The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

The Defense Department has been dealing with Chinese planes and ships harassing U.S. planes and ships. The State Department has dealt with Chinese aggression on the diplomatic front. China has also emerged as a central challenge for the Commerce Department, by design, according to Federal Drive host Tom Temin's guest: Wire China staff writer Katrina Northrop.

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When many members of Congress are unable to manage a Facebook account, Don Beyer of Virginia has been pursuing a master's degree in machine learning. He's been at it for a year. For a progress report, Federal Drive host Tom Temin talks with the student himself: Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.)

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

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The Department of Homeland Security’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction office, facing employee engagement scores near the bottom of the federal government, is hoping to turn a corner in the coming years with the pending reauthorization of the office moving forward in Congress.

DHS has consistently ranked near the bottom of the 17 “large” agencies in the “Best Places to Work in the Federal Government” rankings compiled by the Partnership for Public Service. Those low scores are largely driven by challenges at large DHS components like Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Transportation Security Administration.

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Love 'em or have 'em, federal proposed rules have a habit of becoming final. For contracting officers in the Defense Department, the latest acquisition regulation means they're obligated to use the Supplier Performance Risk System in evaluating bids. For what it means to contractors, Federal Drive hotst Tom Temin spoke with Piliero-Mazza attorney Kevin Barnett.

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Given the long-running and intense illegal immigration drama on the U.S-Mexico border, you might expect low morale for employees of Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Now the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General has documented it. For details, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with Acting Deputy IG for Audits, Kristen Bernard and from Audit Manager David Lu.

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

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For the 2024 budget cycle, serious military recruiting problems appear to have put the House’s appropriations and authorization committees in a generous mood when it comes to personnel spending.

Although all uniformed servicemembers are likely to see their biggest raise since the George W. Bush administration, the House’s legislation would give the military’s most junior members even larger increases, along with a host of other provisions meant to improve compensation and quality of life for lower-ranking enlistees.

All military members are expected to get a 5.2 percent pay increase next year: President Biden’s proposed budget and the House appropriations and authorization bills each agree on that figure, and that raise alone would be the biggest percentage increase uniformed members have seen since 2002.

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The Veterans Benefits Administration is looking to accelerate its use of automation tools this summer to keep pace with its workload and break new records on the number of claims it can process in a year.

VBA officials told members of the House Veterans Affairs Committee that increased automation stands out as a key part of the agency’s five-year modernization plan.

Raymond Tellez, VA’s acting assistant deputy under secretary for automated benefits delivery, told lawmakers on Wednesday that VBA, as part of its five-year modernization plan, is piloting automation technology to help decrease the time it takes to process claims.

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The push for ever-more productivity. The noodging to return to the office. the political comings and goings. The funding uncertainty. It's enough to convince some feds it's time to retire. But think about it first. There's an opportunity cost to retiring. For more, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with retired federal manager and financial adviser Abe Grungold.

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