Defense
COVID-19 Vaccines Will Become Mandatory For Troops Next Month—or Sooner
Biden says he will approve Austin's recommendation to require vaccinations by mid-September, or sooner if the FDA formally approves them.
Nextgov
NSA Awards Secret $10 Billion Contract to Amazon
Much of the NSA’s most prized intelligence data may be moving to the cloud.
Nextgov
Critical Update: How Federal Agencies Can Help Avert Quantum Catastrophe
The White House is working on plans to roll out new cryptographic systems that will require epic levels of funding from Congress and coordination, both within the government and in partnership with industry.
Tech
Analysis: Why Refusing the COVID-19 Vaccine isn’t Just Immoral – it’s ‘un-American’
America’s founders accepted the reality of human selfishness. But, they also said people were capable of thinking for the good of the whole, which is necessary for a free society.
Management
GovExec Daily: Emotional Leadership and Expression
The University of California-Riverside's Dr. Thomas Sy joins the podcast to discuss how management is perceived depending on emotional expression.
Employee Policy
OMB report highlights barriers to equity in federal programs
Onerous paperwork, complex requirements and opaque guidelines are just some of the many roadblocks preventing racial equity across the government services that federal employees help provide, a new report says.
Employee Policy
PPS: Confirmation delays damage civil service
A new Partnership for Public Service report spotlights an increasingly bloated and sclerotic Senate confirmation process for executive branch political appointees. The document also offers some recommendations for reforming the system.
Route Fifty
These State Workers Risk Getting Fired If They Refuse a Covid Vaccine
Unlike policies in other states, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee's vaccine mandate for public employees doesn't include a testing opt-out. It comes as cases of the delta variant are surging.
Route Fifty
Senate Democrats Release $3.5T Budget Framework with Affordable Housing, Climate Funding
Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has set a Sept. 15 deadline for committees to draft legislative text for the proposal, which will fund domestic initiatives.
Management
DHS’ Rigid Security Protocols Contributed to Inadequate Jan. 6 Response, GAO Says
The department is too inflexible to be responsive to "the current environment of emerging threats," GAO found.
Nextgov
NIST Prioritizes External Input in Development of AI Risk Management Framework
The agency is engaging stakeholders in the process through multiple venues.
Pay & Benefits
Federal Prosecutors Call on Justice Dept. to Close Pay Gap With Other Lawyers
An employee association said assistant U.S. attorneys make as much as $40,000 less than other attorneys at the Justice Department, a gap that hinders the corps’ diversity goals.
Nextgov
HHS’ ‘Frequent and Significant Changes’ to COVID Data Reporting Left Hospitals Behind
Multiple updates to the rules and avenues for reporting critical pandemic-related capacity information left hospitals confused, overwhelmed and unable to comply.
Defense
What Will Decrease Training Deaths? More Training, GAO Says
A recent increase in non-combat vehicle deaths could be reversed with more, better training, GAO’s newest report says.
Management
The Pandemic Triggered Culture Change, Now HR Practices Have to Follow
The old guard should be uncomfortable with what’s unfolding.
Defense
GovExec Daily: The Gaps in Veteran Student Data
Wesley Wilson joins the podcast to discuss one way colleges and universities can use information to combat fraud.
Employee Policy
Pentagon to require civilian employees, servicemembers to vaccinate
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that in addition to applying the recent WH rules aimed at requiring just about all civilian feds to get vaccinated, the military services will also demand the same of uniformed personnel.
Employee Policy
Inconsistent coding may undercut DOD cyber workforce efforts
A DOD IG audit found that while the Pentagon has made strides, inconsistent job coding for civilian cyber work roles across a wide range of positions may hinder recruiting and retention.
Workforce
HHS Agrees to Reset Labor Relations, While Education Heads to Administrative Trial
While HHS and NTEU said they will work to resolve long-running litigation, the Education Department and AFGE are set to head to trial over several unfair labor practice complaints.
Route Fifty