Federal Drive with Tom Temin

Whether at the bottom of your coffeemaker or the inside of a nuclear cooling tower, internet-connected devices are everywhere, and that includes the federal government. With no end in sight for Internet of Things, agencies are benefiting from the range of devices but also added risks. Federal News Radio's Meredith Somers tells Federal Drive with Tom Temin more about what government is doing to manage the IoT.

When union employees want to take time off for political activity, they're allowed to, but only as unscheduled and unpaid leave. The Postal Inspector General found that, in some districts, the practice, while legal, got out of hand because it wasn't managed properly. It had the potential to wreak havoc on both budgets and employees who had to fill in. Charles Turley, deputy assistant inspector general for supply management and Human Resources, talks to Federal Drive with Tom Temin about the findings.

Members of the Senior Executive Service know being transferred to a new job or agency goes with that SES status. But that doesn't necessarily mean you'll be happy if it you're shipped off. So how can agency political executives use the SES mobility program without ruffling feathers? For a few ideas, Federal News Radio's Eric White spoke with Jeff Neal, ICF senior vice president and former chief human capital officer of Homeland Security on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Members of the Senior Executive Service know being transferred to a new job or agency goes with that SES status. But that doesn't necessarily mean you'll be happy if it you're shipped off. So how can agency political executives use the SES mobility program without ruffling feathers? For a few ideas, Federal News Radio's Eric White spoke with Jeff Neal, ICF senior vice president and former chief human capital officer of Homeland Security on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Small companies have an array of regulations and programs to help them get federal contracts. Big companies have the resources to field large, professional federal capture teams. For contractors in the middle, life can be tougher. Paul Murphy, senior data analyst at Bloomberg Government, joins Federal Drive with Tom Temin with more on the challenges of mid-tier contractors.

A new resource to help potential whistleblowers has emerged. A group called Whistleblower Aid aims to help government employees, military service members and contractors stay on the right side of the law when they decide to go public about possible wrong-doing. Federal News Radios Meredith Somers fills in the details on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

The Veterans Affairs Department is focused on a top to bottom modernization that reaches all parts of the agency. Parts of the department's transformation may not be visible to the veteran population the department services. Greg Giddens is the executive director of the Office of Acquisition, Logistics and Construction at VA. In his interview with Federal News Radio's Nicole Ogrysko on Federal Drive with Tom Temin, he explains how the department is working through a backlog of vacant, underused, outdated or badly deteriorated facilities.

Disasters on the scale of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma requires an all-of-government approach. And that's what they got. Tens of thousands of feds from more agencies than you might think are still working around the clock in six states. Mallory Barg Bulman, vice president of research and evaluation at the Partnership for Public Service, offers an assessment on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

NASA is preparing for the next round of space technologies, everything from more reliable circuit boards to space propulsion systems. It's using a special contracting system known as non-reimbursable space act agreements. Steve Jurczyk, NASA's associate administrator for the Space Technology Mission Directorate, joins Federal Drive with Tom Temin in studio.

You might not think of the Army Corps of Engineers as first responders. But the Corps was part of the all-of-government response to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite, the commanding general and chief of engineers, joins Federal Drive with Tom Temin in studio.