Federal Drive with Tom Temin

Pandemic, riots throughout the nation, and a messy presidential transition, what a season federal employees have come through. Yet the annual Combined Federal Campaign carried on through it all. How'd they do? Joining the Federal Drive with a wrap-up, the chairman of the CFC for the national capital region, Vince Micone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the Government Accountability Office releases its annual summary of work by its bid protest adjudication unit, most people focus on how many cases it heard in the prior year. But within that number is an even more significant count. The number of cases it decided using alternative dispute resolution. The Federal Drive got more from Jenner and Block government contracting specialist Noah Bleicher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the Biden administration gets up and running, incoming State Department appointees see an opportunity to revitalize its workforce. A report from the Partnership for Public Service shows the agency saw its first net staff reduction in decades under the Trump administration. The agency has also seen a steady decline in employee satisfaction surveys for the past decade. For more on State’s next steps under the Biden administration, Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman spoke with a former senior intelligence service executive, now a senior adviser with the Partnership, Chris Cox. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It wasn't a question of if, but when. President Biden signed an executive order last week that rolls back a handful of Trump-era workforce policies. It repealed those 2018 executive orders that limited collective bargaining and official time. And it repealed Schedule F. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko joined the Federal Drive to explain what it all means and what's next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After finishing a year dealing with a horrible pandemic, the new year opened with total breakdown at no less than the U.S. Capitol. But it's not hopeless. Our next guest on the Federal Drive is about to depart from his normal professorial role and assume that of hope counselor. It's American University's Bob Tobias. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Transportation Security Administration is crowdsourcing ideas for how to better use its data. The Power of Passengers Challenge seeks better ways to get people securely through airports and improve situational awareness. For how the challenge works, the Federal Drive turned to the Executive Director of contractor, TechConnect Ventures, Nick Kacsandi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Putting live muscle tissue on robots sounds like something straight out of a sci-fi movie. But, the bizarre image may not be that far off. The Army Research Lab is studying ways to attach animal and insect muscle to robots to make them stronger and more flexible. Federal News Network’s Scott Maucione talks about the program with ARL research scientist Dean Culver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As they settle in throughout the government, the Biden administration appointees come with ambitious agendas, like all of their predecessors. To get anything done, though, they'll need to understand the sometimes arcane federal budget process. For more, the Federal Drive turned to Grant Thornton managing director and former federal CFO, Doug Criscitello. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A signature initiative of the Trump administration was the removal of what agency heads considered excessive or outdated regulations. The original policy was removal of two regulations for every new one proposed. So how'd they do? For one answer, the Federal Drive turned to the director of the George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center, Susan Dudley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the latest installment in a 20 year rebuilding project, the State Department is about to embark on a new embassy in New Delhi, India. More than a building, it will result in an entirely new approach in one of the most diplomatically crucial cities. Joining the Federal Drive with details, the State Department's managing director for program development, Angel Dizon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They come from think tanks, academia, Capitol Hill, even corporate life. They're the appointed employees of a new administration, ranging from Schedule C to Senate confirmed. For one view of what the heck goes on in those first few days and weeks, the Federal Drive turned to the CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, Max Stier. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On its first full day in office, the Biden administration has a plan IRS recently offered up to reorganize the agency around providing more modern services to taxpayers. The National Treasury Employees Union says it's relatively pleased with the Taxpayer First Act plan. The union represents at least 70,000 IRS employees. Tony Reardon is NTEU's national president. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko, in part two of her interview, discusses why the plan could benefit IRS employees, and expectations for other agencies heading into the new administration, with NTEU national president Tony Reardon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The National Treasury Employees Union isn't quite ready to turn the page on issues that kept it busy over the last few years. Leadership there thinks there's too much to do to recover from those 2018 workforce executive orders even once the Biden administration repeals them. Plus, the pandemic has created new priorities and refocused old ones for the union. For more on the big union's priorities, Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko spoke to the NTEU president, Tony Reardon. Hear more on Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the Biden administration takes over, it's probably not thinking about robotic process automation. But maybe it should be? More than three years after NASA became the first agency to test out RPA, agencies have deployed hundreds of RPA bots. This level of automation has saved agencies hundreds of thousands of work hours in the last year. But that’s just the beginning as some agencies look at running bots around the clock. Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin for more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly every military system runs on software. But software runs on hardware, and hardware is made up of printed circuit boards. Now the National Defense Authorization Act requires the Pentagon to take steps to ensure security of its supply chain of circuit boards. Here with what this all means, the vice president for government relations at the IPC Chris Mitchell spoke to Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices