The Merit Systems Protection Board is down one member after Raymond Limon retired. His departure puts the MSPB in danger of lacking a quorum if one of the two remaining members were to leave this as the board faces a mass of cases from recently fired federal employees. Federal News Network's drew Friedman got more when she spoke with Limon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The highly visible dismissal of probationary federal employees will have lasting damage. That's according to several good-government groups. Among them, the Partnership for Public Service. Vice president Michelle Amante joins me with more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The General Services Administration, by published reports, has been terminating leases with commercial landlords. The rules for acquiring and un-acquiring rented real estate differ a lot from those for everything else the government buys. A review now from Haynes Boone procurement attorney Dan Ramish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin The Trump administration has dispensed with the government's feedstock 10 years in, the Defense Innovation Unit needs to pivot Return to office depends on having an office to return to Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's hard to believe the Defense Innovation Unit has been operating for 10 years. Through rapid acquisition, it's funded hundreds of military prototypes from commercial technologies. Now, as the DIU moves to version 3-dot-oh, its moving past prototypes into production. The Government Accountability Office urges DIU to develop better metrics for these products are in fact helping the military. More now from the GAO's director for contracting and national security acquisitions, Bill Russell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before the Trump administration started blitzing the civil service six weeks ago, decades have passed since the last major attempt to reform the federal personnel system. Congress has done little to change federal workforce rules. At the same time, the Manhattan Institute Research shows state governments have demonstrated that changing public sector workforce rules comprehensively is not only possible, but can lead to more successful mission outcomes for possible federal lessons. Federal News Network's Jason Miller spoke with the institute's Senior fellow, Judge Glock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Veterans Affairs says it's looking at cutting tens of thousands of jobs later this year. Members of Congress are pushing back, citing possible harm to veterans. This as Congress looks for ways to plug a multi-billion dollar shortfall in VA s budget. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Government employees have the types of skills and experience that make them prime candidates for industries struggling with talent shortages. My next guest warns, though, that private sector companies need to prepare themselves for taking on former feds. He's the founder and president of Careerminds, Raymond Lee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin The Copyright Office takes on the sticky issue of artificial intelligence Why fired federal employees are ideal for companies with talent shortages Contractors spend the week getting ready for a government shutdown Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Artificial intelligences raises storms of questions in every domain it touches. Chief among them, copyright questions. Now the U.S. Copyright Office, a Congressional agency, has completed the second of two studies of AI and copyrights. This one deals with whether you can copyright outputs created using AI. For more, we turn to the Copyright Office's deputy general counsel, Emily Chapuis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The agencies may not be actively preparing for a lapse in appropriations. But contractors are. With a midnight, Friday deadline, and Congress more divided than ever a shutdown is a strong possibility. For steps contractors ought to be taking, we turn the president and CEO of the Professional Services Council, David Berteau. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Like many organizations, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation urges the Trump administration to maintain funding for basic research. Its Center for Life Sciences Innovation cites research showing that federal funding has catalyzed most of the transformative drugs developed in the U.S. More now from center's associate director, Sandra Babosu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chaos may tarry for the night, but the Partnership for Public Service has come out with its Best Places to Work rankings for 2024. Some familiar agencies earned the top spots. The Partnership also found that last year, federal employees reached highest ever engagement scores. Well now agencies from both the top and the bottom face major workforce overhauls under the Trump administration. Here to summarize everything going on for us, Federal News Network's Drew Friedman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Among its duties, the Library of Congress preserves films, TV programs, radio broadcasts and sound recordings. The field changes more than you might think. For what they're up to, we turn to the newly appointed Chief of the National Audio-Visual Conservation center, Rachel Stoeljte. https://newsroom.loc.gov/news/library-appoints-new-chief-for-national-audio-visual-conservati@on-center/s/9e70a449-0de0-4609-85ae-07cf1e138478 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin his Library of Congress office will never run out of things to do Trade groups urge the administration to maintain basic research funding How will Congress resolve the budget with just days remaining before funds run out Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our budget. With a continuing resolution set to expire Thursday, a full-year CR seems likely at this point. For the latest on this and everything else going on in Congress, we turn to WTOP Capitol Hill Correspondent Mitchell Miller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Trump administration prepares to end collective bargaining for tens of thousands of airport screeners. The move comes less than a year after Transportation Security Administration employees inked a seven year collective bargaining agreement via the American Federation of Government Employees Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday brings us the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Few events raise the hackles of believers in good government more than the biannual list of high-risk federal programs. Compiled by the Government Accountability Office, it details where the government is bleeding the most money and where it's in danger of operational failure. For his perspective on the high risk list, I spoke at length with GAO's chief, Comptroller General Gene Dodaro. We started with how many of these reports he's overseen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin The federal high risk list in the comptroller general's own words A new look at Biden-era rules for the National Science Foundation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Defense Department told its civilian workforce to respond to that controversial what you did last week email. Secretary Pete Hegseth called it a pulse check so the originators could see if there's someone at the other end of that request. That didn't stop mounting concerns over data security, how the information will be used, and conflicts of interest. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis has the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Some federal business is going on normally. For instance, the Army is working hard at building its edge computing so it matches a target architecture put out by the Defense Department that calls for 91 specific capabilities in cyber. The army is at work on 58 of them for the moment. Federal News Network's Jason Miller got more from the director of the Army's functional management office for zero trust, Chief Warrant Officer for Ben Koontz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Just before it left office, the Biden administration proposed new guidelines for licensing inventions funded by the National Science Foundation. My next guest says the proposed rules exceed the NSF's authority. And that they thicken bureaucracy and micromanage the whole thing. Joe Allen is executive director of the Bayh-Dole Coalition, and he joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The IRS has called for nearly all of its employees to return to their offices next week. In some cases, there won't be enough office space for everybody, so management tells employees to get creative with the space they do have. This as the IRS, like nearly every other agency, is also shedding office space. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has the latest Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Looking for a post-government job? There's a database for that How to stay good with EEO even without DEI Some answers to questions about RIFs and early retirement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Just what do you get if you're caught up in a reduction in force? And what about if you decide to retire early? Federal retirement expert Tammy Flanagan has been getting lots of these questions lately. She joins me now with a few answers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A one-time Justice Department prosecutor who also served at the state level, is now in private consulting. To help find people for his own, and for his clients' talent pipelines, he's maintains a database of former federal experts in a number of professions. You might even want to be on it. Brian Levine joins me now in studio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Career federal managers have been asking themselves, how the heck can I operate in the chaotic environment of DOGE? And if I throw out diversity, equity and inclusion, how can I make sure I'm not running afoul of equal employment opportunity rules. We get some answers from my next guest. He's a former EEOC trial attorney and founder of Employment Learning Innovations, Stephen Paskoff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Federal employees and retirees might be used to the options they can get through the federal employee dental health and vision insurance program, but it hasn't always been that way. It was back in 2006 that federal employees first got access to much broader dental and vision coverage through that program. Here with a review and as part of our 25th anniversary look back, Federal News Network's Drew Friedman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Veterans Affairs Department is canceling 585 contracts that are deemed nonessential or duplicative. The VA effort is part of a government wide initiative led by the General Services Administration recall we reported last week, GSA is telling agencies to target 10 major vendors who receive the most money through consulting contracts. Federal News Network's executive editor Jason Miller, has been digging deeper into the data about consulting contracts. He joins us now to tell us what he found. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Navy has invested billions in its shipbuilding industrial base. But the results haven't come in. Ships take to long to build. And often too long to repair. Navy officials can't say for certain how well their investments are paying off, that's according to the latest look-see by the Government Accountability Office. For details, we turn to the GAO's director for contracting and national security acquisition, Shelby Oakley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin The Navy's shipbuilding capabilities are slowly sinking Long awaited update of conflict-of-interest rules is in the works Federal researchers get a chance to pitch their research at a special event today Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Federal Acquisition Council has awoken to the need to revise organizational conflict of interest rules for federal contractors. Congress mandated the change in 2022. Fifteen years have passed since the last revision. Haynes Boone procurement attorney Zach Prince has been following this rule and he joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory houses some of the world's most advanced supercomputers. Now it's home to the very fastest called El Capitan. El Capitan is 16 times more powerful than Sierra its predecessor. Both machines support the National Nuclear Security Administration's stockpile stewardship. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis got more from the labs director of artificial intelligence innovation, Brian Spears, and from computational science leader, Judy Hill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Later today, the National Lab Research SLAM will bring 17 early career scientists from the Department of Energy’s national laboratories to present their cutting-edge research in a fast-paced, engaging competition. The event is sponsored by the House Science & National Labs Caucus and the Senate National Labs Caucus, and gives federal science agencies to showcase their role in advancing innovation and developing the next generation of STEM leaders. To learn more about the event, Federal News Network's Eric White spoke with Christine Zachow, Manager of the Academic Engagement Office & Science Education Operations at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, as well as Meg Rodriguez, Director of the Career Pathways office at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, who you'll hear from first. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Three dozen odd critical government functions face special risk of waste, fraud and abuse. That's according to the latest version of the Government Accountability Office's High Risk List. GAO says more than half the challenges come from gaps in workforce skills. Agencies either don't have the people with the right skills or they don't have enough people in the first place. Federal News Network's Drew Friedman has more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The DOGE has bit hard into the Education Department. It canceled nearly $900 million in contracts from the department's research division. Some of the research was directed at what helps students achieve school success. Here with one reaction on this approach the strategic advisor in the education policy program at New America, Lisa Guernsey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If modern warfare depends on drones, the Marine Corps aims to be at the front of the fight. The Marines have established a competitive drone team under the auspices of the training command and Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory. The team will compete in something called the Military Drone Crucible Championship. For details, we turn to the president of the U.S. National Drone Association, Nathan Ecelbarger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin What nearly a billion in canceled federal contracts could mean for education The Marine Corps aims to prove its chops in drone operation Once again, GSA finds itself in the center of a hubbub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two Democratic senators are pressing President Donald Trump's nominee for Air Force Secretary over allegations that he helped Elon Musk's Space X secure a multi-billion dollar satellite contract Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis has the details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The General Services Administration is often one of the go-to agencies for new administrations that want to get things done. That includes the first and second Trump administrations. For a review of recent developments, we turn to someone who will be a regular guest here on the Federal Drive. She was the administrator of the GSA for Trump 45, now a senior fellow at the George Mason University Baroni Center for Government Contracting.. Emily Murphy joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Pandemic era financial losses still haven't run their course Not only what government does, but how it does it, that too needs rethinking Congress approaches the red zone for getting a '25 spending package done Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The pandemic is long behind the country. And now the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery is about to sunset. But not before issuing a final report to Congress. One members ought to pay attention to. The government faces big losses yet to come in the Main Street Lending Program. Highlights now from the assistant inspector general for pandemic recovery, Geoff Cherrington. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Maybe the government does need a complete rebuild. My next guest points out, deficit spending rolls on out of control by what he calls the red tape state. Regulation also keeps growing wider and more complex. While DOGE focuses on cutting what the government does, the nation also has to think of *how* the government does what it does. For more we turn to the chairman of the legal reform group Common Good, Philip Howard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The General Services Administration is making a second, more direct push for agencies to cut what it calls non essential consulting contracts. The push comes with a deadline of March 7, and this time, it's telling agencies to target contractors agencies are spending the most with, by some estimates, $65 billion. Federal News Network's Jason Miller has been on top of this, and he joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Government Accountability Office is adopting artificial intelligence for its audits and evaluations of federal programs. AI helps the agency keep up with the growing volume of work requested by Congress for details. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman caught up with the GAO chief data officer, Lindsay Saul. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With everything else going on, you could almost forget the continuing resolution funding the government expires in two weeks. A lot is riding on budget reconciliation as we check in with Bloomberg Government deputy news director Loren Duggan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Department of Veterans Affairs is being asked to severely limit the number of employees who can make purchases through a governmentwide charge card program. That's a decision that could impact billions of dollars in annual spending. Meanwhile, the White House has put a freeze on government purchase cards, governmentwide. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman joins us with more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Billionaire investor Steve Feinberg, President Donald Trump's choice for the Pentagon second in command, says his background as a private equity executive gives him the experience necessary to fix the Pentagon's long standing problems. Federal News Network's Anastasia. Obis joins us now with more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Trump administration's treatment of the U.S. Agency for International Development crystallized the move-fast, take-no-prisoners approach. Opinions have broken out all across the spectrum. My next guest argues that shrinking USAID and merging it with the State Department only helps U.S. rivals strategically. Steven Kull is a senior research associate at the University of Maryland's school of public policy and he joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Read about a new government initiative or program, and likely it's not coming from actions of Congress. More and more, federal policy is being established via executive order from the President, which more and more has left Congress as a legislative body on the sideline. For some insight into how we got here and what it could mean for future administrations, we bring in Joshua Spivak, senior fellow at the Hugh Carey Institution for Government Reform at Wagner College. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin If you held out for a RIF rather than taking the fork in the road, you may have an extra layer of protection USAID and State: Smart way to save, or self-inflicted injury? The rise of the executive order is more evident than ever Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With so much uncertainty around their employment status these days, some federal employees may be considering just resigning, rather than waiting to be told they've been terminated. According to our next guest though, that may not be the best route. To learn why we bring in Shauna Weatherly, president and founder of Federal Subcontract Solutions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Executive branch layoffs dump work on Congressional staff How to keep the courts out of administrative decisions The Energy Department invest more in fusion energy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Energy Department via the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is boosting research into fusion energy. It's signed a cooperative research and development agreement, a CRADA, with a company called Focused Energy. Here is the details, Focused Energy's Harris Walker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A half dozen probationary feds swept up in the government's mass layoffs got some good news this week. They're getting their jobs back, at least for now. The Merit Systems Protection Board found there's at least some evidence that their firings were unlawful, but this week's MSPB decision leaves a lot of questions still open, and one of the biggest does the same rationale apply to thousands of other feds who were recently let go during their probationary periods. Federal News Network's Jared Serbu has been following this case. He joins us now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My next guest worked for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau until today when the Trump administration sort of canceled. Ironically, this CFPB attorney wrote about how to count-proof administrative branch decisions. That was in December, before the onslaught of Trump-Doge activities that have mostly ended up in court. Attorney Domenic Powell joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The General Services Administration, like many other federal agencies, after yesterday's memo from the White House, is looking at major work force cuts. GSA in particular, is looking at slashing the Public Building Service. It's real estate operation that handles office space leasing for most other agencies. GSA's new policy says they'll need fewer employees once they manage fewer buildings. Federal News Network Jory Heckman has the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Congress has faced a series of crises in its casework function. My next guest says layoffs in the executive branch lessen agencies' abilities to deal with citizens. So citizens turn to Congress to expedite casework. And that's starting to overwhelm congressional offices. Anne Meeker is a former Congressional staff member and now Popvox Foundation deputy director. She joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The firings of 1000s of federal employees have sparked a flurry of legal questions. There are plenty of nuances in the rules for probationary federal employees, and some legal eagles say agencies may have made errors or skirted probationary rules. Many fired feds have already filed appeals to the Merit Systems Protection Board Federal News Network's drew Friedman gets more from Federal Practice Group founder, Attorney Deborah D'Agostino. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The nominee to be Deputy Director for budget at the Office of Management and Budget is pushing back against the idea that the firing of probationary federal employees was indiscriminate. Former Congressman Dan Bishop told senators during his nomination hearing there are good reasons for agencies to let go of these employees. No surprise, Democrats disagreed. Federal News Network's executive editor, Jason Miller, brings us more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin How to maintain sanity in what seems like an insane environment Reform doesn't come easily to the agency that guards the nuclear weapons stockpile A retired intelligence chief human capital officer has some leadership advice Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Among the agencies trying to reform themselves, the National; Nuclear Security Administration. Reform requires certain best practices to be in place, including metrics and measurements. The NNSA needs a little work. That's among the finding from a Government Accountability Office audit. Details now from GAO's director of natural resources and environment, Allison Bawden. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For federal employees, the world has turned upside down. Is it possible to create a healthy work environment with all of the DOGE stuff going on? Is it possible to concentrate on the work you thought you were hired to do? Here with some practical advice, Rice University organizational psychologist Danielle King. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Maybe because he was a spy, but my next guest has some novel ideas about leadership in places like large federal agencies. He's written a book about it called How Great Bosses Can Change Minds and Drive Innovation. Mike Mears retired as chief human capital officer of the CIA, and he joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After public pressure from members of Congress, the Office of Personnel Management said it has categorically, that's OPM word, exempted Federally Employed military spouses from the return to the office mandate. The memo is celebrated as a success in some quarters, but military spouses themselves, they're not so sure. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis has more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Is it time to face the prospect of a privatized Postal Service? One Congressmen helps out his federal employee constituents A vague Pentagon memo has some contractors on edge Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Department of Veterans Affairs is in the process of reinstating some of the probationary employees it recently fired, but Senate Democrats are calling on VA to go one step further and rehire the entire 1000 of them. Lawmakers say some probationary VA employees worked in critical positions, including assisting the Veterans Crisis Line. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has the latest Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Prince George's County, Maryland, is one of the three Maryland and Virginia counties, along with Alexandria, that border the District of Columbia. Like the others, it's home to thousands of federal employees. In light of orders from the Trump Administration, Maryland Congressman Glen Ivey whose district includes Prince George's County wants to help. He joins me in studio now with plans for a resource fair coming up soon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Postal Service has entered new turmoil with the departure of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. It's midway through a controversial reform plan. It continues to lose billions of dollars yearly. My next guest says it's time to seriously consider privatizing USPS. He's an economist and vice president for research at the Cato Institute, Jeffrey Miron. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An acting undersecretary has told managers throughout the Defense Department to review contracts for consulting services. Not just a casual review, but with an eye towards terminating or what Steve Morani called descoping them. This as agencies are terminating services contracts across the government. The Professional Services Council has been tracking all of this. We get some analysis by its executive vice president for policy, Stephanie Kostro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plenty of federal agencies have begun deep cuts to their workforces – starting with probationary employees. The Defense Department is next up. The Pentagon says it will start laying off those new hires this week. About 54-hundred people are expected to be let go this week as part of what DoD says is just the start of a broader workforce reduction effort. Federal News Network’s Jared Serbu joins the Federal Drive with more on what’s happening this week and beyond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Trump administration has promised to move the headquarters of some agencies away from the Washington area. There's even legislation proposing this called the Strategic Withdrawal of Agencies for Meaningful Placement. Yep, the swamp act. My next guest says he's skeptical this would help much or save money. You might not like his alternative, but its an idea that also has support. From the conservative Cato Institute, former economic committee staff member Chris Edwards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin The argument in favor of keeping agency headquarters right where they are How tariffs will affect the Defense Department supply chain Congress remains in a reactionary stance to the whims of President Trump Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Donald Trump has ordered the elimination of the Presidential Management Fellows Program. Trump's mandate will end a government wide effort that has recruited early career talent in the federal workforce for nearly 50 years. Since the news of the program's termination, many current and former fellows now say they're at a loss. Federal News Network's Drew Friedman files this report. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Trump administration has imposed, or threatened to impose, tariffs on several countries, including China. Trump wants to replace imported goods with goods manufactured in the United States. In the meantime, one commodity crucial to national security is still mostly made in Asia. Printed circuit boards, the foundation of electronic systems used in communications and defense. For how would tariffs affect these products, we turn to the executive director of the Printed Circuit Board Association of America, David Schild. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After an all night session last Thursday, the Senate has adopted a 340 billion dollar budget blueprint to try and implement the Trump administration's agenda. That agenda seems to include letting go more federal employees, which is starting to get bipartisan pushback as more and more districts are affected. For more on all of this, WTOP Capitol Hill correspondent Mitchel Miller joins us now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Newscast A Biden appointee sues to keep her job under Trump How artificial intelligence is energizing information technology Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The original architect of the Defense Department's Cybersecurity Maturity Model certification program, CMMC was marched out of the Pentagon early in the Biden administration. Well, now she's back. Katie Arrington has joined the Defense Department and the Trump administration again, she'll oversee DoD cybersecurity, Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday joins me with the details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Trump's order directing the military to seal the border with Mexico gave the Pentagon a big part in immigration enforcement. The Defense Department has said the southern border operations will cost nearly a billion dollars over the next eight months. Some members of Congress say the department doesn't have a realistic estimate. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis brings us the latest in that cost estimate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Technology is like a flywheel. Flywheels do a lot of work, but they slow down if the don't get an injection of new energy. Artificial intelligence looks like the energy coming into the flywheel of information technology. My next guest has looked into this. He's the chief technology officer at Booz Allen, Bill Vass. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One highly visible appointee of former president Joe Biden has filed suit to keep her job. Bureau of Prisons Director Collette Peters filed her appeal of what she calls a wrongful dismissal to the Merit Systems Protection Board. Peter has retained federal employment attorney Mary Kuntz, who joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We just heard the case against that new class of civil service called career-policy. Formerly called Schedule F, it's the Trump administration's way to make the civil service more accountable. For a cautious view of why it might work this time around, we turn to a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, Sean Higgins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One of the most difficult debates right now is whether the new career civil servant classification is a good thing or a bad thing. It's called Policy-Career, a new name for Schedule F. The Trump administration has willed it into being with an executive order. For the case against this classification, we turn to long-time government accountability watcher Joe Spielberger from the Project on Government Oversight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A unique component of the Smithsonian marks 60 years in business this year. Smithsonian Associates bills itself as the largest museum-based education program in the world. It offers many courses and seminars for lifelong learners. Joining me in studio with the details, Smithsonian Associates director Fredie Adelman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin The Smithsonian educates people outside of the museum walls The case against the new Policy-Career job classification Why Schedule F could work this time around Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At the National Science Foundation, 168 federal employees lost their jobs Tuesday. They got a couple of hours notice to say goodbye to their colleagues and pack up their belongings. This story is echoing widely across the government and impacting thousands of federal employees, and it comes after the Trump administration encouraged agencies to fire people in their probationary periods, when they've got fewer job protections. Here with an update, Federal News Network's Drew Friedman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Veterans Affairs Department has exempted many of its front line employees from the Trump administration's federal workforce policies that includes the hiring freeze, the deferred resignations and the firing of probationary hires. But not everybody, multiple VA employees, including some working at the Veterans Crisis Line, say they're not exempt. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman joins us with the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Robert Storch had a long and successful federal career. He's had tough, sensitive jobs. Including deputy inspector general at the Justice Department, then IG of the National Security Agency, then IG of the Defense Department. He was let go by President Donald Trump in a purge of IG's governmentwide just a few weeks ago. Bob Storch joins me in studio to reflect on how things got this far. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin The deposed inspector general from the biggest department speaks out That alarm bell about the nation's fiscal health is growing louder and louder How to have enough money to cover serious contingencies Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The government will once again spend a trillion dollars more than it takes in this year. Maybe two trillion. Nothing seems to stop the ever rising debts. Nor the warnings that the nation is on an unsustainable fiscal track. The latest alarm comes from Congress's own Government Accountability Office. Here with details, the GAO's director of strategic issues, Jeff Arkin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thousands of federal employees who were still in the first year of their position, they're out of work today, the impact of the Trump administration's decision to fire probationary employees will be felt for years, and that's according to our new online poll. Federal News Network's Jason Miller joins me to discuss what feds are saying. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The government barely avoided a shutdown last month. Anything could happen in March though, when the latest continuing resolution expires. Federal employees will get paid. But they could face an interruption in pay deposits for the duration of a furlough. For those who live paycheck to paycheck, that could be tough. We get some practical advice from federal retiree Abe Grungold of AG Financial Services. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Trump administration's mass firings of federal employees face challenges. A group of unions has sued the administration in federal court, and multiple fired employees have filed a joint complaint before the Office of Special Counsel Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday brings us the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Donald Trump's hiring freeze which was enacted as soon as he entered office could not have come at a worse time for the National Parks Service. The agency that relies heavily on seasonal workers was in the beginning stages of staffing up for what looks to be another busy season. Now parks officials and experts are warning that some of the nation's most treasured parks that were already having trouble keeping up as popular tourist destinations may face even more crowd control issues. For more on this, we welcome Tim Whitehouse, executive director of the group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin What the hiring freeze means for the National Parks Service, as it starts finding seasonal employees. How drones may be a big help to first responders in the future A big to-do list for Congress as it finishes the first month with a new administration Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Office of Personnel Management clarifies its return to Office guidance for Federally Employed military spouses after public pushback on the initial guidance from military families and lawmakers federal news networks. Anastasia Obis is here with more to tell us all about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A recent challenge sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology tasked drone designers with creating a system to help first responders map indoor environments. Whether it's a burning building or an active shooter scene, the potential of such technology could save a lot of lives. To find out more about the challenge, we welcome Terese Manley, Unmanned Aircraft System Portfolio Lead at NIST, she was also the Prize Manager for this particular challenge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Trump administration is calling on teleworking federal employees to return to the office full time, but its leaders at the General Services Administration are on a mission to dramatically cut the amount of federal office space that agencies have. That's raising some questions of how agencies will accommodate more workers coming into the office. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman is here with more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A lot to do for Congress as it' finishes off it's first month with a new administration. The branch itself has not impeded any of the White House's agenda so far. It of course has it's own policy initiatives to consider, oh and there is the matter of funding for the government which runs out in less than a month. For a breakdown of what's going on, we welcome back Loren Duggan, editorial director for Bloomberg Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Federal Executive Institute, a long standing Leadership Development Center for federal executives, is closing down following President Donald Trump's executive order signed on Monday. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis is here with more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin As the White House's buyout offer is now allowed to proceed, a look at the precedent it seemed to have leaned on for coming up with the idea A change of leadership and emphasis for the EEOC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Whether you took the deferred resignation offer from the White House or not, everyone is paying attention to its implementation. In an attempt to provide a softer and easier way to reduce the federal workforce, this is not necessarily a new idea for doing so, it's just never been attempted on this scale before. To get some more background on it we welcome back to the program Elaine Kamarck, Director of the Center for Effective Public Management at the Brookings Institution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Air Force says there's a new unity of effort when it comes to bringing new officers into the service. In December, officials created the new Air Force accession center, bringing the Air Force recruiting service and the home center for officer accessions under one Commander. The Commander is Brigadier General Christopher Amrhein. He talked with Federal News Network's Jared Serbu about the reasons for the reorganization and what it's achieved so far. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Trump administration's 180 from DEI or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives seems to have leaked into the private sector as well. One reason, a change of emphasis in the kinds of cases the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has been tasked with going after. With a change in leadership and policy, what can we expect to see from the commission? For some insight, I spoke with Carol Warner, editor of the publication HRMorning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Judging from its having fired of the commandant of the Coast Guard, the Trump administration apparently feels the need for reform. For why and how that might happen, we turn to former Coast Guard attorney, and now a Holland and Knight partner, Sean Pribyl. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Donald Trump is directing agencies to prepare for large scale reductions in force and a new executive order. Trump also caps agency hiring and further institutionalizes the power of Elon Musk's DOGE. For the latest Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday joins me. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A provision in this year's National Defense Authorization Act, seems to have directed the Defense Department to analyze military air shows, and the role they play in recruitment, among other things. That got us thinking about that question as well, and we seemed to have found the perfect person to discuss it. I had the pleasure of speaking with John Cudahy, who is the president of the International Council of Air Shows. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin What the Coast Guard can expect under the Trump administration This year's defense spending bill may call for examining military air shows' effect on recruitment Last couple of weeks made you crazy? At least you've got a lot of company Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Events of the last few weeks have caused federal managers heads to spin. The resignation offer, the closure of agencies, the new policy schedule. All these developments have sparked lawsuits. One of the litigants is the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association. Joining me with the whats and wherefores, NARFE staff vice president John Hatton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over the first three weeks of the Trump administration's shock and awe approach to reorder the government contractors have been unusually quiet. From the canceling of contracts to efforts to reduce the federal workforce. Industry and their associations have not publicly vocalized any broad concerns or offered any true opposition to U.S. DOGE services. In his reporters notebook, Executive Editor Jason Miller writes about why contractors are laying low for now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Whistleblower Protection Act was enacted to protect people who raise issues from retaliation. It's not the strongest law in the world, according to my next guest. In a recent National Law Review article, he lists several other tools whistleblowers can also use. Attorney Stephen Kohn of Kohn, Kohn Colapinto joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If things get really bad, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation can cover deposits that are not insured. But that requires authority from the Treasury Secretary. The FDIC did just that in 2023. The Government Accountability Office found that the action paid off by reducing systemic risk. More now from the GAO's director of financial markets and community investment, Michael Clements. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As if not enough is going on in the world, the Chinese military has flown two new stealthy jets. Some military observers consider them a tangible threat to the U.S. One is a bomber and one is a fighter. For what it all means, we turn to Lexington Institute vice president Rebecca Grant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Donald Trump has fired the Director of the Office of Government Ethics. That removal was just the latest in a spate of unprecedented terminations by the President, but at least one official has just been temporarily reinstated by a federal court. Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday has the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Whistleblowers have more anti-retaliation tools than they realize Two new Chinese warplanes could mean the end of U.S. air superiority When the FDIC took extraordinary action and it paid off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The largest federal employee union keeps fattening. The American Federation of Government Employees is also leading several lawsuits challenging the Trump administration's workforce policies. AFGE leaders say that's why new people are joining. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman joins me with the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yesterday, we were supposed to find out whether the Office of Personnel Management's controversial deferred resignation program will be allowed to proceed, but we did not hear. As of now, the program is still in legal limbo as a federal court in Boston decides whether to issue a restraining order. Meantime, the government is now appealing a separate court's ruling that ordered it to reinstate Treasury payments to states and nonprofits, and a new lawsuit accuses the government of sweeping privacy violations in connection with the Department of Government Efficiency's, activities, just a few of the pieces of litigation affecting federal agencies and their employees. Right now, Federal News Network's Jared Serbu has been up all night almost with an update on what's happening and not happening in the courts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Trump administration is cracking down on remote employment. It wants federal employees in their offices, but for federally employed military spouses, it looks like they'll be able to continue working remotely here with some questions they're asking and a few answers, Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Department of Government Efficiency has focused heavily on the U.S. Agency for International Development. It sent thousands of employees home and took the agency name off the door. Now USAID contractors are left with lots of unpaid invoices. We get the picture now from the president and CEO of the Professional Services Council, David Berteau. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

U.S. air bases in the Indo-pacific region are too vulnerable to attacks by China. China has been steadily hardening its own air bases. The result is a sharp military imbalance in China's favor. That's the jist of a detailed study by the conservative Husdon Institute. More now from senior fellow Tim Walton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For miners people who dig things out of the earth finding the healthcare and other providers they may need can present challenges. Now the Mine Safety and Health Administration part of the Labor Department has organized an online platform for miners. Joining me with the details statistician William Drexler and management and program analyst Joe Mackowiak. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin The Labor Department helps the nation's miners in finding critical services Where the U.S. needs an iron dome is in the Pacific region Why contractors are fuming at what's going on at USAID Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Office of Personnel Management is giving agencies a brighter green light to make their chief information officers political appointees. OPM is telling agencies they can reclassify the Senior Executive Service positions to general instead of career reserve. Federal News Network's executive editor, Jason Miller joins me now with what it all means. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Agencies have been pushing to recruit more cyber security and tech talent in recent years, but now hiring managers have concerns that the Trump administration's move to cut federal employees altogether will kneecap the cyber workforce efforts. Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday has the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Congress gets set to deal with artificial intelligence in health care How AI could strengthen citizens' confidence in government. Congress seems frozen by the Trump administration bulldozer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pretty much everywhere you look, citizens have low confidence in democratic governments to deliver results. Could AI help? My next guest has looked into this extensively and finds the potential is there. Valerie Wirtschafter is a fellow at Brookings, and she joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Avian flu can't hurt Congress. Members are running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Democrats are incensed at President Trump but don't seem to have a plan of their own. Republicans seems to sit back and watch the show. So what are they doing? We turn to WTOP Capitol Hill correspondent Mitchell Miller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While the Trump administration formulates new policy for artificial intelligence, Congress has created its own agenda. As we reported earlier, the last session's House Task Force on AI produced a long list of policy and legislative ideas. Many of them have to do with health and health care. Attorneys at Brownstein have distilled them out. Joining me now, senior policy counsel Deema Tarazi and senior policy advisor Adam Steinmetz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Trump administration wants to make the government more efficient. It even established something called the Department of Government Efficiency. But that executive order for everyone to return to the office my next guest says that could work against efficiency. Retired public administration professor Bob Tobias has more to say. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin A former Republican U-S aid administrator doesn't like what he's seeing How the pullbacks of U.S. foreign aid affects contractors who actually deliver it Will that return-to-the-office order make things less efficient Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Foreign aid starts out as appropriated dollars. The State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development turn the dollars into contracts. Which means the Trump administration's pullback on foreign assistance and its near total shutdown of US aid, mean contractors are feeling the pinch. Joining me with more, two attorneys with long federal experience. From Jenner and Block, Ian Moss and David Robbins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Trump administration appears unlikely to see the workforce reductions it's hoping for through its deferred resignation program, at least not now. The program is also on pause after a federal court issued a temporary restraining order yesterday, but the Trump administration is still pressing forward on its promise to cut down that federal workforce. Agencies are bracing for what's likely coming next, a reduction in force. Here with the latest, Federal News Network's Drew Friedman and Jared Serbu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Federal employees now have more time to consider that deferred resignation offer from the Office of Personnel Management, and depending on which agency you work for, the deal looks a lot different than what the Office of Personnel Management first advertised. Lots going on here. Agencies exempted some of their employees at the last minute. Other agencies say the offer still applies to everybody. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman joins us with more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After calling it a ball of worms no apple left, the Trump administration hit the U.S. Agency for International Development with a wrecking ball. Has it strayed from its original purpose? My next guest can offer some perspective. We spent five years as U-S aid administrator during the George W. Bush administration. Now a professor and director of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs at Texas A & M, Andrew Natsios joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For federal employees who saw some appeal in the Trump administration's deferred resignation program, today is the last day to hit that reply button on the mass email from the Office of Personnel Management. Or maybe not, a new lawsuit challenging the program asks a federal judge to extend that deadline, and not just that, but also order OPM to start over and answer some of the legal and workforce planning questions still lingering. Federal News Network's Jared Serbu has been covering the litigation. He joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You might not be surprised to find that members of the American Foreign Service Association object to dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development. The association represents nearly two thousand foreign aid officers. Joining me with more of what's going on, the association's president, Thomas Yazdgerdi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin What foreign aid officers say about what's going on at USAID A settlement for service members released under don't ask, don't tell A new FAR rule over controlled, unclassified information is on the way Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After the Trump administration's executive order banning all diversity equity and inclusion efforts, the defense department wasn't sure how this would affect its equal employment opportunity EEO programs. Well now Air Force officials say they'll keep their EEO programs, but delete logos, images or language related to DEI. For now this is difficult because the program is overlapped. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis spoke to Alden Law Group partner Michelle Bercovici. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Remember the days of don't ask, don't tell in the armed forces? The policy for gay and lesbian service members ended 10 years ago, but it still reverberates. As does the issue of transgender service members. Now a group of veterans discharged back in the don't ask, don't tell days has reached a settlement with the Defense Department after a long-running class action suit. Joining me with the details, attorney Joselyn Larkin of the Impact Fund. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Controlled, unclassified information. That's most of the information the government generates. It's known as DUI. The Federal Acquisition Regulation council is considering new rules for CUI. With what they'd do and why they might be problematic, we turn to Haynes Boone procurement attorney Dan Ramish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Federal financial management needs urgent attention. They're such a mess that the Government Accountability Office once again is unable to provide an opinion on whether government financial statements are reliable. It's an old problem but becomes more urgent as the financial situation becomes less and less sustainable. We get the latest from the GAO's director of financial management and assurance issues, Dawn Simpson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin How non-federal governments can up their evidence-based policy-making This federal financial story you've heard before and that's not a good thing For some, deferred resignation may not be such a bad deal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An influential Senator wants to remake the intelligence community starting at the top. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton says the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has become too bloated. He plans to work with the Trump administration to put a cap on the size of ODNI. Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday has the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The National Academy of Public Administration has published what it calls a field guide for using federal grants. Not just any grants though. It's about government-to-government grants so state, local and tribal governments can build better data systems. The idea is, better data management and analysis can lead to better programs. We get more now from the field guide's principal authors, Pari Sabety, an economic stability program advisor at U.S. Digital Response and Kathy Stack, a senior policy fellow at Yale University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Time's almost up for federal employees to accept that offer from the Office of Personnel Management. Resign now and go on paid administrative leave until October, or stay and risk non voluntary reduction in force, you're fired. OPM sent out its offer government wide, but agencies are giving their employees some additional details now. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You may not be a worm in the apple of your agency. But you might be at the age and years-of-service point that retirement makes sense. The Trump administration offer of deferred resignation might actually make sense from a dollars and cents standpoint. More now from retired federal manager Abe Grungold of AG Financial Services. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Trump rescinded his predecessor's executive orders on artificial intelligence. That has implications for both government and industrial use of AI. At the same time he brought three tech moguls to the white house to announce a privately funded AI infrastructure. Here with analysis, the head of AI policy at the Abundance Institute, Neil Chilson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Details are emerging on the Office of Personnel Management's return to Office expectations for the agency's own workforce starting March 3 specifically. OPM employees are to report to work on site full time. That applies to both teleworkers and remote workers. But this picture is a little fuzzy if you're an employee who lives a great distance from any OPM facility. We get the latest now from Federal News Network's Drew Friedman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin DHS research in airport passenger screening never stops A look inside the Trump administration approach to artificial intelligence A union fight breaks out over attorneys in two Justice Department divisions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The clock is ticking for Defense and Veterans Affairs Department employees who telework or who have remote work agreements. There's a pretty good chance agencies will not be ready when the clock strikes zero over the next month and they're supposed to get back to the office. Federal News Network's Jason Miller writes in the federal report why the return to Office push is one of those sounds good on paper, ideas not so easy to accomplish in reality, especially on the timelines these two agencies have laid out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Homeland Security Department is busy these days on a lot of fronts. Among the jobs not so visible: developing the next generation passenger screening technologies. Especially as passenger traffic keeps growing. Here with a report on some developments that promise to make screening both faster and more accurate from the DHS Science and Technology Directorate, John Fortune. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The National Treasury Employees Union last year managed to get itself established as the bargaining unit for attorneys in two Justice Department division. The Civil Rights and Environmental and Natural Resources Division. Earlier this month, attorney Jeffrey Morrison challenged NTEU in an application for review before the Federal Labor Relations Authority. He got free help from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. The Foundation president, Mark Mix, joins me now with details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Now that the Trump administration has settled in, two questions have emerged for the congressional delegations near D.C. One concerns the ping-pong ball that is the FBI new headquarters question. Another has to do with the new federal job classification known as career-policy. We get one view now from Maryland Democratic Congressman Glenn Ivey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The deferred resignation letter to federal employees is part of the Trump administration's gambit to shrink the government. It's gotten the attention of the House Committee on Oversight, as we hear from Bloomberg Government deputy news director Loren Duggan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Two top issues for the congressional delegations near Washington, D.C. Knowing what to do doesn't help if you can't do it The White House isn't the only one trying to right-size the government Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An old saying among military people is that amateurs talk about battle strategies and professionals about logistics. It gets to the heart of a bigger idea. Policy gets endlessly debated and no time more than after a change in administrations. But what about the government's capacity to do things properly? My next guest has called for a capacity agenda in 2025. The founder and CEO of Code For America, Jennifer Pahlka, joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The big Navy project called Flank Speed met all but one of its 152 requirements for zero trust cybersecurity, last fall. Flank Speed the Navy's name for its Microsoft 365 platform, traffics lots of Navy systems and data. For how Flank Speed supports Navy modernization, Federal News Network's Jason Miller caught up with the Acting Program Executive Officer Louis Coplin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After many years of delays, the Defense Department is finally started ramping up use of its multi billion dollar household goods moving contract last month, and it's not going well. Hundreds of military families have been hit with late pickups, and even no shows, the problems are so serious, DOD has given the prime contractor a formal notice that it appears to be out of compliance with the contract. Federal News Network's Jared Serbu has been following the global household goods contract many years now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you got the deferred resignation program email, well, listen up. Don't expect what the Trump administration calls a nice vacation. In fact, legal experts urge federal workers to exercise deep caution. They're telling you to consult with human resources and benefits people and even your own legal counsel and financial advisors before making a decision. Federal News networks, Anastasia Obis has some more on this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stop us if you've heard this already, like five seconds ago. The Trump administration has given federal employees an ultimatum, resign now and go on paid administrative leave or stay and risk a non voluntary reduction in force. A Federal News Network poll finds, though, not many employees plan to take the deal. Among their concerns, they say OPM hasn't provided all the answers to their questions. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman conducted the survey, and he brings us the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With net neutrality A recent U.S. appeals court decision ended the idea of net neutrality. It said the Federal Communications Commission lacked authority to regulate internet service and broadband providers. The incoming F-C-C chair, Brendan Carr, was already planning to undo Biden administration rules *for* net neutrality favored by the outgoing F-C-C chair. For what the broadband industry hopes for next, we turn to the president and C-E-O of the trade group U.S. Telecom, Jonathan Spalter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Federal employee associations and unions are uniformly up in arms over the resignation request that went from the Trump administration to every federal employee. Among them the National Association of Active and Retired Federal Employees, NARFE. For what it's advising people to do NARFE vice president John Hatton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Federal employees nationwide have been mulling the offer from the White House to resign but stay on the job for the next 8 months. For the legalities of this offer, we turn to federal employment attorney Danny Rosenthal of James and Hoffman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin The infamous resign later, get paid now offer, how legal is it? Reaction keeps thundering over the deferred resignation offer A court squashes net neutrality what next for the FCC? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The information technology age has produced many marvels. But they all need electricity. Now thanks in part to the explosion in artificial intelligence the industry is building giant complexes of datacenter. The Energy Department has taken a gander at the just how much power data centers will gobble up. Here with some of the numbers, from the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory, staff scientist Arman Shehabi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hiring freezes, the new Career/Policy classification, freezes on this and that program. It's all causing lots of federal employees to consider retiring. My next guest warns, don't do anything in haste. It could cost you in more ways than one. Tammy Flanagan is principal at Retire Federal, and she join me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Why artificial intelligence could cause the lights to dim How federal land could generate lots of electricity Thinking of retiring all of the sudden? Haste could be a mistake Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Office of Personnel Management, the Trump administration that is, has told Feds they can take a deferred resignation and go on administrative leave until September. The OPM offer is raising legal questions, though federal employment attorneys say that whatever it is, it's a novel approach to reduce the federal workforce. Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A study late in the last administration concluded that using federal land to build windmills and lay out solar panels could generate a lot of electricity. Thousands of gigawatts. With how they developed the estimates, we turn to a senior energy analyst with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Trieu Mai. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Coast Guard has suspended its anti harassment policy to conduct a 90 day review of that document. The brass caution that while the policy for harassing behavior might be suspended, harassment itself, that's still prohibited. Federal News networks, Anastasia Obis has more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Agencies have a new deadline to create their lists of federal positions to potentially be converted to the Trump administration's new schedule policy, career employee classification, formerly known as Schedule F. New guidance from the Office of Personnel Management details the types of positions that might be covered, but the guidance is also likely to run into some legal battles. Federal News Network's Drew Friedman joins me with more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin FDA's accelerated approval pathway has a few potholes How to make sure you've got the cybersecurity people you need Cybersecurity has had its ups and downs as we head into 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If there's one type of person every agency will need, it's cybersecurity people. As you've probably heard, there's not enough of them to go around. That's why the government's personnel shop has devised a 5-part strategy for planning, hiring and retaining cybersecurity people. But not everyone follows the strategy. More now from the director of information technology and cybersecurity at the Government Accountability Office, Dave Hinchman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Food and Drug Administration sometimes uses a program called accelerated approval pathway to get new drugs to the market quickly. Such drugs may not kill you, but that may not help much either. The Health and Human Services office of inspector general has found that in a few cases, FDA officials veered off the path. We get details now from social science research analyst Ivan Troy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last year was an eventful one on the cybersecurity front. Advancement of the Defense Department's new requirements for contractors. Cyber updates in the federal acquisition regulation. Artificial intelligence interacting with cyber. My next guest led a team that had put it all in on place together with a cyber forecast for 2025. Townsend Bourne is cyber team leader and a partner at the law firm Sheppard Mullin, and she joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Everyone knows by now, the Trump administration is calling for teleworking federal employees to return to their offices five days a week. That's easy to say, but like many agencies, the IRS is trying to figure out just where to put them all. The IRS workforce recently grew to 100,000 more than it's had in decades. Its office space hasn't kept up. For one view on how to cope Federal News Network's Jory Heckman spoke with the executive director of the professional Managers Association, Kelly Reyes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Navy has been pushing hard to move to a portfolio management approach to its information technology investments. Next up is cybersecurity. Officials say too often individual programs decide how to secure their systems and networks. The idea is to move the Navy and Marine Corps to what they call a holistic approach that considers people, processes, technology as all part of the equation. We get details from Federal News Network's Jared Serbu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Army has kicked off a pilot program to separate recruiters from processing teams. The idea is to let recruiters focus on the real task, namely, pitching military service to young adults. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis joins me with the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Inspectors general may be fired maybe, but that's not the end of the story Inspectors general are on pins and needles with the arrival of the Trump administration A look into the Trump administration's pause in foreign aid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My next guest has worked as a federal inspector general for more than five years. He was also the chairman of the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, CIGIE. And until Friday, he was the IG for the Interior Department. He's one of more than a dozen IG's the Trump administration let go on Friday. But that's not the end of the story. Mark Lee Greenblatt joins me in studio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Federal executives are nervous about what comes next. President Donald Trump has taken a new and unprecedented approach to not just the senior executive service but to all of federal management. What about inspectors general? Trump had a contentious relationship with them the first time around. My next guest has experience here. She's a former State Department acting inspector general who witnessed the firing of her boss. She now a partner at the law firm Wiley Rein, Diana Shaw joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Among the scores of executive orders coming from the Trump administration is a 90-day pause in foreign development assistance. Another freezes regulatory action. Still another imposes a hiring freeze. See the pattern? It's all causing a pause in contracting, even cancellations. More now from the executive vice president for policy at the Professional Services Council, Stephanie Kostro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The explosive Trump administration has lobbed some shells that have Congress abuzz. Maryland and Virginia delegations are on alert over the new federal policy/career classification formerly known as Schedule F. Here with this and more, WTOP Capitol Hill Correspondent Mitchell Miller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Veterans Affairs suicide risk screeners often don't follow the department's own standards. The Veterans Health Administration has yet to establish consistent training or performance standards for screeners. Those are among the findings of a review by the VA office of inspector general. We get details now associate regional director, Amber Singh. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A slew of regulations for federal contractors issued during the Biden administration just got buried under the heavy, black Trump signature. From pay equity to artificial intelligence, lots has changed. Highlights now from Washington procurement attorney Eric Crusius. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin VA needs to tighten up its procedures for suicide screeners The big Trump executive order machine changes a lot for contractors You can guess what's dominating the congressional agenda this week Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Agencies have received those orders to revise their telework policies and begin bringing federal employees back to the office to work full time. A memo from the Office of Personnel Management last week details who should be going back to work in person and who might still be exempt. OPM guidance comes after President Trump issued that return to Office directive on his first day in office. Federal News Network's Drew Friedman brings us the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Continuing our coverage of telework, the Homeland Security Department was one of the first cabinet level agencies to act on President Donald Trump's return to the office mandate. The DHS memo came out on January 20, practically before Trump set foot in the Oval Office. It calls out several components of DHS for, quote, unacceptable remote work practices, Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday has more on this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Among the blizzard of executive orders this week, the Trump administration clarified the role of the military in securing US borders from illegal immigration. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis joins me with what's happened since. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Robots can flip your hamburger or weld together your car. Now they can operate in a vacuum, fixing satellites in orbit. That's thanks to a program funded by DARPA and carried out by the Naval Research Laboratory. The result is a machine ready for a commercial launch to take into space. Here with the details, the acting director of the Naval Center for Space Technology, Bernie Kelm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin The Navy's researchers come up with a robot that operates out of this world A NASA engineer sums up a career of learning about working in organizations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the first week of the Trump administration, one agency under contention didn't quite surface, namely, the IRS, but Congress cut $20 billion from IRS supplemental funding in 2023 and another $20 billion in the latest continuing resolution. The National Treasury Employees Union says those funds are key to rebuilding taxpayer services. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman, spoke with NTEU national president Doreen Greenwald. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who says engineers can't write? My next guest spent a long career as an engineer at NASA. He oversaw teams of people working to develop space flight missions. Along the way he learned a thing or two about the contemporary workplace. So much so, he wrote a book about it called Nice Guys Finish Last and Other Workplace Lies. Engineer and writer John Ruffa joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Donald Trump's government wide hiring freeze makes some exceptions for the Veterans Affairs Department, but it's not entirely clear which positions are actually excepted. Trump's pick to run the VA Doug Collins defended the hiring freeze during his confirmation hearing. He also says VA will use every tool at hand to fire poor performing employees. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin How the return-to-the-office order affects people with disabilities How a leading health research agency can bolster its workforce A regular Federal Drive guest departs for a job in the new administration Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Now that President Trump has ordered the revocation of telework for federal employees there's a new question. How ready are federal offices to accommodate people with disabilities. That's a legal requirement. We get from perspective from federal employment attorney Aaron Szot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Advanced Research Projects Agency - Health, known as ARPA-H, is tiny at only 118 employees. Its personnel needs are highly specific, though. ARPA-H has used a variety of strategies to get the people it needs. The Government Accountability Office finds, the agency needs a more organized approach. More now from the GAO's director of science, technology assessment and analytics, Candice Wright. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

By the time the azaleas bloom in Washington, agencies will get a new plan to improve their hiring processes. It will have the goal of bringing down federal hiring to 80 days. President Donald Trump's executive order signed on inauguration day, would require this plan to address nine broad areas, most of which have been priorities for past administrations. Federal News Network's Jason Miller joins me with the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Regular listeners have for years looked forward to appearance by my next guest. Larry Allen is a seasoned federal sales and marketing executive, and former director of the Coalition for Government Procurement. His regular Federal Drive appearance have come to an end, at least for now, because he's taking a job under the Trump administration as director of the Office of Governmentwide Policy at the General Services Administration. On the morning before inauguration, we checked in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Donald Trump has issued more than two dozen executive orders in his first couple of days in office. Many of them will impact the federal workforce. One executive action, for instance, orders a federal hiring freeze at federal agencies. Another tells agencies to return their federal employees to work at the office. We get more now from Federal News Network's Drew Friedman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two top Department of Homeland Security executives were unexpectedly dismissed by the new Trump administration earlier this week. Coast Guard Commandant Linda Fagan was relieved of her duties Monday night, and David Pekosky, the head of the Transportation Security Administration, was also let go Monday morning. We get more now from Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two horses of the so-called government tri-fecta the House and Senate, that is find themselves deep in the business of the new administration. The Trump administration. For what's immediately ahead, we turn to Bloomberg Government Deputy News Director Loren Duggan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the new Congress, an A-I proposal from the last Congress. Federal Drive with Tom Temin For the new Congress, an A-I proposal from the last Congress DoD moves to improve maritime security in contested southeast Asia The Trump opening agenda is taking most of Congress's time now Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The last Congress spent some solid effort to create a set of principles and recommendations for dealing with artificial intelligence. Members of the bipartisan task force on AI want to ensure U.S. leadership, while mitigating the threats to privacy and safety. Task force member Don Beyer, who represents Virginia's eighth district. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A new industry and government consortium has joined the federal scene. This one is devoted to maritime security in Southeast Asia, or MARSEC. Joining me with who's in it and what they plan to do, the deputy assistant secretary of Defense for south and southeast Asia, Laura Updegrove. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

That Department of Government Efficiency, the DOGE faced a slew of legal battles. Just minutes into the Trump administration, the largest federal employee union and several nonprofits asked to join Trump's external government efficiency commission. So far, they got no response. The groups say DOGE isn't meeting transparency and ethics requirements for federal advisory boards Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you think the tax code is complicated, try checking out campaign finance laws. They're administered by the Federal Election Commission. Late last year, the FEC submitted a long list of legislative proposals for the 119th Congress to take up. Here with a summary, the commission chair, Ellen Weintraub. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Voters decisively last rejected a Democratic successor to the Biden administration. That didn't stop Biden's team from unleashing a small storm of regulations in its last couple of months. For highlights of the so-called Fall 2024 Unified Agenda and how much of it will evaporate under the Trump administration we turn to the George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center. Joining me now analyst Sarah Hay and senior policy analyst Zoey Xie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The General Services Administration has new leadership in place on this the first full day of the second Trump administration. The new officials say they want to recommit GSA to its founding purpose, ensuring governmentwide efficiency and maximizing value for American taxpayers. Federal News Network's executive editor Jason Miller joins me now with what he's learned. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin One crucial commission asks Congress for a raise How much of Biden regulatory agenda will survive under Trump? Contractors and agencies alike await a new Trump reality Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Trump spent his first day in office dealing with immigration and energy policy undoing as much of the previous agenda as he could. The less obvious changes like where to substantially cut government spending will come later. Whatever happens will eventually get around to contractors. My next guest says that if past is prologue, it makes sense to look at what Trump did the first day around. David Berteau is president and CEO of the Professional Services Council. Yesterday, in the hours before inauguration, he joined me in studio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The General Services Administration says the federal government owns more office space than it needs, and it's on a mission to downsize its national portfolio. The plan takes inventories of federal buildings in need of upgrades and which properties it ought to sell. Decisions often come down to vacancy rates or the cost to fix up a building for more federal news networks. Jory Heckman spoke with the outgoing commissioner of GSA Public Building Service, Elliot Doomes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the final days of his administration, President Joe Biden has signed a new cybersecurity executive order. If it sticks around, the directive, would set new requirements for federal agencies and contractors. Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday joins me with a look. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Every administration tries to align federal agency budgets with its policy goals. That's not easy in a government with two million employees and countless departments, agencies, bureaus and offices. My next guest has been working this very challenge for the last four years. Until Monday, at least, she's the deputy director for budget at the Office of Management and Budget. Nani Coloretti joins me in studio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin How the Biden administration tried to align budgets with policies Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Capitol Hill, tensions continue to rise over the use of federal telework. Lawmakers on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee raised questions just yesterday about how telework impacts productivity, customer service, Workforce Recruitment and many more things. This all comes just days ahead of President Elect Donald Trump's inauguration and a likely shift towards returning to the office. Here with the latest, Federal News Network's Drew Friedman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Defense Department struggles to test buy and field emerging technology quickly, nothing new there. New would be contractors often find defense procurement complex and opaque. Well, now members of the Defense Innovation Board say the Pentagon needs to expand the Defense Innovation Unit if it's to solve these problems. We get the latest from Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Federal employees, and to some extent all public servants, are wondering precisely what the next few days an months will bring. Lots of questions of a practical nature, like when will new Social Security benefits flow under repeal of old limitations. And, what happens Monday when Donald Trump re-enters the oval office. We get some informed speculation from the staff vice president of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, John Hatton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The DOGE, Department of Government Efficiency has vowed to help the Trump administration reduce the federal headcount. My next guest says the DOGE might be overlooking another source of savings. Government contractors, who outnumber federal employees. Danielle Brian is executive director of the Project on Government Oversight, and she joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin A NOAA grant program aims at coastal resiliency There's one big population the Department of Government Efficiency might be overlooking What a time to be alive with a hundred new executive orders coming Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A grant program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration aims to help resilience of coastal cities and towns. It will hand more than 54 million dollars to four of what it calls accelerators. The accelerators will in turn make grants to small businesses developing technologies for things like renewable energy and hazard mitigation. Joining me with more, Braid Theory CEO Ann Carpenter and NOAA program director Carl Gouldman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The coming Trump administration has promised to institute all sorts of efficiencies in the government. Now a bill from Senator Roger Wicker, Republican of Mississippi, would do just that. The Forged Act focuses on Defense procurement. For analysis of what's in it, we turn to the president and CEO of the Professional Services Council, David Berteau. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

During her three plus years as administrator of the General Services Administration, Robin Carnahan kept one idea front and center. Government is a service provider. There's no better place to lead that effort than the GSA. As Carnahan's time at GSA comes to an end on Monday, she says the agency is in a better place than it was four years ago. Federal News Network's Jason Miller sat down with Carnahan for exit interview. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Does anyone ever really have a contract with the government? A customer that can terminate for convenience, as the legal phrase goes? One sole practitioner pushed back and found that even termination for convenience has procedures and rules. My next guest says you should know your rights as a contractor. Haynes Boone procurement attorney Zach Prince joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lots of industries are switching their hopes for the future to the incoming Trump Two administration. The technology sector thinks about maintaining U.S. leadership in domains like artificial intelligence. One group is calling on the new administration and Congress to create the necessary tax and regulatory environment. More now from the president and C-E-O of the Information Technology Industry Council, Jason Oxman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin What the tech industry wants from the new administration and Congress Immigration courts miss a crucial metric for tracking immigrants When termination for convenience becomes inconvenient Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The U.S. border chaos is mirrored to some extent in the court system that deals with immigration. A congressional audit has found that the Justice Department which operates immigration courts lacks data on whether non-citizens have shown up for their mandatory hearings. The case management system of the Executive Office for Immigration Review doesn't track it. We get more now from the Government Accountability Office's Rebecca Gambler. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Marine Corps has been operating the V-22 transport aircraft for more than 30 years. And for more than 30 years, the Marines have been dealing with crashes. Sometimes deadly ones. The vertical lift machine has killed 60 people. The cycle of accident, groundings, and returns to flight continues to this day. My next guest did detailed analysis of the data connected to the V-22. Brad Dress, a reporter for The Hill newspaper, joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Inside the DHS Science and Technology Directorate's search for better wireless communications The V-22, a Marine Corps aircraft that keeps on killing marines The so-called budget is only the start of a lot of hard work Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wireless cellular communications keep growing as an imperative for emergency responders. The Homeland Security Department's Science and Technology Directorate has an ongoing research program for development of cellular for details, I spoke with the technology manager for the Science and Technology communications and networking technology center, Sridhar Kowdley, Here's an excerpt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The latest government wide section 508 assessments show agencies still struggling to meet digital accessibility standards. The annual evaluation lists numerous persistent issues that make both external websites and internal ones less than fully accessible for people with disabilities. Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday joins us with more on this latest assessment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Agencies have been beckoning private sector tech workers hit by layoffs, consider public service. Getting them to apply is one thing, but agencies are now looking at how to retain them. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is trying by launching its own digital service model after the White House's US digital service for details. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman spoke with the open source lead for CMS Remy DeCausemaker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Joe Biden is expected this week to sign the second cyber security executive order of his term. Agencies will get new requirements for how to improve software security. The Office of Management and Budget gets the job of rewriting circular a 130 and the cyber security and infrastructure security agency gets new authorities to conduct threat hunting inside agency networks. That section has caused some concern. Federal News Network's Jason Miller got a hold of the draft. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The armed forces are about to get a new commander in chief. The collective that brings together a critical segment of the defense industrial base also has a new leader. The National Armaments Consortium has named a decorated Army combat veteran and long-serving civilian executive as its new executive director. Ben Harris joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Homeland Security steps up efforts to stop human trafficking What's next for the armaments industry as the Trump administration arrives Congress gets set to take on Trump and the DOGE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stopping human trafficking is a year-round mission for the Homeland Security Department. Last week DHS marked its annual blue campaign, a public awareness effort. For how DHS organizes around this challenge, we turn to Brandi Bynum of the center for countering human trafficking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It seems like only yesterday, the Defense Department finally got its long awaited enterprise cloud computing contract off the ground, but DoD is already planning for the successor to the multi billion dollar joint war fighter cloud computing program. One objective will be extending cloud services into tactical environments. Now the department has seen some early success in doing just that under the current iteration of JWCC. Details now from Federal News Network's Jared Serbu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With just a week until inauguration, three forces are converging. They'll all impact the federal workplace. The Trump Administration is promising a stack of one hundred executive orders. The external Department of Government Efficiency will start to dig in. And after breakfast pleasantries, a chaotic Congress will join the battle. The outlook now from WTOP Capitol Hill Correspondent Mitchell Miller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Biden opted for a 2% pay raise for civilian federal employees in 2025 that's on average, some employees at the higher levels of the general schedule will get a smaller pay adjustment. That's because of a phenomenon known as pay compression. It's a long time problem in the federal pay system that reduces raises for people at the top of the pay scales Federal News Network's Drew Friedman joins me now with what to expect in the coming year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The outgoing White House National Cyber director Harry Coker has teed up the big cyber security issues for the incoming Trump administration. That includes recommendations on how to harmonize a growing chorus of cyber security regulations. Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday has more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Even a shrunken government would need to collect taxes to carry out functions it has left. My next guest says that fact seems to be lost on those rascals from the Department of Government Efficiency. The IRS is a case in point. Retired public administration professor Bob Tobias joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Energy Department maintains lots of data on the cost of various energy sources used in a variety of purposes. One group pushing for everything to go electric has found, some of that data needs a little tweaking. Wael Kanj does research for Rewiring America and he joins me now Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Federal and industrial quantum computing pioneers have explored something really specific but really important. Namely, quantum sensors in biomedicine. They've done so under the auspices of a non-profit called Quantum Economic Development Consortium. For why this research is important, we turn to the executive director of the consortium, Celia Merzbacher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin NIH explores the world of quantum sensors and how they can help medicine One group urges the Energy Department to tweak its statistics When DOGE says delete the IRS it might shoot itself in the foot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Office of Personnel Management is digging into its treasure trove of data about federal employees. Its goal is to create a modernized database that can better support decision-making. For more on how OPM is starting to put its data to better use, Federal News Network executive editor caught up with OPM's new chief data officer, Taka Ariga.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In both the fiscal 2024 and 2025 budget requests, the Biden administration expressed concerns about how pay compression is impacting the federal workforce. The concerns never led to a legislative fix, a disappointment for federal employees. Still, the Office of Management and Budget deputy director, Jason Miller, had some successes to point out when he spoke with Federal News Network's Jason Miller.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Meet the over-achieving and high-flying Army Reserve major Coming to a contract protest near you loser pays legal fees CD's the ones made of money aren't what they used to be Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Recently, Major Kate Rubins became the first Army Reserve officer to receive the Basic Aviation Badge with Astronaut Device and Space Badge. Just tack it on as another accomplishment for her. As a microbiologist and NASA astronaut who also serves in the Army Reserve, I thought I would use this show as a good excuse to get the chance to meet her and hear her story, and that's just what I did. My first question, what do you consider your official job? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A clause in the Defense Authorization law for 2025 has procurement attorneys sitting up in their chairs. It calls on the Defense Department and the Government Accountability Office to develop a plan to test a novel idea. Having companies that lose bid protests to repay DoD for legal costs. Joining me with what this could all mean, Venable procurement attorney Chris Griesedieck. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The shine has dulled for CDs certificates of deposit that looked like great investment vehicles when interest rates were higher. Just rolling them over may be such a great wealth-building strategy. Here with some tips for dealing with CDs, wealth advisor Thiago Glieger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A federal building's disposal. Board has secured yet more time to deal with partially empty office space. The public buildings reform board was supposed to help the General Services Administration identify properties it no longer needs. Congress gave the board six years, but a recently signed law now gives the board an extra year and a half. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The first military paycheck of 2025 lands in service members bank accounts. Next week, they'll see one of the biggest increases in decades, 14.5% for junior enlisted service members and 4.5% for everybody else. Some troops will get even bigger raises in the new year, though, on top of the base pay raise, housing allowances are increasing by 5.4% still, the real number depends a lot on where they're stationed and a little bit on their rank. Federal News Network's Jared Serbu has been digging into the data. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President-elect Trump has promised to use tariffs as economic levers to benefit the U.S. Perhaps strangely, tariffs figure into federal acquisition rules and practices. Lots of things to fulfill federal contracts some from other countries. We get a detailed look now from Haynes Boone procurement attorney Dan Ramish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Don't look for the Education Department to disappear after the next Trump administration assumes office. It won't have enough votes in Congress. Still, the department is likely to undergo fairly drastic change. Some predictions now from the director of education policy at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, Rick Hess. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Among its biggest challenges, the FAA has a constant need to install new equipment while keeping the old stuff going. That task falls members of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialist, PASS. The union represents FAA employees who deal with aging technology and sometimes a shortage of spare parts. PASS told a Senate committee the FAA is too slow in developing its technical workforce...and not moving fast enough to stay ahead of aging infrastructure. We get more now from PASS president Dave Spero. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin A union says the F-A-A doesn't use its own people enough The Education Department won't go away, but it will change under Trump How tariffs could affect federal contractors and procurement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Members of Congress are seeking some more details from the Treasury Department on a recent China connected cyber attack. The hackers were able to access some Treasury workstations after compromising a third party software provider. Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday has the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

During his tenure as the Deputy Director for Management at the Biden administration's Office of Management and Budget, Jason Miller faced no bigger issue than how to manage the return to Office for federal employees after the pandemic, not that he didn't deal with 1000 opinions. Miller, whose last day will be January 20, tells Federal News Network's Jason Miller about how OMB ended up dealing with this hot button issue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When it comes to the government's procurement tab, the General Services Administration is one of the most influential agencies. It manages many of the contracts from which all agencies buy. And it one of the agencies that helps decide governmentwide procurement policy. So what should happen in the Trump administration at the GSA? We get some ideas from long-time GSA watcher, and federal sales expert Larry Allen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin A long awaited bill will improve things for veterans Recalling Jimmy Carter, the great de-regulator  What to expect at the General Services Administration under Trump Two Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Republican presidents often get credit for cutting back on federal regulation. But the most significant de-regulator of modern times just might be the Democrat about to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol. In many ways, you can thank Jimmy Carter for that $99 flight to the coast for a quick getaway. A review now from the director of regulatory studies at George Washington University, Susan Dudley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Veterans groups have praised passage of a bill to expand once again benefits. Congress passed the Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act shortly before Christmas. For how it will help, we turn to the chief policy officer of Paralyzed Veterans of America, Heather Ansley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's episode of The Federal Drive with Tom Temin: Why Park Police back a bill to modernize, the Park Police This Social Security Administration whistleblower is nothing if not persistent What to expect as the contentious Congress get underway Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In both the fiscal 2024 and 2025 budget requests, the Biden administration expressed concerns about how pay compression is impacting the senior Federal workforce. The concerns never led to a legislative fix, though a disappointment for federal employees still the Office of Management and Budgets deputy director Jason Miller had some successes to point out when he spoke with Federal News Network's, Jason Miller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With a new presidential administration and the 119th Congress, both starting in 2025 there are many unknowns in what's to come for the federal workforce, but at least one thing's for certain, federal telework will remain a highly disputed topic. There have already been plenty of bills and memos over what federal telework should look like, and there's likely much more ahead with the Trump administration. Joining me now with more Federal News Network's Drew Friedman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

They managed to get a speaker elected without too much drama. Now the one hundred nineteenth Congress has to get down to real business. For what to expect first, we turn to the deputy news director of Bloomberg Government, Loren Duggan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Promotions and other career advancements would come faster for members of the U.S. Park Police under a bill in Congress. The U.S. Park Police Modernization Act was introduced in October. It would bring Park Service personnel practices in line with those of other federal law enforcement agencies. One group supporting this legislation: The National Police Association. Spokesman Betsy Brantner Smith joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Social Security whistleblowing employee has been vindicated by the Office of Special Council. John McAdams found that retirees were getting sub-optimal advice from Social Security itself, missing out on substantial benefits they were entitled to. He's been at it a long time. In 2022, John McAdams the special counsel named him Public Servant of the Year. For more on the latest cases, claims specialist John McAdams join me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As it always does, the National Defense Authorization Act known as the NDAA includes a whole section devoted to federal procurement. We get highlights not from attorney Zach Prince of Haynes Boone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's no surprise, artificial intelligence remained a top storyline over the last 12 months, and probably will continue that way. Agencies detailed 1000 more use cases in the most recent update from the Office of Management and Budget. But the 1700 total use cases are only one reason AI remains big news. We get more now from Federal News Network's executive editor Jason Miller Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, CISA is one of the youngest but also fastest growing agencies in government. It faces a murky future though, under the incoming Trump administration and potentially less support from Congress. For more on what might lie ahead for CISA in 2025 Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One thing Republicans and Democrats agree on is the need to have secure, domestic supplies of critical minerals. It's both an economic and national security imperative. So what can the government do to boost reliable domestic supplies? My next guest has studies this question. She's director of the critical materials security program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Gracelin Baskaran joins me in studio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin How the government ought to about critical minerals security What's in the Defense policy bill concerned with procurement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Biden administration spent much of this year laying the groundwork for how federal agencies will use artificial intelligence, that includes getting AI experts to join the government in the first place. Well now the incoming administration will chart its own AI course. President Elect Donald Trump is quickly signing on his own AI peeps. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman brings us some more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Not all military health care takes places in ideal settings. Sometimes it's needed in what the military calls operational settings. The armed forces exercise varying degrees of how carefully they evaluate provider quality. For more, we turn to the director of health care issues at the Government Accountability Office, Sharon Silas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin After serving in the State Department, she returns to the Congressional branch The armed forces are urged to better evaluate field medicine Here's a much better way to deal with life now and in retirement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If your only consideration for retirement or in your working life, for that matter you're missing out. There's another, equally important consideration. Consider modifying a money-driven goal but adding purpose. Joining me in studio to elaborate R-M-G Advisors Thiago Glieger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Implementation plans for artificial intelligence in the Defense Department are long overdue. That's according to the DoD Office of Inspector General. The IG found confusion over who does what and for more Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis spoke to the IG evaluations and intelligence chief David Edwards. He talked about issues surrounding the Chief Digital and AI office itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When citizens have questions for the government, they often turn to their rep in Congress. When Congress has questions, it turns to the Congressional Research Service. Now the CRS has a new director. Karen Donfried joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Military reserve members and their civilian employers are watching on Supreme Court case closely. It involves a Coast Guard reserve member who claims the FAA owes him two years worth of military pay differential. A lower court ruled otherwise, so he appealed. Details of the case now from attorney Sean Timmons, a managing partner at Tully Rinckey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thinking of taking early retirement? The biggest mistake you can make is running out the door because of what Elon Musk might to. In fact, early retirement whatever your motivation might be requires as much planning as regular retirement. Here with some tips, federal retirement expert Tammy Flanagan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Homeland Security helps write the book on how to acquire artificial intelligence This reserve military duty pay dispute is now in Supreme Court hands Thinking of retiring early? Don't just run out the door Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Few departments have more diverse procurement needs than Homeland Security. These days, the agency is operating on all fronts; natural disasters, immigration activity, cybersecurity, you name it. For how its procurement operations keep up, we turn to the chief procurement officer, Paul Courtney. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the world of federal contracting, it's not uncommon for vendors on the losing side of a competition to file a bid protest, but filing a bid protest three years after a contract award, that is unusual, but it's exactly what's happening with the Defense Department's multi billion dollar global household goods moving contract the federal contract dispute that just won't die. Federal News network's Jared Serbu has been following the procurement for all these years.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each year, agencies attempt to move just a little bit closer to reforming federal hiring. Historically, that process is often slow and complicated for both applicants and the HR staff, but over the last year, agencies seemed particularly focused on making changes to the way they recruit and onboard federal employees. Here with a look back, Federal News Network's Drew Friedman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When ChatGPT first emerged on the federal scene, Venice Goodwine was not a fan. The Air Force chief information officer, in fact, issued a 'Thou shalt not use' policy. But Goodwine quickly shifted her perspective and launched an Air Force only version called NIPRGPT. Federal News Network's Jason Miller got the story from Goodwine.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The past year in National Cyber Security trends was defined by major intrusions into U.S. critical infrastructure from the China linked Salt Typhoon campaigns to continue ransomware attacks on the health care sector. Agencies had to scramble just to keep up. For more on another busy year in cyber security, and as we continue with our series of look backs, Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Federal retirees are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars a year into an annuity offering at the Thrift Savings Plan. What is it, and why is it so popular? We turn to certified financial planner Art Stein of Arthur Stein Financial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The DoD's big cybersecurity program advanced earlier this month. A big rule to carry if out became effective. For what the rule means and what comes next in the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Program, we turn to the Deltek cybersecurity researcher Michael Greenman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After spending two decades in Afghanistan, the government has accumulated a lot of lessons learned. In fact, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, has published 13 chapters of lessons learned. The latest one concerns personnel practices in Afghanistan activities. Basically, everyone who ever worked there said personnel practices were terrible. We get more now from SIGAR's deputy director for lessons learned, David Young. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin One big reason almost nothing went right for the U.S. in Afghanistan The second shoe is about to drop on a big DoD cybersecurity program. A financial option that's gaining favor with federal retirees Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A unit of Health and Human Services recently made grants to four academic and industry teams to do miracles. Enabling the blind to see. The awardees will work on technologies to enable transplantation of the human eye. For details, from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, program manager Calvin Roberts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Placing federal employees on paid indefinite administrative leave, that practice is about to end. The Office of Personnel Management published a final rule to cap federal employees to 10 days of administrative leave during personnel investigations. The final rule comes eight years after the Administrative Leave Act was passed. That was 2016 and just this year, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility or PEER filed a lawsuit to prod OPM to cough up that rule. Federal News Network's Drew Friedman got more from PEER Senior Counsel Peter Jenkins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After years of falling short of recruitment goals, the armed services did manage to eke out a win in 2024 and meet them. The story of how the services turned things around largely boils down to having a path for previously disqualified recruits to join the military. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis joins me for the year in review here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hospitals treat the sick and injured. But they can be dangerous places. A unit of the Health and Human Services Department aims to reduce patient and healthcare workforce harm by 50%. So it's set up a dashboard that aggregates safety information. Joining me with the details, the director of the Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Craig Unsheid. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin This agency hopes to achieve the miraculous enabling the blind to see HHS wants to reduce medical accidents. There's a dashboard for that Contractors breathe a sigh of relief at budget deal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Federal contractors never expected Congress to get a full year appropriation done last week. So they're generally pleased about avoidance of a government shutdown. That gives the government 11 weeks or to deal with other lingering procurement issues. We check in with the executive vice president for policy at the Professional Services Council, Stephanie Kostro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A seemingly ordinary award protest has blown up. For only the fifth time in the last 25 years, all of the judges of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will hear the case. That's known as an en banque hearing. To explain how a subcontracting dispute got to this level, Haynes Boone procurement attorney Dan Ramish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The carrier USS Abraham Lincoln returned to its home port in San Diego on Friday after a multi month tour at sea, including an unusually long stint of 107 days without a port call. But the Nimitz class aircraft carrier had something that's been unheard of until now, ubiquitous, high speed internet connectivity, even when it was 1000s of miles from shore. The connectivity experiment is part of a navy project called Sailor Edge Afloat and Ashore for how they tested it and the difference it made. Federal News Network's Jared Serbu spoke with the Lincoln's Combat Systems officer, Captain Kevin White. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Department of Veterans Affairs has a plan to get its stalled electronic health record back on track. The VA will start laying the groundwork for more go live sites in the coming weeks, and expects the new EHR to be in more VA facilities by mid 2026 that is. The project has been on a year and a half pause. The VA and its contractors have spent that time fixing problems at sites already using the new EHR. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has the latest.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The government won't shut down. But it doesn't get 2025 appropriations either. That will have to wait until March under the continuing resolution hammered out at the 11 hour Friday night. An update now from Bloomberg Government deputy news director Loren Duggan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A long-time federal career procurement executive has a new job. She's the CEO of a contractor. But not just any contractor but a non-profit with a purpose. Soraya Correa was chief procurement officer at the Homeland Security Department, among other things, and retired as a member of the Senior Executive Service. This year she became president and CEO of the National Industries for the Blind. Ms. Correa joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At 50 years in business, SourceAmerica looks a lot different than when it was founded. It's one of the largest contractors under the AbilityOne program, and it offers a lot more than its very first product a creeper to let mechanics slide under cars. As part of a series on the AbilityOne program, we welcome the president and CEO of SourceAmerica, Richard Belden. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Things are changing at AbilityOne contractors After a career in procurement, she's selling to the government No shutdown, but no 2025 appropriations either Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over the last four years, the Office of Management and Budget issued 20 memos focused on federal technology. The goal, of course, is not to just issue memos and claim victory. OMB memos usually are the first step of a long process to change the way agencies deliver services, protect data and train the workforce. Clare Montana sat down with Federal News Network executive editor Jason Miller in her office at OMB to reflect on her tenure as the Federal Chief Information Officer and the impact of her office's efforts over the last four years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Defense Counter Intelligence and Security Agency has a plan to get the next generation background investigations IT system back on track. The National Background Investigation services is years behind schedule and hundreds of millions of dollars over budget, but DCSA top official says a new program plan and new program leadership will deliver on end this in the coming years, Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday has all the details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Any parent of at-home children worries about cybercrime and the potential for exploitation. My next guest says the threats are worse for children of military families. He should know as a parent of two and as a former deputy commander of the U.S. Cyber Command. Retired Lieutenant General Charlie Moore joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Whether it's that sharp new BMW 3-series or a basket of cheap hardware from Amazon. It got to you through a port. Operators of U.S. ports have their eye on federal infrastructure spending $19 billion of it. For what they're hoping for, the president and CEO of the American Association of Port Authorities, Cary Davis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After years of working to reform Congress, my next guest can look back at some real accomplishments. And work still to be done. Representative Derek Kilmer of Washington, spearheaded the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress which became the House Administration Subcommittee on Modernization. Now he's retiring from Congress. Derek Kilmer joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Some final thoughts from one of the leading reformers of Congress Operators of these parts of critical infrastructure want their share of federal spending How children of military service members are at war Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's episode of The Federal Drive with Tom Temin: Losing the acting on a high ranking title at NASA In the two weeks or so left of 2024, get the most out of your money A leading government research administrator steps onto a new stage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The government might be operating on a continuing resolution. Individuals should take better charge of their own financial lives before the end of the year. Including optimizing your Thrift Savings Plan. Some tips now from RMG Advisors financial planner Thiago Glieger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One of the government's leading researchers and research administrators has been recognized with a new outside post. Simon Liu, the administrator of the Agricultural Research Service at the Agriculture Department … is now a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. He joined the Federal Drive earlier to discus his work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A satisfying thing it is when that *acting* moniker is removed from your title. My next guest has become simply the associate administrator of the Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA. For what it all means, Clayton Turner joined the Federal Drive earlier with more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A bill to reform the way agencies recruit employees is heading to President Biden’s desk. Congress passed the bipartisan Chance to Compete Act earlier this week, to codify skills-based hiring practices for the federal workforce. The push for agencies to focus on applicants' skills, rather than degrees, has been years in the making. Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman got more from the Partnership for Public Service’s vice president of government affairs, Jenny Mattingley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To save some short term money, Army officials are scaling back a popular education benefit. The decision to scale back the Credentialing Assistance program could rank as on one of the most significant changes to soldiers' benefits in recent years. Federal News Network’s Anastasia Obis joined the Federal Drive with more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Biden administration will have left office after establishing extensive policies for acquisition and use of artificial intelligence. The National Defense Authorization Act for 2025 also has extensive language on ensuring competition in AI. What can we expect from the Trump administration? One view comes from the chair of the government contracts practice group at Blank Rome, Justin Chiarodo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Navy transports Marines aboard amphibious warfare ships. The Navy also has big problems keeping its fleet of amphibious ships available for both training and operations. Some of the vessels have been out of service for years. For more of what auditors found, the director of defense capabilities and management issues at the Government Accountability Office, Diana Maurer joined the Federal Drive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Veterans who wish to be buried with the least environmental impact now have a new option. Three of Veterans Affairs national cemeteries opened what they call green burial sections last month. Green burials are possible for both cremated and intact remains. The Federal Drive got details now from VA's executive director of cemetery operations, Lisa Pozzebon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President-elect Donald Trump vows to revisiting plans to privatize the Postal Service. It’s a first term-goal that didn’t go far, with pushback from unions and Congress. But House Republicans, especially that Department of Government Efficiency caucus, are on board with these plans. Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman has more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cyber policy gurus are urging the incoming Trump administration to elevate the role of the White House Office of the National Cyber Director. The three-year-old office has led some real cybersecurity strategy initiatives. But outside observers say it could be more involved in responding to major cyber incidents. Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday has the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's episode of the Federal Drive with Tom Temin: The Navy has trouble keeping its amphibious ships in working order VA responds to veterans' demands for green internment How the Trump administration is likely to deal with artificial intelligence Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's episode of The Federal Drive with Tom Temin: Congress is really close to final repeal of Social Security limitations on government retirees The Energy Department has new information on green fuel for airplanes Contractors prepare for really, really late 2025 appropriations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The General Services Administration has been making steady award progress on two signature, multi-award contracts. Even as Polaris II and Oasis-Plus move along, agency appropriations for 2025 look like they'll be delayed until April, halfway through the fiscal year. For his take on the implications, federal sales and marketing consultant Larry Allen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's so close, those in favor can practically taste it. The statutory ending of the windfall elimination provision and the government pension offset. WEP and GPO have reduced Social Security benefits for thousands of state and local government employees and certain federal ones. An update on this and other matters from the National Active and Retired Federal Employee Association's John Hatton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Energy Department says industry is surpassing goals for production of so-called sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF. That aided by loan guarantees amounting to billions for companies to increase their capacity to make lower carbon jet fuel. Joining the Federal Drive with a progress report, the director of Energy's Office of Technology Transitions, also the chief commercialization officer Vanessa Chan.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Army’s is out with the latest version of its characteristics of need for its next generation command and control initiative. Released last week, the characteristics of need points to a multi-year effort to update and standardize command and control across the Army. For more, Federal News Network executive editor Jason Miller caught up with , the program executive officer for command, control communications and networks, Mark Kitz, and with , the director of the command and control cross functional team, Major General Patrick Ellis.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Federal employee engagement reached an all-time high this year. That’s according to the results of the 2024 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, or FEVS. Now, that 71% engagement score is a governmentwide average. Now, specific results, down to the individual agencies, are available. Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman joined the Federal Drive for some of those numbers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Trump administration will have to deal with vacancies in the ranks of inspectors general. The last time around the Trump White House had sort of a touchy relationship with some of them. Here with one view of what should happen next the director of the effective and accountable government program at the Project on Government Oversight, Faith Williams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Town halls, congressional debates, promises from incoming Trump people. They all point to a sharp cutback in telework. Not all members of Congress are in favor though. For what's actually brewing, we turn to WTOP Capitol Hill correspondent Mitchell Miller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The newest Air Force squadron does all of its work on the ground, in one place. The Air Force recently activated the 316th Inpatient Squadron at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Joining me for what the squadron does, Air Force Senior Master Sergeant Erin Barger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin This newest Air Force squadron doesn't fly anywhere With the new administration, the shortage of inspectors general pops up Trump and congressional majority zero in on federal telework Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Federal agencies have more buildings and office space than they need. Most everybody agrees on that. Successive administrations have seen the need to trim federal office space, and the COVID 19 pandemic added to that urgency. Now the incoming Trump administration is on a mission to bring efficiency and savings to the federal government, and they're looking at the work of a small independent agency that helps get rid of underutilized federal buildings. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When it first entered the White House, the Biden administration had to grapple with the infamous solar winds cyber attack. That incident became a galvanizing force for federal cyber initiatives under the Biden White House. Well, now the hack known as Salt Typhoon, a big intrusion into U.S. telecommunications networks looks like the incoming Trump administration's first big cyber challenge, Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday joins me with the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Office of Federal Procurement Policy launched its better contracting initiative more than a year ago. Leaders promised this time would be different when it came to developing enterprise wide software licenses, a long time bugaboo for federal agencies. Well, guess what? The General Services Administration is about to deliver on that promise. GSA says its IT vendor management office is close to finalizing a government wide deal with Microsoft. For details, Federal. Executive Editor Jason Miller, caught up with GSA Assistant Commissioner IT category, Laura Stanton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Members of Congress get, on average, three requests per day to help them with federal bureaucratic issues. A thousand requests a year. That means nearly half a million queries hitting federal agencies every year. My next guest got an assignment from the Administrative Conference of the United States. It wanted to explore ways to improve how agencies respond to congressional casework queries. With what he found, Boston University associate professor Sean Kealy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever wanted to take a career break? Its an attractive idea, but at some point you might want to come back into the government. A bill sponsored by Virginia Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton would establish what it calls a first-ever returnship program. Congresswoman Wexton joins me now with details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin A bill to help former feds return to the government A better approach to dealing with requests from congressional casework Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Defense Department is sunsetting its year old Task Force Lima. Its task was to examine large language models and establish the AI rapid capability cell known as the arc. Well now the ARC will lead the department's efforts to deliver next generation AI capabilities. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis brings us the latest tell us more about ARC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Social Security Fairness Act is inching even closer to passage. At a rally in front of the Capitol building this week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer committed to bringing the bill to a floor vote, and that's after the legislation to repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset, WEP and GPO cleared the House last month. Federal News Network's Drew Friedman was at this week's rally. She joins me now with the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thousands of federal employees will retire come the end of the month. Good retirement planning covers your finances, your healthcare but what about your *life* and what you'll do day-to-day. The dream can turn to boredom real fast. Here with some advice to get your backside in gear, happy and fulfilled federal retiree Abe Grungold of AG Financial Services. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plans of the Department of Government Efficiency are nothing if not audacious. Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have vowed to pare down the government by 50% or something. My next guest says the DOGE could succeed with manageable ambitions. Senior fellow at the conservative Manhattan Institute, Brian Riedl, joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The news seems pretty grim these days. But federal employees have their annual opportunity to improve the lives of people they've never met. The Combined Federal Campaign is underway. Joining me with the outlook, the chair for the National Capital Region, Vince Micone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Giving Tuesday was a gateway to this year's Combined Federal Campaign A slightly more sanguine view of the Department of Government Efficiency Retirement can seem great until day two. Then what? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's episode of The Federal Drive with Tom Temin: Military recruitment social media tactics aren't working very well What's it like to be career and the number two medical officer at VA This procurement protest has brought all the wigs into the courtroom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The House and Senate Armed Services committees rolled out a compromise defense policy bill late Saturday night that could give a historic pay raise to junior enlisted service members. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis has more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Members of Congress are pushing back against the next phase of the Postal Service's 10 year reform plan. USPS ended 2024 with its worst net loss in recent years. This as the agency sets looser targets for on time mail now, USPS plans to save billions by cutting the number of trips their trucks run between mail processing facilities and post offices. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has the latest.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Armed Services have turned to social media in recent years to promote recruitment. Yet they're still missing sign-up goals by the thousands. The Government Accountability Office finds, the target Generation Z has a declining attitude about the military. More now from the GAO's director of defense capabilities and management, Alissa Czyz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Federal senior executives are often well known in their agencies, but toil in obscurity as far as the public's concerned. My next guest is a physician, senior executive and the deputy under secretary for health at the Veterans Health Administration. Now he's among this year's Senior Executives Association's people of the year. As part of our ongoing series of these S E A'ers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's beginning to look a lot like transition. To the next Trump administration, that is. In fact, the so-called landing teams should be dropping in on agencies starting this week. All this against a backdrop of budget uncertainty. We check in with veteran watcher and president and C-E-O of the Professional Services Council David Berteau. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin The FAA adds a new college to its air traffic controller roster Finding the humor, the outright hilarity, in public records Transition to Trump starts in earnest with agency landing teams Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's no secret that the FAA has an ongoing need for more air traffic controllers. Air traffic control takes more training and skill than making whole milk cappuccinos, though. Now the FAA has expanded its metwork of collegiate training sites with the addition of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University of Daytona Beach, Florida. Joining me with details, the FAA's deputy vice president of safety and technical training, Christopher Wilbanks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Although the Biden administration is winding down, current senior officials see a few key opportunities to expand federal hiring initiatives in the coming years. Strategies such as skills-based hiring and shared certificates have long had strong bipartisan support and have already seen some promising results. Federal News Network's Drew Friedman joins me with more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My next guest makes his living putting on comedy shows about public records he's obtained through freedom of information act requests FOIA. Given the state of politics and the uncertainty over what the Trump administration will bring, my producers thought, why not? The creator of Foia Comedy, Curtis Raye, joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The latest potentially disruptive force for the government is from Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. They're promising to use their so called Department of Government Efficiency to upset the status quo in the executive branch. Managers in both agencies and industries have got to have a plan to mitigate and soften the real or perceived impact of these changes for more on how to manage disruptions in the workplace. Federal News Network's executive editor Jason Miller caught up with Air Force chief information officer, Venice Goodwine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The IRS wants U.S. citizens to be honest about paying their tax obligations. But who keeps the I-R-S on its toes? For the last 25 years, that's been the job of the Treasury Inspector for Tax Administration known as TIGTA. It started in 1999, following landmark Congressional overhaul of the IRS in 1998. Here with a review, senior advisor Matt Schimmel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin The IRS overseer, known as TIGTA, marks 25 years in business Schedule F, are you ready for if it actually comes your way? Suddenly Capitol Hill is a beehive for federal issues Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The incoming Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency is homing in on some early targets. DOGE and lawmakers who back it are looking to rein in telework and relocate federal employees. And DOGE leaders are also focusing on the well trodden topic of IT modernization of all things. For the latest, Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Between the nominees of President-elect Donald Trump traipsing up the Senate and the 2025 budget deadline Capitol Hill has become a beehive of activity. Here with a roundup of what to watch Bloomberg Government deputy news director Loren Duggan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Far be it from us to spoil your holiday season, but senior career managers in government might want to consider preparing for the worst. Suppose the coming Trump administration does get Schedule F in place. Are ready for a forced retirement or change in career? Some advice now from retirement expert Tammy Flanagan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

College and University ROTC programs have a crucial role in training the military's future officers. In fact, they produce more officers than the military's own academies. But there's no analog for DoD civilian workforce, and officials want to change that. The department's new Defense Civilian Training Corps is now up and running at four universities. They're modeled to a degree on proven ROTC programs, Federal News Network's Jared Serbu got an update on how it's going. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen an eclectic mix of people for his administration. In some cases there's a definite pro-business slant, though. Two cases in point: Brooke Rollins for Agriculture secretary and Idaho Governor Doug Burgum as Interior secretary. To find out what industry is hoping for, we turn to one of Washington's top lobbyists, Marty Irby. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin A new way to pay for innovation takes off for the Air Force What conservative lobbyists expect from Doug Burgum at Interior How a president could take over federal contracting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Enrollees in the new Postal Service Health Benefits Program will have a few extra days to review their health benefits plan for 2025. The Office of Personnel Management is extending Open Season for these particular participants until December 13. The extension comes after some postal enrollees were struggling to log in and use the benefits at their website. Joining me with more, Federal News Network's Drew Friedman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The IRS will add staff investigators to go after tax frauds that are using artificial intelligence. The agency will also adopt its own AI tools to stay one step ahead of the fraudsters. For more, Federal News Network's Jory Heckman spoke with the IRS Criminal Investigations Executive Director of Cyber and Forensics, Jarod Koopman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity has caused an unusual question. At least in the mind of my next guest. Could a president take over large federal contract awards in contravention of acquisition rules and regulations and get away with it? Federal administration professor Bob Tobias joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When the government wants innovation, it often has to pay for it. Now the Air Force has reorganized how it pays for disruptive technology. It launched a group it calls a Squadron Innovation Fund Marketplace officials say will revolutionize things. Joining me for what this is all about the director of innovation for the chief of staff of the Air Force Strategic Studies Group, Mary Hossier. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Just about six weeks left in 2024. Come January, you'll be a year older. Or something like that. The new year brings the idea of optimizing your TSP investment profile for the stage of life you're in. We get some idea from certified financial planner Art Stein of Arthur Stein Financial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's always been an existential question. Can small businesses continue with contracts if they become no longer small. Companies do grow, after all, whether organically or with mergers or acquisitions. The Small Business Administration has rules for that but a proposed fix to a flawed rule could make things worse. Analysis now from Haynes Boone procurement attorney Zach Prince. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Luckily the nation has this federal executive to worry about pipeline safety What your TSP allocation strategy should be in 2025 This proposed SBA procurement rule fixes one they got wrong in the first place Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Space Force personnel management act lets the service integrate full time and part time personnel, and it's already shaping the concept of service, but the brass are still figuring out most of the basic details of the part time model, including making sure guardians can get paid. