Tech
GovExec Daily: The NSF Director Says Science Is Leading the Way
Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan joins the podcast to discuss the agency's efforts to promote STEM education and to unlock the potential in all American communities.
Pay & Benefits
Better Benefits for Families of Feds Who Die on the Job, and Better Pay for TSA Agents
A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.
Workforce
It Will Cost Up to $5 Million a Week to Test Unvaccinated Feds While Biden's COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Is Paused
The estimate comes as part of information the Biden administration provided the court in Texas that handed down the injunction.
Workforce
Coronavirus Roundup: The NIH Releases a New Pandemic Preparedness Plan
There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s today’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.
Workforce
A New NAPA Report Backs a Shift in Leadership for Cyber Workforce Development
A new study from the National Academy of Public Administration recommends that the newly established Office of the National Cyber Director develop and implement a coordinated, multi-sector strategy for the cybersecurity workforce, which faces chronic workforce shortages.
Tech
Opinion: Is There a Place For Spirituality in Space Science?
A top NASA official’s biblical remarks about the James Webb Space Telescope sparked an outcry. But they’re nothing new.
Management
Using Behavioral Science is One Way to Increase Satisfaction With Government Services
The success of the new federal COVID test kit website shows what behavioral science can offer to help make services more accessible.
Workforce
GovExec Daily: Marijuana May Still Be a Problem for Security Clearances
Federal employment attorney Aaron Herreras Szot joins the podcast to discuss the climate around cannabis use and security concerns.
Workforce
The Infrastructure Law Will Require Thousands of New Feds, and the Biden Team Is Giving Special Permission to Hire Them Quickly
OPM is also pushing special hiring authority for HR staff.
Management
Biden’s OMB Nominee Plans to Keep Prioritizing Oversight and Ending Government Shutdowns
Shalanda Young has been acting OMB director for almost a year.
Workforce
An Appeals Court Has Overturned Another Decision That Made Life Harder for Federal Employee Unions
For the second time in a week, a three-judge panel struck down a controversial FLRA policy statement, citing “conclusory and counterintuitive assertions” underlying a decision weakening unions’ ability to negotiate over changes to working conditions.
Management
The House Finally Plans to Vote on Postal Reform Next Week
The long-sought-after bill could make its way to the president's desk by the end of the month.
Defense
Lockheed and Airbus Say They Would Build New Air Force Tankers in Alabama and Georgia
Team takes aim at service’s “bridge tanker” contract against likely rival Boeing.
Oversight
COVID-19 Widows Struggle to Get Benefits as Social Security Offices Remain Closed
The closure of Social Security offices during the pandemic has made getting survivors benefits difficult for the spouses and children of those who’ve died during the pandemic. More than 90 percent of those seeking survivors benefits are women.
Defense
Defense Researchers Lack Consistent Cybersecurity Safeguards, IG Finds
Without an enforceable singular cybersecurity standard, research and academic institutions that develop military technology for the Pentagon could be at increased risk.
Tech
Army Materiel Command is Looking to Advanced Manufacturing to Improve Readiness
Army Materiel Command is planning to implement advanced manufacturing techniques from the depots to the battlespace to help produce parts where needed.
Pay & Benefits
Almost all of the TSP’s Retirement Savings Funds Lost Ground in January
Only the government securities (G) fund grew last month.
Oversight
The EPA Rejects Texas’ More Lenient Standard for Highly Toxic Air Pollutant
In the wake of an investigation by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune into the widely used chemical ethylene oxide, the EPA has moved to reject a less protective standard crafted by Texas regulators and backed by the chemical industry.
Oversight
A Federal Pandemic Watchdog Says its Oversight Money Will Run Out in July
Brian Miller, special inspector general for pandemic recovery, wrote in a new report that $25 million in CARES Act start-up funds is not enough.
Workforce