GovExec Daily

The climate crisis is felt throughout the world, but the western part of this continent has particularly seen the effects of climate change. Recently, the Tribal Marine Stewards Network was launched to manage ocean and coastal territories in California. The network is an alliance of Tribal Nations working collaboratively to protect and restore coastal and marine ecosystems for future generations.

Megan ROcha is Executive Director of the Resighini Ranchería, one of the four founding tribes of the network And Michael Esgro is a Senior Biodiversity Program Manager and the Tribal Liaison at the state of California's Ocean Protection Council. They joined the podcast to talk about the Tribal Marine Stewards Network and the management of California coastal land.

President Joe Biden announced the opening of student loan forgiveness applications on Monday and that 8 million borrowers had already applied for loan relief during the beta launch of the site over the weekend. The president encouraged anyone eligible to sign up touting the simplicity of the process. The site received more than 13.4 million visits, according the government analytics trackers, and has received more mostly positive reviews so far.

What does this mean for the future of government customer service and will the site serve as a blueprint for future for other agencies? Natalie Alms is a staff writer for our sister publication FCW, she joined the podcast to discuss the rollout.

Based on historical evidence, the party opposite the White House will likely gain Congressional seats in the upcoming midterm elections. Indeed, according to polling aggregator sites, Republicans have a good chance of winning the House in a few weeks and, thus, the committee leadership roles. Republicans have promised extensive oversight of the Biden administration and agency business if they win, changing the ways agencies will do business.

GovExec senior correspondent Eric Katz is covering the midterm elections. He joined the podcast to preview how the elections could change the way Congress will treat agencies next year.

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During the early parts of the COVID-19 pandemic's economic downturn, the federal government allocated hundreds of billions of dollars in relief in many programs. The Paycheck Protection Program was one of those programs, created to help small businesses withstand the economic crisis. More than two years out, a new Project on Government Oversight report outlines how the Small Business Administration flagged over 2 million Paycheck Protection Program loans worth at least $189 billion between August 2020 and September 2021.

Nick Schwellenbach is a senior investigator at the Project on Government Oversight, a former Office of Special Counsel employee and one of the authors of the POGO report headlined "The Great Pandemic Swindle: Feds Botched Review of Billions in Suspect PPP Loans." He joined the podcast to discuss the report and the Paycheck Protection Program.

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The Social Security Administration announced Thursday that SSI benefits for millions of Americans will increase 8.7 percent in 2023. On average, Social Security benefits will increase by more than $140 per month starting in January. While the increase is historic, inflation blunts the news for retirees, as the increase will likely not track with the cost of food and other everyday necessities.

Richard Fiesta is the Executive Director at the Alliance for Retired Americans. Earlier in his career, he worked in both the executive and legislative branches of government, serving at the Departments of Labor and Interior and for Senators Barbara Mikulski and Harris Wofford. As part of our #MoneyMonday series, he joined the podcast talk about the cost of living adjustment, Social Security and other issues facing retirees.

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We've all experienced long wait times on the phone, hoping for a solution to a problem that we have with a government agency or public service. But, according to a new report, agencies can temper some of that frustration with empathetic, interactive voice response systems. According to a Deloitte Center for Government Insights report released last week, there are ways to employ IVR in a cost effective and positive way to improve government customer service.

Marc Mancher is a principal at Deloitte Consulting, where he founded and leads the federal, state, local, and higher education Contact Center business. He joined the podcast to discuss the future of government customer service contact centers.

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The midterm elections are next month and Republicans have a good chance of winning the House and, thus, the committee leadership roles. Executive branch oversight being a key responsibility of Congress, many members of the House GOP caucus have indicated that they will use their oversight powers aggressively if they take over committees.

Kery Murakami is a senior reporter covering Congress and federal agencies for GovExec sibling site Route Fifty. He joined the podcast to discuss what oversight plans Republicans have if they take back the House in next month's elections

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As the midterm elections approach, federal employees once again need to be aware of Hatch Act rules around political activity. With the COVID-19-era move to remote and hybrid work, the blurred lines between on- and off-the-job times can make the Hatch Act even more difficult to navigate.

GovExec correspondent Courtney Bublé is the author of an ongoing series on the Hatch Act. She joined the podcast to discuss the Hatch Act and how public servants can stay on the right side of the rules as we approach the midterm elections.

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Established three years ago, the U.S. Space Force is still new, but is an important topic on Capitol Hill. The space service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces contracts with aerospace firms and is staffing up as it evolves and Congress remains a part of its evolution.

Recently, Defense One Senior National Security Correspondent Jacqueline Feldscher interviewed Representative Doug Lamborn of Colorado during the State of Defense online event. In this episode, Jacqueline interviews Lamborn about the future of space policy.

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At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple Senators sold millions of dollars worth of stock between a Jan. 24 2020 private briefing and the market crash a few weeks later, certainly bringing up questions as to whether they acted on sensitive insider information. Unfortunately, there is little to prevent members of Congress from doing this and attempts to shore the rules up have been thwarted. For example, after rejecting a comprehensive bill, the House leadership brought forward a stock-trading bill that is full of holes and likely dead on arrival… if it gets a vote.

Rep. Abigail Spanberger is a Democrat representing Virginia's 7th district in the United States House of Representatives. She's also been a leading voice for stricter rules in the legislature surrounding stock-trading and ethics. She joined the podcast to discuss ethics, congress and her role in enacting stricter rules against legislators trading individual stocks.

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