Oversight
Medicare Agency’s Contracting Violations Show Need for Pandemic Oversight
Experts say HHS inspector general’s findings should serve as a warning about potential waste, fraud and abuse.
Pay & Benefits
OPM Moves to Implement Protections for Feds During Shutdowns
The 2020 Defense policy act included provisions ensuring federal workers would be able to change their insurance coverage due to a significant life event during a lapse in appropriations and protecting them from gaps in supplemental health care plans.
Route Fifty
Business Loans, Unemployment Insurance to Factor into Talks on Next Coronavirus Bill
Negotiations over the next coronavirus aid package will begin in earnest next week when Senate Republicans are expected to introduce their proposal.
Route Fifty
Report: High-Tide Flooding Broke Records Last Year. It Will Probably Keep Getting Worse.
Nineteen locations around the country in 2019 set or tied records on the number of flood days, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found.
Workforce
Blacks in Government President Seeks to Boost Recruiting, Mentoring and Advocacy at Federal Agencies
"Diversity in the federal government enhances problem-solving ability by introducing new and diverse ways of thinking and is tied to mission effectiveness," says Doris Sartor.
Management
A Federal Data Failure Is Making It Hard to Talk About COVID
Without a standard, trusted language of COVID data collection, it’s been hard to measure the disease, track its trend, and build effective policy.
Workforce
Coronavirus Roundup: Trump Lauds Pandemic Deregulation; Moderate Democrats Ask for More Oversight in Next Relief Package
There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s today’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.
Defense
Russia’s Attempted Vaccine Hack Suggests Research — and Putin’s Grand Plan — Has Stalled
The Kremlin’s cyber attack on the UK, U.S., and Canada suggests their coronavirus vaccine — and a key Putin promise — is far from reality.
Tech
Out of View: After Public Outcry, CDC Adds Hospital Data Back to Its Website — for Now
Dr. Joseph Varon, center, visits with Dorothy Webb, left, and her daughter, Tammie, while making his rounds inside the Coronavirus Unit at United Memorial Medical Center in July
Nextgov
Bill Would Push State Department to Clear Passport Backlog
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the backlog of Americans waiting for passports has ballooned to at least 1.4 million people.
Tech
Despite a Skyward Mission, NASA Shaped the Study of Life on Earth
Born of a bitter, militaristic space race, NASA served as an unlikely catalyst for a revolution in biology.
Management
GovExec Daily: The Cancelled Presidential Rank Awards
Erich Wagner and Tom Shoop join the show to discuss how the scuttled awards fit into the greater Trump administration plans for the civil service and human capital.
Route Fifty
‘One-Third of Our Income Is Gone’: A Rural State Faces a Big Budget Gap
Fallout from the coronavirus pandemic and downturns with oil, gas and coal have left Wyoming in a tough financial spot, with deep agency cuts and layoffs on the horizon.
Route Fifty
How the End of the Federal Unemployment Boost Will Hurt the Economy
The $600-a-week federal boost in unemployment benefits is set to stop at the end of this month, leaving millions of people to live on substantially less money. Economists say the effects will also be felt throughout the U.S. economy.
Nextgov
CISA Gives Agencies 24 Hours to Mitigate Windows DNS Server Vulnerability
The agency issued an emergency directive for just the third time ever.
Workforce
VA Should Better Protect Employees From Sexual Harassment, GAO Says
Inconsistent and outdated policies are coupled with management structures that leave employees vulnerable.
Management
Federal Employees May Wear or Display Black Lives Matter Paraphernalia at Work
The Office of Special Counsel released guidance on how the Hatch Act applies to the movement.
Pay & Benefits
Burning Benefits Questions
A summertime Q&A featuring hot issues involving federal retirement benefits.
Nextgov
Attorney General: China May Supplant U.S. If It Wins AI Race
William Barr blasted Google, Microsoft and other American big tech companies for being short-sighted while meeting the Chinese government’s demands for operating within the country.
Workforce