Category: Congress

Admiral Steven Poulin: Vice Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard

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Lots of nation’s impinge on the Arctic Circle. Even more try to use it strategically, like China. That’s why, for years, the U.S. Coast Guard has been stepping up its patrols in the Arctic and why it convinced Congress to fund two new heavy ice-breaking ships. At the recent Sea Air Space conference, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Federal Drive got an exclusive update from Coast Guard Vice Commandant, Admiral Steve Poulin. Interview transcript: Steve Poulin Dynamic changes in the Arctic, it’s a growing area of strategic competition. And if we want…

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Who should staff the arsenal of democracy, feds or contractors?

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The war between Russia and Ukraine has provoked a debate here in the U.S. Who should rebuild the Defense Department supplies shipments to Ukraine have drawn down? Specifically, should it be expanded contracting with industry or a buildup of what’s known as the government’s organic industrial base? Or should the government enlist industry to make up the shortfall? The question in some ways forms a proxy for wider questions of who should do what. On the specific weapons question, though, DoD in reality is working on a variety of ways…

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Does the military need a separate service for cyber? Some lawmakers think so; DoD isn’t sure

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It’s been a little over three years since Congress created a dedicated military service to focus on space. Lawmakers are wondering whether it’s time to do the same thing for cyber. The Defense Department hasn’t yet taken a position on that question — officials say they’re still studying the topic of military cyber force design. But some members of Congress are getting impatient. Lawmakers have asked DoD for its recommendations on whether there ought to be a separate military services just for cyber forces more than once. In the 2020…

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House Democrats want to create another TSP investment option

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The General Services Administration is trying to assure lawmakers that it is fixing the culture problems that led to the problems with login.gov. Sonny Hashmi, the commissioner of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, was on the hot seat yesterday answering House lawmakers’ questions about the agency’s false assertions about the Login.gov platform. Hashmi told lawmakers GSA is applying tougher internal controls to ensure these problems don’t happen again. This includes his office and team reviewing all contracts managed by the Technology Transformation Service. “With this independent review, we want to make…

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OPM expects busy Open Season standing up USPS health insurance marketplace in 2024

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The Office of Personnel Management expects to receive a much higher volume of calls during next year’s Open Season. That’s because a Postal Service reform bill signed into law in 2022 is moving postal employees and retirees into a different health insurance marketplace from the rest of the federal workforce, starting in January 2025. OPM Director Kiran Ahuja told members of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee earlier this month that the agency is on track to create a standalone Postal Service Health Benefits Program. “It’s a huge effort, it’s…

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Why federal employees are watching the political landscape more than ever

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If you wonder why federal employees worry, along with everyone else, consider: mini financial crises, a stubbornly bear stock market, no breakthroughs on Social Security solvency, and the debt-ceiling debate dragging out. For one point of view, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin talked with John Hatton, vice president for Policy at the National Association of Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE). Interview transcript: Tom Temin People are concerned. I actually had a reader write to me asking, well, our TSP funds insured? Unfortunately, no. And nobody’s investments are insured yet,…

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