What do people really mean when they say government should operate like a business?

When the nearly endless debates over the debt ceiling were raging on, the United States didn’t look very businesslike to the rest of the world. Internally, though, you never stop hearing that federal agencies should operate more like a business. This is both true and not true, according to my next guest. The  Federal Drive with Tom Temin got commentary from American University professor Bob Tobias. Interview Transcript:  Tom Temin Somehow, at these times when things are stressful on the political front or whenever people turn to federal agencies like…

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Can a 10-year federal infrastructure plan really sustain itself for 10 years

Best listening experience is on Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Subscribe to Federal Drive’s daily audio interviews on Apple Podcasts or PodcastOne. The action plan from the Biden administration for the Infrastructure Bill seeks to ensure projects across the nation get done on time and on budget. They’ve already hired 2,500 people to help state, local and tribal governments. But the plan has a 10-year horizon. And that could spell trouble. The Federal Drive with Tom Temin   gets analysis from Professor Bob Tobias of American University. Interview transcript: Tom Temin: And Bob, this…

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What’s Really Going On With the Crime Rate?

Turn on a television in any state with a competitive Senate or gubernatorial race, and you’ll see that the criminal-justice reform agenda is under constant attack. Republicans are pinning higher crime rates on Democrats who have expressed sympathy for almost any aspect of the movement to confront racial inequities in the criminal-justice system. In New York, a conservative super PAC opposing Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul is slamming her for defending “the state’s disastrous cashless bail experiment” and refusing to “remove liberal prosecutors, like [Manhattan’s] Alvin Bragg, who too often downgrade…

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Is the Labor Market Really as Good as the Administration Says?

Between out-of-control inflation, ongoing supply-chain struggles, the crisis at the southern border, foreign policy concerns, exploding energy prices, rising crime, and a high likelihood that the country is either already or soon will be experiencing stagflation (an inflationary recession), it’s no wonder that Democrats and the Biden administration are talking up the strong labor market. A recent tweet on the Democrats’ official Twitter page stated, “Under Joe Biden, the private sector has recovered all of the jobs lost during the pandemic—and added jobs on top of that.” That statement is…

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An old hand at federal budgeting analyzes what the 2023 proposal really says

Best listening experience is on Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Subscribe to Federal Drive’s daily audio interviews on Apple Podcasts or PodcastOne Nearly every agency would see more money in 2023 under the Biden administration’s top line request, but it also shows the increasing pressure of the so-called discretionary spending, as mandatory spending expands. As part of our ongoing analysis of the skinny budget, Federal Drive with Tom Temin turns to former federal budget official, now the managing director of Grant Thornton public sector, Doug Criscitello. Interview transcript: Tom Temin: Doug, good to have…

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