GovExec Daily

What do Harry Truman, Wanda Sykes and Steve Carell all have in common? They all worked for federal agencies early in their careers.

Tom Shoop is the Editor-at-Large of GovExec. He has a story on GovExec headlined "Why This Federal Agency Is a Breeding Ground for Celebrities." He joined the podcast to discuss break just how many former feds ended being big-time celebrities.

The General Services Administration and the Office of Management and Budget have rolled out the Draft PMA Learning Agenda in connection to the President's Management Agenda. The document will encourage collaboration and research to close evidence gaps within, beyond, and in partnership with the government. As with all things connected to evidence-based policy, the interplay between policymakers and researchers will be key to progress and mission success.

Dr. Donald F. Kettl is professor emeritus at the University of Maryland and former dean of its School of Public Policy. He is the author of many books, including Escaping Jurassic Government: How to Recover America's Lost Commitment to Competence, The Politics of the Administrative Process, System Under Stress and The Next Government of the United States. He has a post on GovExec.com headlined "It's Time to Bridge the Divide Separating Policymakers and Researchers." He joined the show to discuss how government can solve problems by connecting policymakers and researchers.

President Joe Biden's administration has set its sights on infrastructure, including the need for expanded broadband. Experts generally agree that public-private partnerships will be a big part of these goals.

Jeffrey A. Campbell is Vice President,Government Affairs for Cisco Systems, Inc. He joined the show to discuss broadband access and public-private partnerships.

Michael McAfee is the president and CEO of PolicyLink, a national research and action institute advancing racial and economic equity. Max Stier is the president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that strives for a more effective government for the American people. They are co-authors of a piece on our site headlined "The Biden Administration Can Seize a Once-in-a-Generation Opportunity to Advance Equity. Here's How." They spoke to the podcast about how the White House can turn DEIA rhetoric into action.

This week, Russia sent troops into eastern Ukraine, marking the second time in eight years that Vladimir Putin has invaded the country. NATO allies have brought sanctions against Russia, but Putin said on Wednesday that Russia was still open to diplomacy on Ukraine. Because of the conflict, the State Department has been moving its staff away from the Kyiv embassy and is monitoring the situation.

GovExec correspondent Courtney Bublé is covering the embassy staff movement. She joined the show to talk about the latest news around the Ukraine crisis and its effect on American diplomats in the region.

Security clearances are a key part of the federal government's workforce. But, the strictures and rules around security clearance processes are always moving and agencies are agencies are updating their processes often, which can leave those applying to be cleared in a bit of a bind because navigating the process can be difficult and confusing.

Elaine Fitch and Mary Kuntz are attorneys with the firm of Kalijarvi, Chuzi, Newman & Fitch, P.C. advise clients on the security clearance process and have written extensively on the topic. They are also the co-authors of the 5th edition of the Security Clearance and Law guide. They joined the show to discuss what feds need to know about clearances and the clearance process.

Congress faced a debt limit crisis in December, but passed a short-term bill at the last minute before ultimately punting the issue to 2023. Because there is no roadmap for how the government would operate if it breaches its debt ceiling, Democrats this week introduced a bill that would allow the executive branch to issue new debt, as long as the president notifies Congress.

Eric Katz has been covering the debt limit bills in Congress. He joined the show to discuss the state of things on Capitol Hill.

After a private briefing for senators in January 2020 about the coronavirus crisis, North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr sold between $500,000 and $1.5 million in stock shortly before markets tanked. Former Senator Kelly Loeffler also sold millions in stock between the briefing and the market drop.

Some public outrage surrounded the news about the Senators capitalizing on insider information, but the news cycle moved on. A few months ago in December, Colorado Senator John Hickenlooper disclosed that he had sold approximately four million dollars worth of stock, conveniently in advance of federal interest hikes. The news was mostly buried.

Good government advocacy groups have been raising the volume recently on the call for legislation to prevent members of Congress trading individual stocks. More than a dozen groups signed onto a letter by the Project on Government Oversight sent to Senate leaders calling for Congressional action on insider trading that would be stronger than the 2012 STOCK Act.

Andrew Lautz is a Policy and Government Affairs Manager for the National Taxpayers Union and Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette is a Government Affairs Manager at the Project on Government Oversight. They joined the podcast to discuss the push to ban members of Congress fro trading individual stocks.

Dr. Anthony Fauci has seen a lot in his decades of service in government.. As director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Chief Medical Advisor to the President, Fauci has become one of the faces of the COVID-19 response. But, Fauci's agency also recently released a new pandemic preparedness plan that brings all together all of government. Recently, GovExec correspondent and frequent GovExec Daily guest Courtney Bublé interviewed Dr. Fauci about the ways he and his agency are working to mitigate the next stages of the COVID crisis and future pandemics. In this episode, you'll hear Courtney's interview with Fauci on the all-of-government approach to pandemic preparedness.