The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

The stock market is nothing if not exciting. Even in the swoons savvy investors find opportunity. If you have a Thrift Savings Plan account, such an opportunity might be the F Fund. Here with his analysis, certified financial planner Art Stein of Arthur Stein Financial.

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You might not think of the Office of Management and Budget as a locus of customer experience. That's where my next guest comes in. She's the first O-M-B head of customer experience, and a driving force behind the 2021 executive order call on all agencies to improve the services they deploy to the public. She's also a finalist in this year's Service to America Medals program. Amira Boland joins me now.

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

About one percent of recipients of a pandemic-era pension rescue plan were deceased. That is, their applications were filed fraudulently. The improper payments amounted to 127 million dollars. For how they fixed the problem, we turn to the executive director of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, Ken Dieffenbach.

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Defense Logistics Agency has just rolled out its mentor protégé program. It's designed to help small companies navigate federal contracting and improve their business and even technical skill. The types of reimbursable assistance available to small businesses range from business development itself to human resources training also obtaining quality certification, even machine set up. For more, Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis spoke to the DLA’s Office of Small Business Program's Daniele Kurze.

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Postal Service says it’s making positive changes next year for customers. USPS wants to get mail and packages to their destinations with less back-and-forth among facilities. Agency planners say that’ll help us say billions and allow faster and more reliable service to cities closer to USPS hubs, but that could be longer waits for people living in rural areas. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has the latest jury.

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Which type of contractor does the best work for federal agencies? Small business? Large business? Women or veteran owned? My next guest says it's those owned by their employees … ESOPs...that on the whole perform the best. Research James Hasik joins me now.

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Virtual reality, immersive electronic environments … they're not just for kids games or grandpa crashing into the television set. A survey by the Government Accountability Office shows that most federal agencies are using immersive technologies for a variety of purposes. For the hows and whys, we turn to the G-A-O's director of science and technology assessment, Brian Bothwell.

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Backlogs at Social Security processing centers are one the rise … with the backlog growing by more than a million and a half cases. The Office of Inspector General says the number of pending cases has risen because of staffing and overtime funding shortfalls. We get details now from deputy assistant I-G Mark Searight.

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.