NIH funds study focused on slowing growth of HIV in eight countries

Podcasting appeals to a growing number of businesses and federal agencies. The FDIC has jumped in big. Its Money Smart Podcast Network has episodes to help consumers with a range of financial questions. It even put out a new podcast looking back at the 2008 financial crisis. Federal News Network's Eric White spoke to Luke Reynolds, chief of Outreach and Program Development at FDIC's Division of Depositor and Consumer Protection, and Diane Ellis, the director of Insurance and Research. Hear more on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Having spent years developing policy and practices for protection of critical infrastructure, the Department of Homeland Security has a newer charge. It's developed a long list of critical functions. Robert Kolasky, director of the National Risk Management Center, part of the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to talk about what they are and how to deal with them.

Not many people can claim to have revolutionized the art and science of weather prediction. Venkatachalam Ramaswamy came up with a plan adopted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to substantially upgrade its operational prediction model. Ramaswamy is director of NOAA's geophysical fluid dynamics laboratory, as well as a a finalist in this year's Service to America Medals program. He joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to talk about his work.

The Defense Department said it's implementing a series of steps to detect price gouging by its suppliers. The moves come in response to an investigation that found one of DoD's largest spare parts contractors routinely overcharged the military ? sometimes by quadruple-digit margins. Federal News Network's Jared Serbu had details on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

The House Appropriations Committee released its defense spending bill for 2020. Its not what the White House wanted. The Democratically-controlled panel engineered a significantly lower number than the Trump administration is calling for. Thus the bill sets the stage for a sequestration showdown in October. Federal News Network's Scott Maucione joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin with the details.

Innovation is one of the terms that gets thrown around a lot in federal procurement circles. But exactly when is an agency or organization actually innovative? What stops agencies from trying something new or different when it comes to buying goods or services? The Office of Federal Procurement Policy is trying to answer those questions and debunk some myths about acquisition innovation in the fourth version of its mythbusters series. Leslie Field, the OFPP deputy administrator, and Soraya Correa, chief procurement officer at the Department of Homeland Security, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin. They told Federal News Network Executive Editor Jason Miller how the new memo is an effort to break down the barriers to innovation that have built up over the past 20 years.

It's axiomatic. Once a procurement bid deadline has passed, hopeful vendors cannot submit any more information or alter their bids. Or is it? A recent protest case before the Government Accountability Office shows that in some circumstances, contractors can get changes before source selection eyes. D.C. procurement attorney Joe Petrillo of Petrillo and Powell joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to explain.

For the first time, some participants in the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP, are able to buy their groceries online. That's a leap forward for a program which only a few years ago was still issuing coupons. The Agriculture Department is running a two year test of online buying with the hope of expanding nationwide. For more, Federal News Network's Eric White spoke with the Associate Administrator for SNAP at USDA's Food and Nutrition Service Jessica Shahin.

When veterans transition out of the military and seek their benefits, they hit up the Veterans Benefits Administration. Critics say VBA's efforts spent processing disability compensation and pension claims has resulted in under-attention to benefits like home loans and vocational rehab. A new bill in the House would add a new agency at VBA to deal with those benefits. Federal News Network's Eric White spoke with one of the bill's sponsors, Ohio Republican Brad Wenstrup. Hear more on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

The Trump administration this week is making the case for the reorganization of the Office of Personnel Management. As Federal News Network has reported, the upcoming transfer of the security clearance business from the National Background Investigations Bureau to the Defense Department pulls the revenue rug from under OPM. Acting Director Margaret Weichert made the case for the rest of OPM's reorganization yesterday to a group of reporters. She said merging what's left of OPM with the General Services Administration would generate savings up to $37 million a year. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to wade through the details.