The government’s current funding is set to expire December 16, the last day the September-passed continuing resolution will be in effect. But that upcoming deadline is not the only pressing issue for Congress to tackle during its lame duck session before the new Congress is seated in January. Eric Katz is a senior correspondent for GovExec. He joined the podcast to talk about the lame duck session and the incoming Congress. *** Follow GovExec on Twitter! https://twitter.com/govexec...
Nov 22, 2022•26 min•Season 3Ep. 182
The retooling of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program done by the Biden administration has brought loan forgiveness to many, but the program still has some issues. Because everyone’s loan situation seems to be different, many miss deadlines or consolidation. While members of congress have suggested restructuring parts of the program and expanding who qualifies, there has not been much movement on PSLF program changes. Tobin Van Ostern is one of the co-founders of Savi. He joined the podca...
Nov 21, 2022•18 min•Season 3Ep. 182
With Thanksgiving and the December holidays approaching, travel and family gatherings are on the itinerary for many Americans. At this stage of the year and at this stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, protection against illnesses is key to staying healthy. Dr. Laurie Forlano is the Deputy Director of the Office of Epidemiology and Deputy State Epidemiologist at the Virginia Department of Health. She joined the podcast to discuss what Americans need to know to protect themselves and stay healthy duri...
Nov 18, 2022•10 min•Season 3Ep. 181
Managing people is often an exercise in constant learning. Especially during a time of upheaval across government, constant development in leadership is a key component of managing people, especially in the federal government. The Office of Personnel Management is one of the places for such development via its Center for Leadership Development, which provides development and education programs for all career levels based on the Executive Core Qualifications. As part of Government Executive’s Sta...
Nov 17, 2022•27 min•Season 3Ep. 180
Elon Musk’s stewardship of Twitter has been chaotic, with Musk changing longstanding policy nearly every day or laying off employees en masse. Last week, President Joe Biden said that it might be worth looking into Musk’s international relations with foreign countries, being that Musk’s SpaceX operates its Starlink satellite internet access service to 40 countries. Additionally, SpaceX is a key private sector partner of the Pentagon and NASA, so Musk is deeply connected to the federal government...
Nov 16, 2022•34 min•Season 3Ep. 179
The federal workforce is a diverse tapestry of identities, including that of many different generational cohorts. As more Gen Z workers move into jobs, agencies must learn how to hire and retain them while also managing workers from Generation X and Millennials. In a new report, the Partnership for Public Service outlines the ways of managing an intergenerational workforce consisting of Generation X and Generation Z workers. Paul Pietsch is a Senior Manager at the Partnership, where he oversees ...
Nov 15, 2022•21 min•Season 3Ep. 178
With inflation affecting all Americans, issues affecting pay and benefits are a key concern at the top of current and retired federal civil servants’ minds. The Social Security Administration recently announced the highest cost of living adjustment in decades, affecting millions of federal retirees and the pay increase for current federal employees remains a point of concern for the 2 million plus public servants in the federal government. As part of Government Executive Media Group’s State of t...
Nov 14, 2022•23 min•Season 3Ep. 177
Dozens of federal agencies use working dogs to help them fulfill their missions, including law enforcement and security. Keeping these dogs healthy and effective is paramount and a recent report from the Government Accountability Office suggests that agencies are falling short of those responsibilities. Steve Morris is a Director in GAO's Natural Resource and Environment team. He directs work related to agriculture and food safety. He joined the podcast to discuss the GAO report titled Working D...
Nov 10, 2022•12 min•Season 3Ep. 176
Historically, midterm elections favor the opposition to the party controlling the White House, but the last decade of politics suggest that history may not always be a perfect predictor. With control of Congress on the line, a lot was still up in the air when GovExec Daily went live on Twitter Spaces for an election results conversation with GovExec reporters Eric Katz and Courtney Bublé. In this episode, you’ll hear our conversation about the midterm elections and the races that affect federal ...
Nov 09, 2022•37 min•Season 3Ep. 175
The remote work revolution has changed the way people work, including the ways that organizations bring on new hires. It may seem intuitive, but a job interview via teleconference software is quite different from an in-person interview and those differences can make or break an interview. Amanda Augustine is career expert for TopResume and a certified professional career coach . She joined the podcast to discuss how to nail the remote interview process. *** Follow GovExec on Twitter! https://twi...
Nov 08, 2022•18 min•Season 3Ep. 174
The relationship between employees and employers is constantly shifting and the COVID-19 crisis has amplified some of the changes of recent years. According to new research by the Employee Benefit Research Institute and Greenwald Research, employees increasingly feel that their employers are not making enough effort in caring for workforce wellness needs. Dr. Paul Fronstin is Director of Health Benefits Research at the Employee Benefit Research Institute, where he also oversees the Center for Re...
Nov 07, 2022•15 min•Season 3Ep. 173
Talent acquisition is one of the most important aspects of any organization and finding the right people is far more than just getting the same type of people over and over. Creating a successful and inclusive culture requires finding the best people possible, casting the widest net. Donald Thompson is a Certified Diversity Executive and the CEO of The Diversity Movement, a firm that helps organizations deliver real-world business outcomes through diversity, equity, and inclusion. He’s also the ...
Nov 04, 2022•20 min•Season 3Ep. 172
Late in the Trump administration, the Schedule F executive order sent shockwaves through the public administration community, as the action struck at the heart of the professional civil service. This week, Senator Tim Kaine said that he is "optimistic" he'll get a floor vote on the Preventing a Patronage System Act, a law that would codify bedrock merit-based civil service protections and prevent a future Schedule F-type executive action from future presidential administrations. Dr. Donald F. Ke...
Nov 03, 2022•26 min•Season 3Ep. 171
Last year, the Justice Department inspector general’s office noted that “maintaining a safe, secure and humane prison system” was a top management and performance challenge for the Bureau of Of Prisons because of its issues with staffing, security and infrastructure. In August, Colette Peters was sworn in as the agency’s director and swore to “address these deficiencies” in the interest of those who work and live within the Bureau of Prisons environment. Recently, GovExec correspondent and frequ...
Nov 01, 2022•25 min•Season 3Ep. 170
The Education Department unveiled its online student loan forgiveness application recently and users found the process to be shockingly simple. With customer service an issue in government, the loan forgiveness application perhaps can lead the way to fewer administrative burdens for citizens to get benefits to which they’re entitled. Dr. Donald Moynihan is McCourt Chair and Dr. Pamela Herd is a professor, both at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. They are also co-authors o...
Nov 01, 2022•26 min•Season 3Ep. 169
Recently, OPM announced that federal employees and annuitants will, on average, pay 8.7% more in FEHB premiums next year. With Open Season nearing in a few weeks, feds and annuitants need to be prepared and do their homework to make the right insurance choices. Kevin Moss is a senior editor with Consumers’ Checkbook. Checkbook’s 2023 Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees will be available on the first day of Open Season, Nov. 14. As part of our #MoneyMonday series, he joined the podcast to...
Oct 31, 2022•22 min•Season 3Ep. 168
The space industry is worth hundreds of billions of dollars, employing hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. With projects spanning the United States and emerging markets, the global space business ecosystem will likely continue to grow. Richard Cooper is Vice President, Strategic Communications & Outreach at the Space Foundation. He joins me now to discuss his organization's third quarter 2022 Space Report. *** Follow GovExec on Twitter! https://twitter.com/govexec...
Oct 27, 2022•28 min•Season 3Ep. 167
In a 2021 executive order, the Biden administration issued a vaccine mandate for federal contractors. Since then, the mandate has been the subject of various court cases. Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit lifted the nationwide injunction on the contractors vaccine mandate, but the federal government told agencies not to enforce it just yet, pending further guidance. GovExec correspondent Courtney Bublé writes the Coronavirus Roundup. She joined the podcast now to talk abo...
Oct 26, 2022•18 min•Season 3Ep. 166
You may not know it, but artificial intelligence applications are all around us. From search algorithms to speech recognition, we are surrounded by AI and machine learning. The federal government uses AI, of course, in its initiatives in various agencies. Dr. Lynne Parker serves as the Associate Vice Chancellor and director of the AI Tennessee Initiative at the University of Tennessee. Previously, she filled various roles in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, including as f...
Oct 25, 2022•24 min•Season 3Ep. 165
There are many factors that can determine anyone’s retirement plans. Family, employment, economics and many other things can change a person’s plans for when and how they're going to retire. Many federal workers certainly are in line to retire this coming year and No one wants to retire at a bad time, either for their personal life or finances. Tammy Flanagan writes the weekly Retirement Planning column for us here at GovExec. She runs her own consulting business and also provides individual cou...
Oct 24, 2022•17 min•Season 4Ep. 164
The climate crisis is felt throughout the world, but the western part of this continent has particularly seen the effects of climate change. Recently, the Tribal Marine Stewards Network was launched to manage ocean and coastal territories in California . The network is an alliance of Tribal Nations working collaboratively to protect and restore coastal and marine ecosystems for future generations. Megan ROcha is Executive Director of the Resighini Ranchería, one of the four founding tribes of th...
Oct 21, 2022•23 min•Season 3Ep. 163
President Joe Biden announced the opening of student loan forgiveness applications on Monday and that 8 million borrowers had already applied for loan relief during the beta launch of the site over the weekend. The president encouraged anyone eligible to sign up touting the simplicity of the process. The site received more than 13.4 million visits, according the government analytics trackers, and has received more mostly positive reviews so far. What does this mean for the future of government c...
Oct 20, 2022•8 min•Season 3Ep. 162
Based on historical evidence, the party opposite the White House will likely gain Congressional seats in the upcoming midterm elections. Indeed, according to polling aggregator sites, Republicans have a good chance of winning the House in a few weeks and, thus, the committee leadership roles. Republicans have promised extensive oversight of the Biden administration and agency business if they win, changing the ways agencies will do business. GovExec senior correspondent Eric Katz is covering the...
Oct 19, 2022•23 min•Season 3Ep. 161
During the early parts of the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic downturn, the federal government allocated hundreds of billions of dollars in relief in many programs. The Paycheck Protection Program was one of those programs, created to help small businesses withstand the economic crisis. More than two years out, a new Project on Government Oversight report outlines how the Small Business Administration flagged over 2 million Paycheck Protection Program loans worth at least $189 billion between Augus...
Oct 18, 2022•23 min•Season 3Ep. 160
The Social Security Administration announced Thursday that SSI benefits for millions of Americans will increase 8.7 percent in 2023. On average, Social Security benefits will increase by more than $140 per month starting in January. While the increase is historic, inflation blunts the news for retirees, as the increase will likely not track with the cost of food and other everyday necessities. Richard Fiesta is the Executive Director at the Alliance for Retired Americans. Earlier in his career, ...
Oct 17, 2022•16 min•Season 159Ep. 3
We’ve all experienced long wait times on the phone, hoping for a solution to a problem that we have with a government agency or public service. But, according to a new report, agencies can temper some of that frustration with empathetic, interactive voice response systems. According to a Deloitte Center for Government Insights report released last week, there are ways to employ IVR in a cost effective and positive way to improve government customer service. Marc Mancher is a principal at Deloitt...
Oct 14, 2022•23 min•Season 3Ep. 158
The midterm elections are next month and Republicans have a good chance of winning the House and, thus, the committee leadership roles. Executive branch oversight being a key responsibility of Congress, many members of the House GOP caucus have indicated that they will use their oversight powers aggressively if they take over committees. Kery Murakami is a senior reporter covering Congress and federal agencies for GovExec sibling site Route Fifty. He joined the podcast to discuss what oversight ...
Oct 13, 2022•15 min•Season 3Ep. 157
As the midterm elections approach, federal employees once again need to be aware of Hatch Act rules around political activity. With the COVID-19-era move to remote and hybrid work, the blurred lines between on- and off-the-job times can make the Hatch Act even more difficult to navigate. GovExec correspondent Courtney Bublé is the author of an ongoing series on the Hatch Act. She joined the podcast to discuss the Hatch Act and how public servants can stay on the right side of the rules as we app...
Oct 12, 2022•20 min•Season 3Ep. 156
Established three years ago, the U.S. Space Force is still new, but is an important topic on Capitol Hill. The space service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces contracts with aerospace firms and is staffing up as it evolves and Congress remains a part of its evolution. Recently, Defense One Senior National Security Correspondent Jacqueline Feldscher interviewed Representative Doug Lamborn of Colorado during the State of Defense online event. In this episode, Jacqueline interviews Lamborn about the ...
Oct 11, 2022•26 min•Season 3Ep. 155
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple Senators sold millions of dollars worth of stock between a Jan. 24 2020 private briefing and the market crash a few weeks later, certainly bringing up questions as to whether they acted on sensitive insider information. Unfortunately, there is little to prevent members of Congress from doing this and attempts to shore the rules up have been thwarted. For example, after rejecting a comprehensive bill, the House leadership brought forward a stock...
Oct 07, 2022•19 min•Season 3Ep. 154
