The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics education (STEM), is a critical need for the United States, especially since math skills of American students keep dropping. The National Science Foundation has been funding research into STEM education. Federal Drive host talked with the person, Sylvia Butterfield, who has led that effort as the deputy assistant director of NSF's Directorate for STEM Education. And she just received a Presidential Rank Award.

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.

Washington, and much of the nation, has been scratching its collective head over the case of Lloyd Austin. The Secretary of Defense was hospitalized with major surgery followed by complications. Yet the White House didn't know for nearly a week. For what might have been going on and what should have, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Ezra Cohen, a Hudson Institute adjunct faculty member and former Defense Department and National Security Council official.

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.

Climate change and what is known as environmental justice top the list of management challenges for the Environmental Protection Agency this year. No surprise there. But the EPA's office of inspector general, in its annual listing, found several other priorities. For details, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin talked with supervisory auditor Claire McWilliams.

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 disappointing results from the General Services Administration’s landmark Section 508 report also come with the hope that increased transparency will drive more staff and resources for federal technology accessibility efforts.

GSA’s assessment released last week shows that, with a few exceptions, agencies are struggling to meet their obligations to provide persons with disabilities with accessible information and communications technologies.

Relying on self-reported results, the assessment measured how agencies are conforming to Section 508 standards for digital content, including websites, electronic documents, videos, hardware, software, mobile apps and kiosks.

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.

National security eyebrows shot up last month when a former FBI counterintelligence special agent received a four-year prison sentence. Why? He had gone to work for a Russian oligarch, a sanctioned oligarch no less. Robert McGonigal had headed the New York field office counterintelligence work. For some of the lessons everyone with clearance should learn from this, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin talked with attorney Dan Meyer, managing partner at Tully Rinckey.

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.

In a long federal career, Elizabeth Cappello has typified people who get things done. A former Marine, she worked at the old U.S. Customs Service, later at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Now, she's the deputy chief information officer for the Homeland Security Department. Federal Drive Host Tom Temin talked to her about her storied career, that just had an exclamation point attached to the end of it with a Presidential Rank Award.

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.

Rulemaking. The government does lots and lots of it. But because the power to regulate is the power to destroy, rulemaking has rules. And like all agency activities, it requires congressional oversight. The Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress asked the Government Accountability Office for ideas on how to improve rulemaking oversight. To find out what the committee came up with, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Yvonne Jones, GAO's director of strategic issues.

GAO Report

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 today's 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 Postal Service has one of the most diverse workforces in the U.S. and is growing more diverse.

But a recent watchdog report finds USPS workforce diversity doesn’t always reflect in its leadership ranks.

The Government Accountability Office, in a report released last month, found white USPS employees held a disproportionate number of executive positions in fiscal 2022, and that employees of color, in some cases, were less likely to receive promotions into leadership roles.

The report also found that management-level employees from historically disadvantaged racial or ethnic groups, as well as women managers and managers with disabilities, were generally paid less than their colleagues.

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.