Federal Drive with Tom Temin

Does the color of your hair matter when you serve in the military? It may sound like a trivial issue, but it gets to the heart of what it means to be in a modern military. Naval War College Professor Jacquelyn Schneider thinks the military should rethink its strict rules on appearance. Even if that means allowing hair dyed any old color. She spoke to Scott Maucione on Federal Drive with Tom Temin all about military discipline and talent.

If Monday's action to keep the government open was a high point for the 115th Congress, then it has a pretty low bar. With the CR, they've bought another three weeks. But, to do what, exactly? Loren Duggan, editorial director of Bloomberg Government, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to provide a look ahead.

Federal standards for the physical security of government buildings have evolved over the years. But Veterans Affairs' policies and risk management procedures haven't quite kept up. That's one finding from the latest look-see by the Government Accountability Office. Lori Rectanus, director of physical infrastructure issues at GAO, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to talk all about the agency's findings.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has added a good chunk of supercomputing power to apply to its tracking and predictions. This move follows the recent launch of three new satellites. David Michaud, director of central processing at the National Weather Service, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin with more details on the recent updates.

Computers automate a lot of what computers do. But it still takes people to tend to the computers, especially to ward off cybersecurity attacks. So how does it work when there's a lapse in appropriations? On Federal Drive with Tom Temin, Greg Touhill, former federal chief information security officer and now president of the Federal Group at Cyxtera Technologies, provides some insight.

Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed a two-week continuing resolution to end the three-day government shutdown yesterday. So as federal employees head back to work this morning, they might be wondering for how long Federal News Radio's very own Jason Miller and Jared Serbu have been covering the shutdown for the last three days and tell Federal Drive with Tom Temin what civilian agency and Defense Department employees should expect going forward.

Excepted employees who filed suit in 2013 shutdown say pay problems can be avoided with simple legislation from Congress

Sunday was a long night for members of the Senate, who didn't have enough votes to pass another continuing resolution and keep the government open past Friday. Both the House and Senate worked to negotiate through the weekend to try to come to an agreement on appropriations. But, the government is still closed and some federal employees are furloughed. Federal News Radio's Nicole Ogrysko joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to explain what federal employees could expect today.

The Defense Department says TRICARE will continue to operate, but it's expecting a few issues. Scott Maucione joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss what the shutdown will mean for DoD employees.