, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with USAID's chief geographer, Carrie Stokes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the military wrestles with some of its highest suicide rates on record, the Defense Department is undertaking a landmark look into mental health, suicide prevention and response. The Pentagon announced Tuesday the establishment of the Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee (SPRIRC) – a commission that will use third-party experts to critique the military’s response to mental health. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly a year after President Joe Biden signed off on an expansive cybersecurity executive order, officials are grappling with the difficult task of taking secure software standards and applying them to the vast array of software agencies buy. The Office of Management and Budget plans on releasing new secure software guidance for agencies within the next eight to 12 weeks, according to Chris DeRusha, federal chief information security officer. The guidance is based on a “Secure Software Development Framework” (SSDF), as well as “Software Supply Chain Security Guidance” released by the National Institute of Standards and Technology in February. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Goddard Space Flight Center, one of NASA's original sites, is about to get a major nip and tuck. This after NASA's office of strategic infrastructure said yes to a new master plan for Goddard. For one thing, Goddard plans to cut its building square footage by 25%. Federal Drive host Tom Temin talked about the master plan with Goddard's associate center director, Ray Rubilotta. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you think infrastructure, you probably think of new and replacement. But the big bill enacted late last year also has money for removing infrastructure. Specifically, river dams. For how and why this is the case, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with Tom Kieran, the president and CEO of the non-profit American Rivers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Veterans Affairs Department is the latest agency to bring its workforce back to the office, but is envisioning a hybrid workplace in the coming months to improve recruitment and retention. Deputy VA Secretary Donald Remy said Tuesday that the VA brought non-bargaining unit employees back to the office last week. The agency, he added, expects bargaining unit employees to return to the office by May. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Good behavior can get a con out of prison. Good behavior can also get your program off the Government Accountability Office's never-ending list of high-risk federal programs. In fact, the GAO just issued guidance on how get off the list. For highlights, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin turned to the GAO's director of strategic issues, Michelle Sager. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Presidents make sure their and their party's policies are carried out in large measure by whom they appoint. Each time, though, it seems like the confirmation process goes slower and slower. For a look at how things stand now for the Biden administration, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin turned to someone who counts these things. Anne Joseph O'Connell is a Stanford Law School professor and a public member of the Administrative Conference of the United States. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before it can hire contractors to build or renovate federal buildings, the General Services Administration's Public Buildings Service has to engage architects. Over the years, some of the world's top architects have designed federal buildings. Now GSA wants to ensure diversity in its roster of architects. It's inked a memorandum of understanding with the National Organization of Minority Architects. The Commissioner of the Public Buildings Service Nina Albert shared more details on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Security clearances, how to get them, what you can do with them, is an ever-chancing topic. The last couple of years have brought quite a few changes, especially since the machinery moved from the Office of Personnel Management to the Defense Department. Here with an update, two attorneys from the federal employee focused law firm Kalijarvi, Chuzi, Newman and Fitch, managing partner Elaine Fitch and partner Mary Kuntz.

Federal employees, and federal employees only, have a new place to go for information on leadership development and career advancement. A whole series of seminars now lives on a special section of MAX.gov. Joining the Federal Drive with details, from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Kim Wittenberg.

It’s been almost six years since agencies were told by the Office of Management and Budget to develop an enterprise approach to risk management. Some agencies are more successful than others. The Association for Federal Enterprise Risk Management took the opportunity to provide the first of several helpful guides as ERM becomes more important to agencies. For more, Federal News Network's Jason Miller spoke to the president of the Association for Risk Management, Daniella Datskovska is the president of the Association for Federal Enterprise Risk Management.

The procurement environment is a little confusing at the moment. Appropriations came through with only a half a year to obligate them. The 2023 budget schedule is foggy. And inflation overlays the buying power of every dollar. For what contractors are, or should be thinking about, the Federal Drive turned to the executive vice president for policy at the Professional Services Council, Stephanie Kostro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2022 appropriations enacted last week give the Defense Department some extra bread for facilities maintenance and repair. More than $1 billion more. Plus, U.S. Space Force ponders a digital approach to assessing service members fitness. those stories ad more in this week's DOD Reporters Notebook with Scott Maucione and Jared Serbu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The House of Representatives is taking what amounts to spring break for politicians. But the Senate is in town working on legislation to deal with China, and closing in on the Supreme Court nomination. The Federal Drive got the look-ahead from Bloomberg Government deputy news director Loren Duggan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices