Federal Drive with Tom Temin

The IRS is doubling down on its investment in Robotic Process Automation, software to handle tasks common to thousands of contracts. One bot kept the IRS in compliance with sections of the National Defense Authorization Act, and saved employees years of work. The IRS says it wants to balance innovation risk. For more, Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman spoke with IRS Chief Procurement Officer, Shanna Webbers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Washington state Democrat Adam Smith (D-WA) is embarking on his second term as Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. This year is different though, because Democrats also hold the Senate. Smith says the Defense budget will nevertheless be hard fought this year, but vows the committee will get it done. Federal News Network’s Scott Maucione talked with Smith about his upcoming priorities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Air Force officials are looking to expand a program under which new equipment is designed completely digitally, and moving to construction without blueprints or clay models. It's already been proven in several programs. For what's ahead, the Federal Drive turned to the Air Force's Deputy Assistant Secretary, Science, Technology and Engineering, Kristen Baldwin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By now you've heard, the Government Accountability Office has released its biennial list of high-risk federal programs. It's a reminder to both the executive branch and Congress that some expensive programs with high impact on public life need attention. Joining the Federal Drive with some of what goes into establishing the list, the head of the GAO, Comptroller General Gene Dodaro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start out with some of our own reporting on the Government Accountability Office's High Risk List. The Pentagon still has a very long way to go before it gets itself completely off that List. But progress is progress. GAO’s latest biennial list, published this week, gives DoD credit for better management of its more than one trillion dollars in real property. As a result, that’s the one area GAO deleted from this year’s list. Federal News Network’s Jared Serbu wrote about some of the reasons behind that decision. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sexual assault, cheating scandals, suicides, climate change issues and needed cyber updates are all problems coming to a head in the military service academies. The superintendents say they are working to fix the issues, but it remains to be seen how quickly and effectively the plans can be implemented. Federal News Network’s Scott Maucione joined the Federal Drive to discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back in 2016, the Department of Homeland Security was on the case against violent extremism. In fact, it handed out 26 grants totaling $10 million to state and local governments under a program called Combatting Violent Extremists. But the department failed to document the criteria for the awards. For the details, the Director of Homeland Security and Justice issues at the Government Accountability Office, Triana McNeil joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pretty much everyone thinks Congress is only marginally functional, except for maybe deficit spending. Among the underlying challenges for the first branch of government is the conditions under which its tens of thousands of staff members work. For some ideas for reforming the Congressional workplace, Senior Governance Studies fellow at Brookings Institution Molly Reynolds spoke to Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You might have heard: U.S. Customs and Border Protection is dealing with a dynamic situation on the Mexican border. Now it's established a new position called the Border Patrol processing coordinator to deal with the administrative burden. Chief Patrol Agent at the U.S. Border Patrol Academy, Jason Owens joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to explain what it's all about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top officials in the Biden administration said they're trying to reset the tone with the federal workforce. New appointees at the Office of Management and Budget said the federal workforce needs a rebuild following four years of policies they say were harmful. And the Office of Personnel Management said it's ready to reemerge a workforce policy leader after the agency was often sidelined during the Trump administration. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin now to break down the messages from the Biden administration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a $1.9 trillion extra spending bill makes its way through Congress, the IRS is preparing to issue a third round of stimulus payments to individuals. Meantime, it's got a tax filing season to deal with. To staff up call centers to support a surge in taxpayer questions, the agency is asking Congress for additional funding. It also wants more money for modernizing its information technology. Federal news Network’s Jory Heckman had the latest on Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's axiomatic that Defense spending will get cut with a Democratic Congress and White House, right? Not so fast. Democratic leadership this time seem to be moving gingerly. For more on this and what else contractors should keep in mind, the Federal Drive turned to federal sales and marketing consultant Larry Allen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The National Institutes of Health funds what it calls extramural research in a wide variety of fields. Our guest has for many years worked to ensure that small enterprises got their share of the grants. Now she's the recipient of a Tibbets Award from the Small Business Administration for advancing the Small Business Technology Transfer and Small Business Innovation Research programs. For more, the director of the Office of Clinical Policy and Programs at the FDA., Dr. Jodi Black, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just prior to the change in administrations, the State Department appointed a new chief data officer. Presuming the Biden State Department wants to use data to inform its decisions, the CDO position should be in high demand. Joining the Federal Drive now is that new chief data officer Dr. Matthew Graviss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A persistent set of challenges for the armed services have to do with inequalities between men and women. Sometimes it takes a bad form, such as sexual assault and harassment. Sometimes if financial. With what's going on, on a couple of fronts this week, Federal News Network's Scott Maucione and Jared Serbu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices