On GovLoop Insights’ DorobekINSIDER:
- In order for a project, program, department, agency or the entire government to function properly, you first need trust. But cultivating and growing that trust can be difficult, especially within large organizations. We learn 13 ways to cultivate trust from author Stephen Covey and Tim McManus.
The SEVEN stories that impact your life
- Three years into a five-year program aimed at consolidating hundreds of federal data centers, the administration still does not know how many data centers it owns and operates. Federal Times reports, agencies had a revised inventory of more than 6,000 data centers, nearly double the number of centers they had previously reported, according to David Powner, director of information technology management at the Government Accountability Office.
- The Drug Enforcement Administration must take immediate steps to stop discrimination against female special agents seeking assignments abroad, under a new decision in a long-running class-action lawsuit, reports the Federal Times.
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A new bill in in the Senate is aimed at cutting improper payments by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. It’s called the PRIME Act, and it has both Democratic and Republican sponsors. By one government estimate, waste, fraud and abuse costs CMS $44 billion a year. Federal News Radio reports, the PRIME Act would require CMS to more closely track and prevent overpayments. Now it mostly discovers them after the fact and tries to recover.
- One ambassador says he did nothing wrong and the State Department denies it is hiding misconduct by diplomats abroad. The agency is on the defensive after CBS News revealed an internal memo alleging interference with probes of misconduct. The department has asked outside experts to look into the charges made by its inspector general, reports Federal News Radio.
- The White House says President Barack Obama will veto the defense authorization bill working its way through the House unless lawmakers make major changes. Among the objections, the measure bars the Pentagon from planning another round of base closures. It does not include changes to the TRICARE fee schedule that the White House sought to control costs. And it goes beyond the Pentagon’s request for a 1 percent pay raise. The White House says, fatter paychecks for service members will mean cuts to troop levels, readiness and modernization accounts, reports Federal News Radio.
- President Obama has canceled a longstanding, annual program that rewards federal managers for distinguished service, according to administration officials. The White House decision — first reported in The Wall Street Journal — comes as agencies have tightened their budgets to avoid or limit employee furloughs and other impacts of cuts due to sequestration. The presidential rank awards are typically presented once each year to high-grade federal employees across many agencies. In April, 124 federal executives were honored for their service in 2012 — down from 278 award winners in 2005.
- And on GovLoop: Here is a staggering stat: 130 millions Americans own a smartphone, including roughly 1 out of 2 adults. That’s a technology that wasn’t even around 5 years ago. So how can government leverage this technology to connect, engage and empower government employees and the general public? Tune in to find out with the DorobekINISDER LIVE panel on June 26th at noon ET. Register for the free online webinar now.
DorobekINSIDER water-cooler fodder
- How Would You Feel If Your Co-Workers Decided Your Bonus?
- NYT: U.S. Government Screwed With Al Qaeda Magazine After Boston Bombing