The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

On today's episode of the Federal Drive with Tom Temin:

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The Defense industrial base is always a concern for the Pentagon. It worries both about capacity and whether it has a competitive market. That's why planners keep an eye on mergers and acquisitions aka M-and-A. M-and-A activity is highly sensitive to interest rates. For insight on what to expect now that the federal reserve rate is 5%, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Venable law firm partner Joseph Schmelter.

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No American would stand on a soap box and shout out how easy it is to deal with the federal government. A small office deep within the White House apparatus has been coaxing agencies to reduce what's officially known as administrative burden on citizens, things like difficult forms, procedures for getting on airplanes, obtaining a loan. The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) has a progress report on the year-old effort. To find out more, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with OIRA's associate administrator, Sam Berger.

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When the Department of Homeland Security launched the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program a little over a decade ago, it represented a major shift in how federal agencies managed cyber risks on their networks.

Instead of doing it alone, DHS would provide tools so agencies could “continuously” monitor their networks for assets and risks.

But the CDM program’s initial focus would hardly be considered “operational” today, according to Michael Duffy, the associate director of capacity building at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

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The 2003 crash of the Space Shuttle Columbia sparked big changes at NASA. That's when its Engineering and Safety Center got established, in order to provide safety oversight and a culture more attuned to safety. Federal Drive Host Tom Temin's guest was the lead guy for the Engineering and Safety Center, and he's a finalist in this year's Service to America Medals program, the Sammies. He's Ralph Roe, Jr., NASA's former Chief Engineer.

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It only took six years, but now the Homeland Security Department has new regulations covering how contractors must handle CUI, controlled, unclassified information. Better get ready. They go into effect later this month. The find out how you might need to prepare, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Holland and Knight attorney Eric Crusius.

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The Navy's carriers and submarines might be the most technically sophisticated in the world. But they're also the most expensive. And, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin's guest argues that they also might not be the most effective in dealing with the rise of China. Dan Grazier, a military fellow at the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), contends that alternative strategies and technology exist.

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On today's episode of the Federal Drive with Tom Temin:

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Following weeks of return-to-office announcements, yet another agency has made its plans clear to currently teleworking employees.

But this time, the National Science Foundation has drawn negative attention from its union. NSF leaders made a return-to-office announcement to staff members Friday, prior to negotiating or reaching an agreement on telework with the American Federation of Government Employees, the federal union said.

Starting in October, all telework-eligible NSF employees and Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) employees stationed at agency headquarters will have to work in the office at least four days per two-week pay period, NSF leaders said in an all-staff email, obtained by Federal News Network. The changes do not apply to employees eligible for remote work or those with an approved remote work agreement.

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With the calendar year half over, it's a good time to review your financial life. For people in the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHB), open season isn't far off. For a few housekeeping tips to keep in mind at this mid-year point, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with financial adviser Abe Grungold.

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