Route Fifty
Too Much Food at Farms, Too Little Food in the Stores
Faced with a supply chain disrupted by the coronavirus, agriculture departments and farm bureaus are striving to connect farmers with food banks and potential buyers.
Workforce
Coronavirus Roundup: Federal Employee Cases and Deaths Continue to Increase
There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s today’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.
Workforce
How the Coronavirus Forced the Pentagon to Improve Its IT — and Quickly
New teleworking capabilities — hastily installed to help DoD get work done at home — will stick around after the virus subsides.
Defense
Pentagon Orders 60 Machines that Disinfect Desperately Needed N95 Masks
Each Battelle-made machine can clean up to 80,000 masks per day, allowing healthcare workers treating coronavirus patients to reuse them up to 20 times.
Tech
The Mission NASA Doesn’t Want to Postpone
So far, the pandemic isn’t stopping the space agency from moving forward with a historic SpaceX launch next month.
Oversight
GovExec Daily: Overseeing Agencies' Pandemic Response
Katherine McIntire Peters and Courtney Bublé join the podcast to discuss how IGs, agencies and Congress can account for the money in the CARES Act will be
Route Fifty
Tourist Towns Ban Short-Term Rentals to Prevent Virus Spread
Short-term rental listings have drawn ire from local officials for advertising homes as quarantine retreats.
Management
Immigration Review Office Remains Open Despite Potential COVID-19 Exposure
Most support staff at the Executive Office of Immigration Review in Falls Church, Va., remain unable to telework even after two floors had to be deep cleaned after an employee exhibited coronavirus symptoms at work last week.
Management
Agencies Can Launch Retaliatory Investigations Into Whistleblowers, Court Rules
Ruling sets a new governmentwide precedent.
Nextgov
How Homeland Security’s Biosurveillance Arm Uses Tech To Track a Pandemic
The National Biosurveillance Integration Center began tracking what would become the novel coronavirus on Jan. 2.
Route Fifty
States Announce Regional Efforts to Restart the Economy
The moves came as President Trump declared he and the federal government have primacy over deciding when “to open up the states” amid the coronavirus crisis.
Management
White House Advises Agencies on COVID-19 Spending and Reporting
“Time is of the essence,” but “spending transparency and regular reporting will provide important accountability mechanisms to help safeguard taxpayer dollars,” the Office of Management and Budget said in a memo.
Management
Coronavirus Response 'Likely' to Lead to IRS Backlogs, IG Says
Outstanding cases have already spiked due to shutdown, and now thousands of employees are home and not working.
Management
Border Agency Cancels Weather and Safety Leave for Some Employees, Angering Union and Lawmakers
The agency had been using weather and safety leave to mitigate employees’ potential exposure to the coronavirus, but cancelled that practice along the northern and southern borders because of “COVID-19 related requirements.”
Workforce
Coronavirus Roundup: Lawmakers Unveil ‘Essential Workers Bill of Rights’ Including Protective Gear, Pay
There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s today’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.
Management
The White House Pushed FEMA To Give its Biggest Coronavirus Contract to a Company That Never Had to Bid
The Trump administration has rushed through more than $760 million in contracts outside the usual bidding process during its haphazard coronavirus response. It’s highly unusual for the White House to step into FEMA’s supply bidding process.
Defense
The Air Force and Navy Are Testing This App to Stay Fit Amid Social Distancing
A biometric data app is helping the services monitor the health of sailors and airmen stuck at home.
Management
When Will Social Distancing End? It May Be a While
A new report suggests how to adapt our public health strategy and milestones for deciding when and how officials should relax physical distancing measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tech
GovExec Daily: How Supercomputing is Aiding in Fighting the Pandemic
Nextgov's Brandi Vincent joins the podcast to talk about the federal agencies using computing to combat coronavirus.
Management