The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

Whistleblower protection legislation often has bipartisan support. Yet it seems to take forever. A bill to extend federal protections to contractors was supposed to get marked up in January in the House Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. But now it is sidelined. For more, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Joe Spielberger, the policy counsel at the Project on Government Oversight (POGO).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

DNA has long been used to identify human remains. Such is the case at the identification lab operated by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Now some new scientific methods have emerged called next-gen sequencing. To go deeper into what that is and how it can help, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with DNA operations director at the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System, Tim McMahon.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

On this episode of the Federal Drive with Tom Temin:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

The Treasury Department and the IRS are calling on teleworking employees to return to the office for half of their workdays, starting in a few months.

IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel told employees in an email Thursday that teleworking employees will need to return to the office 50% of the time, on any given month, starting on May 5.

“Our top priority, regardless of where employees are located at any point in time, will continue to be meeting our goals of serving taxpayers, ensuring tax compliance and maintaining our vital technology and operations,” Werfel wrote.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

The Department of Homeland Security’s top artificial intelligence official believes the DHS mission will compel technology experts to join the department’s recently announced “AI cadre.”

DHS announced plans this month to recruit 50 AI technology experts in 2024. They will join a cadre that DHS is modeling after the U.S. Digital Service, a White House organization that provides technology experts and consultation services to federal agencies.

Eric Hysen, DHS’s chief information officer and chief AI officer, said the department will leverage Office of Personnel Management direct-hire authorities to quickly build out the cadre. OPM issued those direct hire authorities in the wake of President Joe Biden’s AI executive order.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

On this episode of the Federal Drive with Tom Temin:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

Russian brutality on parade once again. No end in sight for the Middle East conflict. No federal 2024 budget and the border crisis rolls on. What a great time for Congress to take a recess. For an up-close look at what Congress has done, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Loren Duggan, Bloomberg Government deputy news director Loren Duggan.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

Gigantic federal spending programs, outside of regular appropriations, look like a big opportunity to small and minority-owned businesses. That is according to a group called Reimagining Main Street, which surveyed its constituents. For more, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Tammy Halevy, the executive director of Reimagining Main Street.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

Nearly every moment a security issue takes place somewhere in the transportation system. Thousands of incidents each week get reported to the Transportation Security Administration's big operations center in Herndon, Virginia. For more of what goes on there, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Toby Punchard, supervisory air marshal in charge at the Transportation Security Operations Center.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

It took 13 years — with some stops, starts and stumbles in between — but as of today, the federal government now has a single website designed to deliver detailed, searchable information about all federal programs.

The Office of Management and Budget flipped the switch Thursday on the new Federal Program Inventory, a platform it’s been building via various pilot efforts since December 2020. Officials acknowledge it doesn’t yet capture every single program: For now, only “domestic assistance” programs are included. But that broad category encompasses most federal spending, ranging from Social Security and Medicare to the smallest community block grant programs.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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