Defense
Acting Navy Secretary: We Need More than 355 Ships, and That’s Not Even Counting Robot Vessels
The Navy needs more human-crewed ships…and more unmanned vessels, than previously thought.
Management
A Message for Trump: When Americans Lose Faith in Government, Presidents Pay a Price
The management failures that swirled around the government’s initial response to Katrina seriously damaged President Bush.
Tech
GovExec Daily: The Future of 5G Hospitals
Nextgov's Brandi Vincent and Heather Kuldell explain to the podcast how the Veterans Affairs Department is looking to lead the way in health care technology.
Route Fifty
State Lawmakers Face Uphill Battles as They Seek to Tax More Services
Maryland is the latest state to consider such a proposal. What many experts regard as “good tax policy” is often a tough political sell.
Tech
The Costs of Spying
A new study reveals that from 2015 to 2019, the NSA’s call-metadata program cost taxpayers $100 million and provided practically no useful information.
Workforce
President of Largest Federal Employee Union Resigns Amid Investigation
J. David Cox was accused last year of a pattern of behavior including sexual harassment and unwanted advances toward union employees. Cox reportedly resigned after additional charges were levied against him earlier this month.
Management
White House Pledges to Protect Employees From Coronavirus, Let Experts Speak
The promise follows reports of federal officials facing gag orders and being improperly exposed to the virus.
Management
Senators From Both Political Parties Urge Trump to 'Reconsider' Defense Union Memo
Lawmakers say the president’s January decision to give Defense Secretary Mark Esper blanket authority to abolish collective bargaining runs counter to congressional intent.
Oversight
Senate Democrats Call on Justice Dept. IG to Investigate Political Interference
Meddling by the Trump administration could “permanently damage the integrity and independence” of the department, they wrote.
Management
Key Missteps at the CDC Have Set Back Its Ability to Detect the Potential Spread of Coronavirus
The CDC designed a flawed test for COVID-19, then took weeks to figure out a fix so state and local labs could use it. New York still doesn’t trust the test’s accuracy.
Nextgov
First Instance of VA’s New Electronic Health Record System Now Scheduled For July
VA officials said the initial deployment was delayed after clinicians asked to be trained on a full system instead of a minimum viable product.
Route Fifty
State Leaders Seek Strategies To Combat Extremist Violence
At an event hosted at Georgetown Law School, state leaders traded ideas about how to deal with the rise of extremist violence and hate crimes.
Workforce
VA Secretary Under Investigation After Complaint He Looked for Dirt on a House Staffer Who Said She’d Been Assaulted
The agency’s internal watchdog told lawmakers about the probe after ProPublica unearthed the allegations against Secretary Robert Wilkie.
Workforce
GovExec Daily: The White House Says It Is Purging Never Trumpers from Agencies
With reports that the White House has lists of "disloyal" people in government, Katherine McIntire Peters and Eric Katz joined GovExec Daily to discuss what that will mean for civil servants.
Management
Former IRS Executive Named Permanent National Taxpayer Advocate
The appointment comes at the height of the busy tax filing season.
Management
Defense Chief Says He Didn’t Ask for Union Memo, Declines to Say How He Will Use New Power
Esper told lawmakers he would wait for staff recommendations before using the newly granted authority to outlaw collective bargaining among Pentagon civilian workers.
Defense
The Federal Government Should Go to War With the Coronavirus, Today
A bipartisan federal effort, leading to a military-style assault, is necessary to contain the virus that has the potential to infect 40%-70% of the world’s population within a year.
Nextgov
Pentagon Confirms Alka Patel to Lead the Implementation of Its New Ethical AI Principles
The agency announced it would hire an ethicist in September.
Route Fifty
Weak Business Growth Across Rural America Highlighted in New Report
It’s some of the latest research to look at the growing divide between thriving cities and other parts of the country that are lagging economically.
Oversight