The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

Agencies got more details from the Office of Personnel Management on how to get started with an inter-agency program aiming to boost retention of federal cybersecurity professionals. The guidance from OPM came after President Joe Biden signed a bill into law last June, which established a federal rotational cyber workforce program.

The program lets agencies offer up rotation assignments for federal employees currently working in IT, cyber or cyber-related positions. Eligible employees can apply for, and work at, a different federal agency for a limited time period, between six months and one year, before returning to their home agency.

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In today's episode of The Federal Drive with Tom Temin:

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He runs a program most people never heard of, but it has got a $5 billion budget. He is the head of the Bureau of Primary Health Care, nested in the Health Resources and Services Administration, itself a component of the Health and Human Services Department. Federal Drive host Tom Temin talked with this senior executive and recent recipient of a Presidential Rank Award, James Macrae.

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Given everything that happened in the pandemic of 2020, one would think the government would have learned a thing or two about bio responses. It has learned a lot, actually. But there is more work to do, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). For more, Federal Drive host Tom Temin talked with Chris Currie, GAO's Director of Homeland Security and Justice.

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The Department of Homeland Security is moving out on a department-wide customer experience initiative across multiple fronts, with DHS bringing in a former U.S. Digital Service official to lead a new CX office. DHS is establishing a permanent “CX Directorate” at headquarters this year. During a March 16 meeting of the Homeland Security Advisory Council, DHS Chief Information Officer Eric Hysen said the permanent office is already attracting “key talent” to the department’s CX work.

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The Commerce Department’s Commerce Acquisition for Transformational Technology Services (CATTS) multiple award contract is the perfect microcosm of all that’s wrong with federal procurement and small business. Despite the fact there are thousands of contracts that agencies award every day going off without a hitch — at least that’s the important reminder from former federal executive David Drabkin and many others over the years — the Commerce effort to create a high-dollar, long-term relationship with small businesses flies in the face of the government’s long-held goal to increase and support the small business industrial base. In fact, it’s easy to argue that CATTS, and really many other similar acquisitions efforts, are detrimental to that goal.

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In today's episode of The Federal Drive with Tom Temin:

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Federal contractors don't see a lot of room for growth after inflation in fiscal 2024, with a few large agencies actually requesting a reduction in funding relative to what was enacted in 2023. For a few observations, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke to Stephanie Kostro, Executive Vice President for Policy at the Professional Services Council.

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If you wonder why federal employees worry, along with everyone else, consider: mini financial crises, a stubbornly bear stock market, no breakthroughs on Social Security solvency, and the debt-ceiling debate dragging out. For one point of view, Federal Drive host talked with John Hatton, Vice President for Policy at the National Association of Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE).

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You would think everything wood can be used for has been thought of. But wood, considered a renewable resource, has a lot of life. The Agriculture Department is running a competitive grant program to come up with new ways to manage, promote and use wood. For the details, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with Brian Brashaw, the Forest Service's Assistant Director for Wood Innovations.

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