Category: Congress

State Dept sees record hiring, but seeks higher budgets through 2030 to fully replenish ranks

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The State Department is bringing in a record volume of new hires, but is calling on lawmakers for increased budgets through the end of the decade to fully replenish its ranks. Richard Verma, deputy secretary of state for management and resources, said last Thursday that the department saw about a 7% increase in its budget for FY 2022, and saw another 7% spending increase in FY 2023. Verma said those funding increases allowed the department to recruit and grow its workforce “in a way that we haven’t done for many…

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Data brokers selling veterans’ sensitive health, financial data online, study shows

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A historic year of hiring at the Department of Veterans Affairs has lead to a record year for veteran care and benefits. The VA is staffing up its health care and benefits workforce to levels never seen before in the department’s history. It provided more than 116 million health care appointments to veterans and their survivors in fiscal 2023. That is three million more appointments than its previous record. VA also processed nearly two million benefits claims, a nearly 16% increase from the year prior. VA Secretary Denis McDonough said…

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Senate confirms first woman to serve on Joint Chiefs of Staff

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A Department of Veterans Affairs office that investigates whistleblower retaliation cases said VA leadership is acting on more of its recommendations. When the VA’s Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection (OAWP) recommended discipline in whistleblower retaliation cases, management took action 68% of the time in fiscal 2021. That is now up to 92% percent. But House lawmakers said VA employees can take their complaints to the Office of Special Counsel and see better results. “I’m still left wondering if OAWP’s juice is worth the squeeze,” said Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.),…

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When to express an opinion and when to zip it up, when on the job

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Whether its the war in Ukraine, the war in Israel, the House speaker race or any of a zillion controversial topics, everyone has an opinion. As federal employees, can you express your opinions out loud and not get fired for it? For advice, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin spoke with federal employment attorney John Mahoney. Interview Transcript:  Tom Temin This question, I guess, is coming up in a lot of offices. It’s not exactly Hatch Act issue, but if you loudly and express an opinion and Lord knows there’s…

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They helped write a big law and now they help to carry it out

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Somebody had to actually write the trillion dollar infrastructure bill back in 2021. Its proponents expect it to help modernize old bridges and highways, among other things. The Federal Drive with Tom Temin‘s guests helped Congress craft the bill. Now they’re leading the Transportation Department team helping to implement it. For their work, they won this year’s Service to America medal for management excellence. Gloria Shepherd is Executive Director of the Federal Highway Administration and Maria Lefevre is the Executive Director of the Office of the Undersecretary of Transportation. Interview…

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Yes, people, the House leadership failure also affects acquisition

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The longer the House of Representatives remains in stasis, the closer the next budget deadline comes without any action to resolve it. There is lots at stake, including how the federal acquisition function will operate. Not that acquisition was getting any easier with so many new rules coming. For a look at the situation, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin talks with federal sales and marketing consultant Larry Allen. Interview Transcript:  Larry Allen Tom, here we are again. And with so many variables, it’s really difficult to predict what’s going to…

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