Category: Congress

Lawmakers, DoD to explore portfolio-based acquisition

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When it comes to acquisition, the Defense Department is mostly focused on individual products as they’re defined in the DoD budget. Lawmakers are now asking the DoD to explore portfolio-based management, which could allow the department to invest and field modern technologies a lot faster. In the Defense Department’s science and technology community, for example, investment lines are organized around portfolios of capabilities, such as electromagnetic warfare, communications, or command and control. The approach gives more flexibility to support a wide variety of development efforts.  But on the acquisition side,…

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Hicks presses Congress to increase support for Replicator, RDER

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Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks on Wednesday sent a pointed message to Congress at the NDIA emerging technologies conference, saying that congressional trust will “need to substantially expand” when it comes to the department’s innovation programs. “Take Replicator,” Hicks said. “We’ve done nearly 40 Hill briefings since last October, averaging almost one a week.” “On an initiative that represents 0.059 percent of DoD’s budget — that depth of engagement isn’t scalable for Congress across the breadth of what we’re all trying to accomplish.” Replicator, unveiled last August, is Hicks’…

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House VA Committee leader demands ‘airtight case’ for VA IT employees getting pay boost

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A top Republican on the House VA Committee is scrutinizing the number of the employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs who are receiving a pay raise meant for hard-to-keep IT and cyber experts. The VA implemented a Special Salary Rate last summer, giving more than 7,000 employees in its Office of Information Technology (OIT) a substantial boost in pay. The SSR resulted in a 17% average pay increase for VA tech and cyber workers in 2210-classified positions. VA OIT has over 7,500 employees in these positions, and they account…

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After August recess, Congress still has a full agenda

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Congress managed to take care of all the spending bills it needed to before heading out the door for August recess. Lots is still on the agenda, though, for when it returns — including a local matter concerning Reagan International Airport. Plus, there’s been some rare bipartisanship as members share in the one thing they can still always agree on: dressing down a federal official. For more on this, Federal News Network executive producer Eric White spoke to WTOP Capitol Hill correspondent Mitchell Miller on the Federal Drive with Tom…

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Last chance to apply for White House internship

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Today is the last day to apply for a federal internship with the White House. And as of 2022, those early-career positions are now paid too. The Biden administration says it’s paying its interns to try to reduce barriers for low-income students and improve diversity of each class of interns. For this round of internships, applications close tonight at 11:59 p.m. Those selected for the program will kick off their work in spring 2025. (Spring 2025 internship applications – White House) Regardless of who wins, an incoming president has to…

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Congress tackles spending, policy and candidate protections on the road to the August recess

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Been a hectic week on the political side of government. The 2024 election is in full swing as one party hosts its convention, and with an attempt on a candidate’s life, you know members of Congress are going have questions for the agencies in charge of protection. Meanwhile, there’s other legislation that could have an impact on other federal activities. To help break it all down for the Federal Drive with Tom Temin, Federal News Network Executive producer Eric White welcomes Deputy News Director Loren Duggan. Interview Transcript:  Eric White …

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