The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

Federal wild land firefighters who combat dangerous wildfires, like the ones responsible for currently hazardous air conditions on the east coast, are facing yet another crisis.

Time is running out for a temporary pay raise for federal firefighters, officials at the Department of Interior and the Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service warned senators on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

The temporary pay raise, in an attempt to improve recruitment and retention, offered federal firefighters a boost of either $20,000 or 50% of their annual base salary, whichever number is lower. But the funding, part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), will run out by the end of September.

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At the Interior Department, back office systems running grants, real property, finance and acquisition aren’t just getting a burst of new technology. The entire office overseeing the IT is getting a new name.

The Business Integration Office will soon change to the Business Integration and Innovation Office (BI2).

Andrea Brandon, the deputy assistant secretary for budget, finance, grants and acquisition for the Interior Department, said both the name change and the new technology will accelerate Interior’s digital transformation.

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Three contractor trade associations have banded together on the issue of foreign military sales. Last year they sent a long list of suggested changes to the Defense Department. This year they're focusing on the State Department. For a summary, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with Stephanie Kostro, the Executive Vice President for Policy at the Professional Services Council.

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Most discussions about federal modernizing, center on information technology. For the armed forces, modernizing is also about physical systems that require a solid manufacturing industry base. That is where the non-profit Advanced Manufacturing Innovation and Integration Center comes in. It is working to support the Army's need for a half million skilled workers. For more details, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with the Center's program manager, Brian Schmidt.

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

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It's not so easy picking out cars and light trucks for your federal fleet. No more garages full of Chevy Luminas. Now the General Services Administration (GSA), which oversees these things, has issued an online tool to help fleet managers pick out electric vehicles. For more details, Federal Drive host Tom Temin talked with GSA's Executive Director for GSA fleet management, Christina Kingsland, and the Assistant Commissioner for Travel, Transportation and Logistics, Crystal Philcox.

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Now back from space, three NASA astronauts have a new mission: to help recruit the next generation of federal employees.

A group of current federal interns across government heard from NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, as well as Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, at a launch event for a new federal internship experience program. The program, a collaboration between the Office of Personnel Management and Department of Interior, will offer the short-term feds more professional development opportunities throughout the summer.

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In the aftermath of Typhoon Mawar, roughly half the residents of Guam, including military service members and civilian Defense Department employees, still have no power and water. Although progress is being made to restore utilities, homes sustained damage and residents lost food and possessions as a result of the typhoon’s high winds and heavy rain. Karen Fahland, the director of the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society and a nine-year resident of the island, said it was the worst storm she had ever seen.

“The one thing that saved a lot of people here [near the naval base] is that many of the structures are concrete. Other places it’s total devastation. The northern part of the island unfortunately had houses that are now uninhabitable,” Fahland said. She said in her own home, a condo by the beach, typhoon shutters were torn off the building and the rain came in horizontally.

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Committees in the House will take up two important issues this week: Agency budgets for 2024 and the next National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) This will transpire as Congress recovers from its exertions over the debt ceiling. For a look ahead, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with Loren Duggan, Bloomberg Government's Deputy News Director.

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The National Nurses Organizing Committee and National Nurses United at Veterans Affairs have signed a three-year contract. It covers more than 14,000 RNs at 23 VA hospitals. Negotiations spanned nearly a decade and two president's administrations. For details, Federal News Network's Eric White spoke to organizing committee chair Irma Westmoreland.

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