Management
GovExec Daily: Cabinet Progress and the Tanden Nomination
Courtney Bublé joins the show to discuss how President Joe Biden's nominees – including his controversial OMB pick – have fared so far.
Management
Biden's Postal Board Nominees Unlikely to Spell Quick End to Postmaster General's Tenure
The president's picks are probably not going to vote to remove DeJoy and are knowledgeable on postal issues, observers say.
Route Fifty
Feds Up Share of FEMA Grants That Must Be Spent on Cybersecurity
The Department of Homeland Security is also evaluating the possibility of a new grant program to help states and localities fund cybersecurity upgrades.
Oversight
Watchdog: Prisons Bureau Could Do a Better Job Using Data to Help With Hiring, Retention
Advice comes as a House bipartisan caucus on BOP reform is relaunched.
Management
How to Make Federal Telework Work Beyond the Pandemic
The administration needs a strategy that empowers employees and helps agencies deliver on their missions.
Management
Biden Rescinds Memo Granting Defense Secretary Authority to Ban Unions
Last year, then-President Trump granted the Defense secretary authority to strip Pentagon employees of their rights to bargain collectively, although it was never acted upon.
Pay & Benefits
A Perennial Health Insurance Conundrum
FEHBP, Medicare and the difficulty of predicting the future.
Route Fifty
Illinois Becomes First State to Abolish Cash Bail
Judges will instead use a risk assessment tool to determine a defendant's fitness for release. The change is part of a broader criminal justice reform bill Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed this week.
Nextgov
VA Wants Help Creating a ‘Strategic Planning Ecosystem’ to Guide IT Modernization Efforts
A contractor will support the development of several strategic plans for the Office of Information Technology.
Workforce
Coronavirus Roundup: Administration To Deliver Millions of Masks; Agencies Have Yet to Implement Many of Watchdog’s Recommendations
There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s today’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.
Defense
Troubled KC-46 Tankers Cleared for Limited Ops, Air Force Says
The decision will free up older aerial refuelers needed overseas. But the KC-46 still can gas up only some warplanes and needs more testing and new technology.
Management
Biden’s Cabinet of Many Women Shows Other World Leaders that U.S. Takes Gender Equality Seriously
Research shows that when one country – particularly a powerful one – puts more women in power, other nations tend to follow suit.
Workforce
The Do’s and Don’ts on Social Media for Vaccine Haves and Have-Nots
In the thick of a global pandemic, and with a vaccine rollout that has been less than optimal, it's no surprise that selfies featuring the coveted COVID-19 shot surface on social media timelines. But is posting a vaccine selfie on your social media account a faux pas or a needed encouragement for others to get the shot?
Management
GovExec Daily: Baseball, Military Service and an American Story
Tom Shoop joins the show to discuss the day Private Willie Mays threw out his dad.
Route Fifty
Public Employees’ Use of Personal Phones, Tablets Puts Local Governments at Risk
A cybersecurity report found that 25% of state and local government employees use personal digital devices to telework while only 9% of federal employees do so.
Nextgov
Report: Mobile Phishing to Steal Government Credentials Increased 67% in 2020
State and local governments are more exposed than federal agencies in the new teleworking age, but threats have increased across the board.
Nextgov
Tech Among Top Priorities for Biden’s CIA Director Pick
William Burns also said he’d look to build morale at the agency in part by speaking “truth to power.”
Pay & Benefits
Democrats Introduce Slew of Bills to Strengthen Protections for Federal Workforce
Lawmakers are pushing to bolster diversity efforts at national security agencies, require greater transparency ahead of agency relocation efforts, and reauthorize the Merit Systems Protection Board.
Route Fifty
Study: Vaccinating Teachers Could Help Get Kids Back in Classrooms
Federal researchers examined coronavirus cases in a Georgia school district and their findings suggest that educators had a central role in transmitting the virus in schools.
Management