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis has more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 40-year old COBOL code that runs the Office of Personnel Management's Retirement System is on a glide path to its sunset. OPM will embark on a two-year project to modernize the back end software and open the door for faster and easier front end user focused services. Federal News Network's Executive Editor Jason Miller joins me with details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We've been interviewing a series of award winners of the Senior Executives Association. My next guest is this year's lifetime achievement award recipient. He works in one of those obscure but crucial areas. The associate administrator of the Transportation Department's Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration William Schoonover joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The IRS says it saw a $20 billion cut to its multi year modernization fund earlier this year. The Treasury Department says more spending cuts are coming if Congress doesn't intervene. Treasury says the IRS is making contingency plans in case it does see more funding cuts, and among the options the IRS is looking at hiring freezes. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman joins us with the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Defense contractors are bracing themselves for the Pentagon's sweeping cyber security audit program. The Defense Department plans to finalize cyber security Maturity Model certification, CMMC rules early next year. For the latest on DoD's plans to help industry prepare for the program. Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday spoke with DoD chief of defense, industrial based cyber security, Stacy Bostjanick. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The U.S. federal government is the biggest grant-maker at around a trillion dollars a year. That makes grants management a big challenge. Other national government have a few grants management practices that might help things here. More now from the director of strategic issues at the Government Accountability Office, Jeff Arkin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Artificial intelligence gobbles up gigantic amounts of electricity. So its both expensive and, from the General Services Administration point of view, decidedly un-green. GSA has an official is on the case both for the dollars and for the carbon. He's deputy associate administrator for the office of technology policy, Dan Pomeroy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's not a big group. Only 21 members. But it has national impact. And it recently marked 25 years in business. It's the Professional Responsibility Advisory Office of the Justice Department to advise the department's own attorneys. Joining me for an update, director Stacy Ludwig. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Where Justice Department lawyers go when they need guidance of their own This GSA official takes on the dark underside of Artificial Intelligence How other national governments handle grants management. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If Black Friday and Cyber Monday are about what you can get, then today is about what you can give. For Giving Tuesday, four groups that support needy members of the military have joined forces with one another and with industry. They're reaching out to the public to raise funds under a program called Mission Give. For how it all works, we turn to the president of the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, retired Marine Corps Lieutenant General Robert Ruark. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The National Institutes of Health procurement arm issued requests for proposals on a multiple award contract three and a half years ago. The program, known as CIOSP4, still hasn't made any awards. It's still bogged down in protests. The program it replaces had been extended several times. My next guest says it's time for NIH to start over. Federal sales and marketing consultant Larry Allen joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Promotion to the ultimate behind-the-scenes agency job Four military-connected groups team up to help service members in need Time to stick a fork in this bogged down procurement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Protests of contracts went down last fiscal year. And that's not the only development on the procurement front. The micro purchase threshold, the simplified acquisition threshold, the 8(a) sole source contracting ceiling, and several other similar acquisition limits are likely to go up in 2025 and to boot, the oversight and accountability of subcontracting by primes is going to get more scrutiny, just some of the story lines. Federal News Network's executive editor Jason Miller, has been covering in his latest reporters notebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You won't see her name in the newspapers. She won't introduce sweeping policy. What she *will* do is ensure all the people who do the mission-related work of the Federal Deposit Insurance Company can do *their* work. Jennifer Schoen is the newly named director of the FDIC's division of administration, and she joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Heated debates over military pay and quality of life issues continue as Congress finalizes the 2025 defense policy bill. House Armed Services Committee members told this to their Senate counterparts. "It's disheartening to see most of the recommendations from the house LED panel not included in the Senate version of the bill." Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis has more and specifically, what do House lawmakers want that the Senate is leaving out of the NDAA? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We've been interviewing some of the federal executives who recently became fellows in the National Academy of Public Administration. My next guest is one of them. And if it has to do with the disbursement of money, she's done if or overseen it. The deputy assistant secretary for budget, finance, grants and acquisitions at the Interior Department, Andrea Brandon joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin This Interior Department senior executive has done it all when it comes to money Has the time come for a new approach to spectrum allocation? Congress takes up the Department of Government Efficiency cause Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You can find lots of reasons why it takes more than two years to build the annual defense budget. A big one is the fact that DoD acquisition systems and its financial management systems don't talk to each other, at least not very well. That's a problem the Pentagon is starting to solve, though programs, big and small are beginning to use a common data lexicon, and officials are hoping for some big management gains. Thanks to that added visibility we get details from Federal News Network's Jared Serbu.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There's a new feature coming soon for participants in the Thrift Savings Plan. A little over a year from now, starting in January of 2026 participants will be able to make Roth in plan conversions in the TSP with some important tax implications. That's not the only thing changing there. Federal News Network's Drew Friedman caught up with the TSP Director of External Affairs, Kim Weaver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Electromagnetic spectrum which enables wireless communications is both scarce and in high demand. Until now, deciding who can use a particular frequency has been a zero sum game. The government auctions it off, and the winner has it for keeps. My next guest says the current spectrum management process is unsustainable. She led a major MITRE Corporation study, which suggests what it calls a dynamic approach to spectrum management. MITRE's chief spectrum economist Carolyn Kahn joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

That plan of president-elect Donald Trump to slice the government down to size. It's known as the Department of Government Efficiency. The outside advisory group headed by Elon Musk is getting some traction in Congress. Here with the latest, WTOP Capitol Hill correspondent Mitchell Miller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Department of Veterans Affairs said last summer it would need a lot more money this fiscal year than first appropriated, $12 billion more. Well now the Veterans Health Administration has revised that requirement down to about six and a half billion dollars. For why, Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman asked VAs Under Secretary for Health, Shareef Elnahal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Most contractors may not know it, but the Space Systems Command has special authority to put them on what it calls the contractor responsibility watch list. Well now the Space Force has put one contractor on that very list. In fact, it's the first use of the watch list that we know of. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis has more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's the season of seasons. Thanksgiving season. Christmas season. And for federal employees, it's nearly *open* season. It has a lot of moving parts. Federal. Long time expert in all things having to do with federal employment and post-employment Tammy Flanagan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In her years at Customs and Border Protection, my next guest rose from a newbie uniformed officer to senior executive port director for Newark-New York. That means the fourth busiest airport, and *the* busiest port. TenaVel Thomas joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin How CBP manages two of the busiest ports of entry in the United States Open season is like hunting season. You've got to aim carefully Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Career senior executives interact the most closely with political appointees. They're often the buffer between appointees and the civil service. For what senior executives might be thinking of the incoming and unorthodox Trump administration, we turn to the president of the Senior Executives Association, Marcus Hill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin OPM tries a shift-left approach to anticipating the costs of new tech projects What senior executives say about the incoming Trump administration Contractors are also wondering about Trump's government-cutting plan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The efficiency department hasn't arrived yet, but many agencies try and optimize costs already. A case in point the Office of Personnel Management. When thinking of new technology projects, OPM officials are trying to get a handler on potential costs earlier. I got more detail when I spoke with OPM's deputy chief information officer, Melvin Brown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Congress is approaching another deadline to reach a government spending agreement for fiscal 2025 at the same time, Social Security Administration leadership is warning that without enough resources, the agency will once again hit record low staffing. House appropriators heard a final pitch this week about what the agency says is a crisis for the workforce and for customer service. Federal News Network's Drew Friedman has more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Federal employee's aren't alone in wondering about president-Elect Donald Trump's so-called department of government efficiency. So are federal contractors. They wonder what the DOGE will think government *should* be doing. More now from the executive vice president for policy at the Professional Services Council, Stephanie Kostro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's new online cybersecurity education platform went live this month. Its goal is to make it easier for federal employees, veterans and anybody else, to get much needed cybersecurity training. For more on the CISA learning platform, Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday spoke with CISA's Chief People Officer Elizabeth Kolmstetter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Now that the contours of the next Congress are fully known, what about that continuing resolution that expires December 20th? And there's still a disaster relief request from the White House for a cool hundred billion dollars. A congressional update now from Bloomberg Government deputy news director Loren Duggan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin A new director for the latest presidential library Former EPA employees gear up to resist what they fear from the Trump administration What Congress is doing during the week when people are eating the other turkeys Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Defense Department has a new plan to deploy 5g wireless systems on military bases and other locations around the world. Planners want to fill in the gaps not covered by telecom companies in remote and austere locations. The Pentagon says the new strategy will accelerate DoD development of private 5g networks tailored to the particular needs of each base. Details now from Federal News Network's Jared Serbu.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When it comes to its customers, the National Archives and Records Administration knows it only has a moment in time to meet their needs, whether it's an elementary school student or an experienced researcher, NARA tries to provide that same level of experience to whomever is searching for a document. For more, Federal News Network's executive editor Jason Miller caught up with Sheena Burrell - Chief Information Officer until last Thursday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Donald Trump first become president, he took a go-slow approach on the spread of environmental regulation. A group called the Environmental Protection Network got together to opposed this approach. Comprised of former EPA employees, it's gearing up again. Here with what it plans, network executive director Michelle Roos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He may still be out politicking, but former President Barack Obama has already established his library. As of this past summer it has a new director, appointed by the director of the National Archives and Records Administration. Kenvi Phillips joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Out of pocket costs are going up quite a bit next year for enrollees in the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program. Premiums are rising by an average of 13.5% beginning in January. But there's more to the story for how those premium rates get put together, along with a few strategies for dealing with rising prices, Federal News Network's Drew Friedman got more from the Office of Personnel Management. Associate Director of healthcare and insurance, Laurie Bodenheimer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A nine year old lawsuit claiming the Secret Service has not paid the full amount of overtime owed to its agents is one step closer to resolution. The suit focused on an Office of Personnel Management policy that Secret service agents had to work two consecutive hours of unscheduled extra duty to receive overtime pay. But that policy has been overturned, and attorneys representing Secret Service are looking for a class action settlement. For more on the case, Federal News Network's Jory Heckman spoke with a partner at Clark Hill that's representing the agents, Nicholas Wieczorek. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency is seeking a simple but tricky-to-execute approach to cybersecurity. It would essentially break software into small pieces that are hard for hackers to access. Here with the details, the program manager in DARPA's Information Innovation Office, Howard Shrobe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The White House has issued two long, detailed policies for development use of artificial intelligence. One last year and one last month. That's fine, the U.S. should lead and should set an example of ethical use of this technology. My next guest cautions, with federal and state-level laws and regulations aimed at AI, the whole industry could end up hobbled. The head of AI Policy at the Abundance Institute, Neil Chilson, joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin DARPA tries a simple but profound concept to improve cybersecurity Could too much regulation kill the very industry the government was to foster? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Space Development Agency is pushing back the launch of its first group of low Earth orbit satellites. Now this delay highlights the difficulties the agency has had in transitioning from using a few big satellites to a network of smaller and cheaper ones. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis joins us with the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Pentagon is moving closer to kicking off its long awaited cyber security Maturity Model certification program. Small business advocates, though, are still worried about the high cost of CMMC compliance. Well, now there's a draft legislation coming from Capitol Hill to provide some smaller companies with a CMMC tax credit. Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday joins me with the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The stock market continues to defy logic, something it seems to do best. Now some 117 thousand federal employees and retirees have Thrift Savings Plan accounts worth more than a million dollars. There ought to be many more. At least, that's what federal retiree and financial advisor Abe Grungold says. He joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nobody's in favor of corruption, except maybe the corrupt. When corruption comes to light, it's often the Justice Department that take the lede. My next guest leads a non-profit that works anti-fraud at the front end by supporting whistleblowers. She's the president and CEO of the Anti-Fraud Coalition, Jacklyn DeMar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The first woman to direct the Transportation Department's Volpe Center recently retired. A 20-year federal employees, she worked an earlier 20 years for the Massachusetts Port Authority. Now she's among the new inductees to the National Academy of Public Administration. Joining me with a recap, Anne Aylward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin The Transportation Department says farewell to one of its most distinguished employees This group actually tries to stop what everyone else just complains about TSP millionaires are busting out all over Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Open season is in full swing. That's when federal employees and retirees review their health care insurance choices for 2025 this year, especially the Office of Personnel Management says you've got plenty of reasons to take advantage of Open Season. For one thing, premiums are up sharply, and companies are making lots of changes in their plans during our recent Open Season exchange, Federal News Network's Drew Friedman got more from OPM acting director Rob Shriver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Integrated acquisition environment is facing an expanding customer base, while the name of the system screams acquisition, the General Services Administration officials realize a broader cross section of federal managers that work in grants, legal offices and agency specific programs. They also rely on the system and its data to make decisions. For more, Federal News Network's Executive Editor Jason Miller caught up with the Deputy Assistant Commissioner for GSA Integrated Award Environment Memi Whitehead, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Meet the federal Senior Executive of the Year The S-B-A doubles down on the rule of two The Army has a problem with water-borne transportation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You might not think of the Army as having a big need for watercraft. But it does. Like when it has to move tanks from point A to point B. In fact, the demand for watercraft is rising, but the Army's fleet is shrinking. The Government Accountability Office has a few recommendations for what's becoming a critical problem. The GAO's director of defense capabilities and management issues, Diana Maurer, joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A long-standing rule concerning small business preference is about to get a major expansion. Courtesy of the Small Business Administration. The rule, which applied to open market competitions, will once the rule is finalized also apply to multiple award contract vehicles. That's a big change. More now from Haynes Boone procurement attorney Dan Ramish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each year the Senior Executives Association highlights some of the top members. This year, the senior executive of the year has been named. She's the assistant administration for domestic aviation operations at the Transportation Security Administration Michal Rottman who joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bad news for federal employees looking to apply for long term care insurance, you'll have to wait at least another couple of years. The Office of Personnel Management is barring new enrollments in its insurance program through at least 2026. That announcement comes after current program enrollees saw a sharp premium hike this year. Federal News Network's Drew Friedman joins me with more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President-elect Donald Trump and his transition team are serious about their plan for a so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Billionaire car building and space services mogul Elon Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy are going to run this effort beyond that. Few details have emerged. This wouldn't be the first effort to go after government spending. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman joins us with what he's learned. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you're working at the higher ranks of civil service, you probably have noticed. Political appointees are starting to depart just a few weeks after the election and two months before the change in administration. Joining with some highlights one who's been watching closely. Federal sales an marketing consultant Larry Allen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Some $31 million from the Chips Act just went to a group called the Midwest Microelectronics Consortium. The money is part of larger outlays under a Chips Act program, Known as the Microelectronic Commons overseen by the Naval Surface Warfare Center. Here to untangle what's going on, the chief technology officer of of the Midwest Microelectronics Consortium, Matt Casto. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The poorer a nation, the less ability it has to anticipate and mitigate disasters. That's one reason the U.S. Agency for International Development concentrates many of its overseas efforts on helping nations with resilience and the ability to anticipate disasters. More now from USAID's deputy assistant administrator for the Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance, Jacqueline Musiitwa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin How USAID helps Africa with climate resilience The Chips Act is pushing silicon valley inland The Biden appointees are already heading for the exit doors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Network defense these days is way more than about desktops, laptops and servers. User endpoints are growing fast, and one of the ways to make them manageable is to use secure by design principles in the Internet of Things ecosystem the government can push the market that way. Greg Touhill is a former Federal Chief Information Security Officer, now the director of the cert Division at the Software Engineering Institute. He spoke with Federal News Network's Jared Serbu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Homeland Security Department is out with new artificial intelligence guidance. It lays out responsibilities for using AI and critical infrastructure with the goal of taking advantage of the technology but avoiding safety and security pitfalls. Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday joins me with some of the details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Some persistent management challenges for HUD Forget strategic planning. What you need is a little strategic foresight Congress set to partner with Trump on dealing with federal employees Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the Department of Housing and Urban Development, management challenges persist. In its annual review, HUD's inspector general finds some progress. But also that eight of the top ten challenges remain from last year. We get an update from IG Rae Oliver Davis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How many strategic planning meetings have you sat through for strategies that never panned out. Maybe it's because your organization tried to predict the future. Maybe you should try strategic foresight. It's not forecasting, but rather an organized way of anticipating the future. Both the General Services Administration and the Office of Personnel Management have online material about strategic foresight. Now an organization devoted to it has called for a federal office of strategic foresight. Joining me in studio, from the Federal Foresight Advocacy Alliance, vice president Robin Champ. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Federal employees have been wondering what the forthcoming Trump administration will mean to them. It's easy to forget that Congress has something to say about that, too. President-elect Trump will have a House and Senate both in Republican hands an infrequent so-called trifecta. Here with what to expect on the Hill, WTOP capitol hill correspondent Mitchell Miller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Space Force tries to keep on top of space, so to speak, but it relies on an extensive network of commercial space companies also operating in space that requires continuous information sharing. Well, now the Space Force is expanding its approach to information sharing. Federal News Network's Anastasia, Obis has more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nurses trained to administer anesthesia to Veterans Affairs patients require supervision from a physician. That's the rule, but their counterparts in the Military Health System or the Indian Health Service, not so for them, and that's prompted the American Association of nurse anesthesiology to urge VA to get on with standards, to let its nurses provide care to more veterans with less supervision. For more Federal News Network's Jory Heckman spoke with the association president. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Among its missions, the EPA allots federal funds to help local governments replace led water pipes. It conducts state-by-state surveys to help figure out how much gets allotted. The EPA inspector general found flaws in the most recent survey. The flaws likely led to misallocation of hundreds of millions of dollars. We get more now from the supervisory program analyst in the EPA's office of inspector general Julie Narimatsu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the first time in decades, the Health and Human Services department plans to shake up an obscure system. It's the one controlling human organs destined for transplant patients. The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network serves some 100,000 patients and their families and officials say it's overdue for modernization. Here with the details, the administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, Carole Johnson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin And old heath network is about to get a shot in the arm The E-P-A flubs a survey and misallocates hundreds of millions of dollars Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the return of Schedule F threatening and other potential changes outlined in Project 2025. Hanging over their heads, federal employees are not polishing their resumes or running for the job boards after the election, bringing Donald Trump back to the White House. A Federal News Network pulse poll found 42% of the more than 1000 respondents plan on staying in their jobs, another 41% say they're taking a wait and see approach before jumping ship. For more on this survey, which we conducted on November 6th and 7th, Federal News Network's executive editor Jason Miller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Agencies are scrambling to organize safety and security resources in response to a so-called watch list that names dozens of Feds as what it calls targets. The naming of mostly career employees on the new website opens a new front in a steady campaign of purported threats targeting federal employees. It also comes amid an uncertain future for many feds, as President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to reinstate his schedule F executive order. For the latest, Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The re-ascendency of Donald Trump has made one radio station the most popular. WIIFM. What's in it for me. Those in the world of federal procurement are asking that very question. Here with some predictions, Holland and Knight procurement attorney Eric Crusius. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Few issues showed the stark contrast between the two former presidential candidates than the environmental issue. How president-elect Trump will deal with climate change and energy, well, fasten your seat belt. Analysis now from environmental attorney Martin Booher of Baker Hostetler. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If this were a garden party, my next guest might answer the what-do-you-do question like this: I give out billions of dollars every year. He's not a venture capitalist. He's not a construction financier. He's the deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Grants at the Health and Human Services Department. He's also a new inductee in the National Academy of Public Administration. Joining me in studio, Dale Bell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Granter of billions joins the elite at a D.C. academy How the election could affect the E-P-A How federal procurement rules will change in the second Trump administration Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's taken a while, but the Pentagon is making a lot more use of special pay and hiring authorities Congress gave it to hire cyber experts. DoD has ramped up its use of direct hire authority for cyber civilians. Over the past year, about half the people hired into the cyber accepted service joined via this expedited process, not the competitive ranking system the government uses for most civilian positions as Federal News Network's Jared Serbu reports, it's had an impact on the department's vacancy rate for cyber jobs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Any parent of at-home children worries about cybercrime and the potential for exploitation. My next guest says the threats are worse for children of military families. He should know as a parent of two and as a former deputy commander of the U.S. Cyber Command. Retired Air Force Lieutenant General Charlie Moore joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The new Congress will look a lot different from the one that expires in a few weeks. Budget discussions for both this fiscal and next are scrambled. Plus there's a load of internal business the outcome of which will have a big effect on federal agencies. More now from Bloomberg Government deputy news director Loren Duggan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Federal contractors have more questions than answers when it comes to the forthcoming Trump administration. Among the top questions: What will a budget deal now look like? And what about 2026 now in preparation by the agencies. We get some insight now from the president and CEO of the Professional Services Council, David Berteau. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It takes more than a gimme duffel bag and a sticker to recruit people to the Army these days. Much less to get to stick around once they do join. And yet the Army has large and crucial recruiting needs. That's one reason is created a new specialty talent acquisition technician. And a special school just for them. It's all part of a larger workforce transformation. We get the latest from the lead offer in charge of workforce redesign, Colonel Christine Rice. And the faculty and staff development chief of the Army Recruiting and Retention College, Zenon Zacharj. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Coming up today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin How the Army is bolstering its recruitment and retention efforts What the Trump administration will mean for federal contractors What now, with a coming new complexion in Congress Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Energy Department worries about cyber attacks on U.S. power networks. DOE's Office of cyber security, energy security and emergency response, CESER has the job of addressing those risks. It's now putting into operation a test project to share more cyber threat data with the energy sector. It's called the Energy Threat Analysis center, Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday spoke with the director of the Center. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Elect Donald Trump is promising to bring back Schedule F making it easier to fire certain federal employees. The outgoing Biden administration put measures in place to delay it, but the outgoing team can't stop it. Besides, the incoming Trump administration has other tools to reshape the federal workforce that includes administrative leave, agency relocations and spending priorities. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman joins us with more in our ongoing transition coverage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The government both creates and runs on data. Given that agencies spend hundreds of billions of dollars on goods and services the more procurement data it has, the better it can understand trends and 'manage' procurement. That's the idea behind a data source effort known as Hi-Def. It got more from GSA's assistant commissioner for the office of strategic innovation, Charlotte Phalen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Citing the fact at the armed services are all undergoing transformation, a crucial combat support agency is too. The Defense Logistics Agency is striving to keep up with a new strategic plan. Joining me with the highlights, the DLA director, Army Lieutenant General Mark Simerly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin What's inside the new strategy of the Defense Logistics Agency GSA is cooking up a new, comprehensive procurement data source What now, with a coming new complexion in Congress Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Army is starting fiscal 2025 with some changes to the organizations that build and maintain its networks. Some of the changes are cosmetic, other cases it's a change in mission. The goal of it all is to build an IT ecosystem that gives soldiers access to the same data, regardless of where they are around the world. Details now from Federal News Network's Jared Serbu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Federal employees might be wondering, what from President Elect Donald Trump's first term could make a comeback in his second. One policy on the minds of many, Schedule F. On the campaign trail, Trump promised to revive Schedule F, or something like it. Now it's a matter of if, when and how. Federal News Network's Drew Friedman reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With its contracts, the General Services Administration supplies information technology products and policy to much of government. It also has to take care of itself. Officials want to make sure the GSA's own tech staff has a good work experience. That's in part the responsibility of its associate chief information officer Erika Dinnie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Export-Import Bank this year celebrated 90 years in business. Established during the Franklin Roosevelt administration, it helps U.S. exporters with buyer financing they may not find from the private sector. Today the Exim faces a strong challenge from China's export credit agency as the great powers competition intensifies. Here with an update on where the agency is headed, Exim Chairman Reta Jo Lewis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin At 90, the EXIM bank works to restore its preeminence GSA makes sure it's own tech staff isn't like the shoemaker's children Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is proposing what some experts say would be a seismic change in federal contracting. In a new proposed rule, SBA wants agencies to apply the so called Rule of Two to most task order contracts, and not just open market competitions. Federal News Network's executive editor Jason Miller joins me with how this proposal is sparking a lot of debate in industry.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has been in the news for its work on election security. CISA this month, though, is also highlighting the need for security and resilience across the rest of the nation's critical infrastructure, you know, power grids, water utilities. CISA is drafting a list of organizations that are considered what it calls systemically important. For more Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday spoke with the executive assistant director of CISA's Infrastructure Security division, David Mussington. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Open season means federal employees have homework. Time spent now planning for your health care coverage can pay off later both in money and health. Here with some things to think about, principal Thiago Glieger of RMG Advisors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

China has a brilliant strategy for accelerating basic research in a range of strategic topics. It steals research paid for by the United States. That's why my next guest urges the government to get serious about securing federally funded research. He a senior fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation, Dan Lips. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Defense Department has launched a program to pressure test what it calls sustainable technologies in operational settings. The idea is to discover whether something sustainable also improves performance or reduces costs. It's called Sustainable Technology Evaluation and Demonstration - STED. Here with the details, the director of sustainability and acquisition, David Asiello. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin DoD discovers whether sustainability and better performance go hand in hand Why the U.S. has to get serious about security federally funded research Better get organized for open season Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Veterans Affairs Department reinstated more than 100 former employees it had fired under a widely challenged law that once made it easier to remove people accused of misconduct. The VA agreed to these actions as part of a settlement it reached with the American Federation of Government Employees Union last year. Now details of that settlement are coming to light through Freedom of Information Act requests. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman joins us with the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Commerce puts the bead on getting broadband established everywhere Affordability is a big housing problem for military service members Minimum wages for federal contractors are one the way up Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Contractors are facing the obligation of a more than three percent minimum wage. That's under the annual wage determination coming from the Labor Department. But a couple of federal court cases seem to limit how widely the new wage determination will apply. We get more now from Centre Law partner Alan Chvotkin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Commerce Department has been pushing for years to ensure every corner of the nation has broadband. One way is through its Broadband Equity Access and Deployment, or BEAD program. Administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Now the NTIA is working on guidance for states and territories planning to pay for widening broadband. For more on BEAD and the guidance, we turn to program director Evan Feinman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Coast Guard's mission set has been expanding both domestically and overseas. The trouble is the Coast Guard budget has been as flat as the equatorial doldrums. The Service's first ever operational posture statement shed some light on how something's got to give Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis joins us with more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Most military service members live in housing provided by contractors. Just like the commercial housing world, the Defense Department has a supply shortage. Service members face high expenses such that they're often forced to take on debt. The Government Accountability Office now urges DoD to use the tools it has available to get a better handle on the situation. More now from the GAO's director of strategic issues, Alissa Czyz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The federal community spends a lot of time thinking about how to improve the hiring process. What gets less attention is the onboarding process, all of those steps that have to happen once somebody is hired to make them productive and happy employees. That's starting to change in at least one large DoD organization, a new onboarding implementation plan for the Office of the Secretary of Defense aims to make the process a lot smoother for new employees and for hiring managers. Danielle Metz served until last week as the Chief Information Officer for the OSD and helped lead drafting of the implementation plan. She spoke about it with Federal News Network's Jared Serbu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Agencies have six strategies for making healthier workplaces. The National Academy of Public Administration says, for instance, you could offer more career growth opportunities or modernize recruitment, maybe not ground breaking ideas. But the Academy says their strategies are helpful to align with changes in the federal workforce over the last couple of years. Federal News Network's Drew Friedman got more from Academy president and CEO, Terry Gerton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A changing world needs a changing State Department. That requires the workforce to keep up. Last month the State Department marked what it called modernization week to summarize and crow a little about how things have changed under Secretary Antony Blinken. Joining me to review the list someone with two hats. The director general of the foreign service and director of global talent, Marcia Bernicat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin The State Department claims success in modernizing its workforce NASA's digital transformation has a cultural side Is the Defense Department drifting away from easy-to-acquire commercial items? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NASA has embarked for several years now on what it calls a digital transformation. It wants greater efficiency and mission assurance, and better integration among its scattered components. For a view of the human side of digital transformation, at last week's ACTIAC executive leadership conference, I caught up with the digital transformation culture and communication lead, Krista Kinnard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At one time it was lavatory assemblies. Now it's soap dispensers. But the Defense Department seems to have a proclivity for adding making military specifications to otherwise commercial items. My next guest says it's time for a snap-to back to a commercial item preference. Federal sales and marketing consultant Larry Allen joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Agriculture Department, like all large departments, has large and varied software needs. It also develops applications for other agencies as a sort of contractor. USDA has adopted a development methodology known as low-code, no-code. At last week's Executive Leadership Conference of the ACT-IAC group I caught up with the USDA's Jerry Hingtgen, federal project lead for software-as-a-service software development. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The idea of election day being tomorrow seems almost quaint given that tens of millions of ballots have already been cast. Many were put in the mail. Congress including Senators not up for re-election has been watching performance of the Postal Service. More now from WTOP Capitol Hill correspondent Mitchell Miller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin What's behind a software development strategy at the Agriculture Department National security will require a continuing supply of national security talent Think you'll know election results tomorrow night? Think again Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Like every critical issue facing the nation, national security will require gifted people who care about it. To help, the University of South Florida has launched a comprehensive program to prepare students interested in a national security career. Joining me with the details, the program coordinator Jeff Rogg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The National Archives and Records Administration is preparing for a digital future. NARA has overhauled its strategic plan with a big focus on digital records and artificial intelligence. In charge of that effort is the Archivist of the United States, Colleen Shogun. She sat down with Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday to discuss the future of NARA, as well as a recent Wall Street Journal story that has sparked some controversy around NARA's efforts to redesign the National Archives Museum. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Technology Modernization Fund Board just added two new permanent members and one new alternative member. Technology leaders from the Postal Service, the Federal Reserve Board and the National Park Service join at a critical time for the TMF. For more Federal News Network's executive editor, Jason Miller, spoke with TMF executive director Larry Bafundo.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stop us if you've heard this one before. Many agencies are still struggling with workforce recruitment and retention, but the bigger problem is those struggles get harder and more complicated the further you get from agency headquarters in Hawaii, Alaska, U.S. territories. The Government Accountability Office found that agencies are having an especially difficult time getting job seekers to apply and getting people they hire to stay. Federal News Network's drew Friedman got more from GAO, director of strategic issues Dawn Locke. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One down four to go. The number of open chief information officer positions in the Department of Health and Human Services dropped by one when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services hired Patrick Newbold. The hiring of Newbold away from NASA is another chapter in the ongoing challenge HHS is having in filling and keeping technology leaders. Federal News Network's executive editor, Jason Miller joins me with an update.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thinking ahead planning for what might happen. Now it has a fancy name. Strategic foresight. A group of people who do strategic foresight has formed an alliance to urge the government to form a strategic foresight agency. My next guest says this might not be a bad idea. Former leadership processor and federal union president Bob Tobias joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Whether there's a fiscal year budget or a continuing resolution the government never stops spending. So contractors can never stop selling. It's helpful to know the most promising hunting grounds, though. We get some startling facts now from Deltek senior research manager Ashley Sanderson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Where federal contract spending is headed in 2025 A call for yet another new agency to do what the government should be doing anyway Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A defense contractor this month agreed to pay nearly a billion dollars to settle criminal fraud and other federal charges. Not some fly-by-night, but rather the legacy contractor Raytheon. The company is under Justice Department investigations for defective pricing, foreign bribery and violations of the Arms Export Control Act. My next guest says these problems aren't isolated to Raytheon. Greg Williams, from the Project on Government Oversight, joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last winter a team from the General Services Administration and the Defense Department asked the power industry for something new. A completely carbon-free source of electricity for federal facilities in several states. With another winter coming on, we check in on progress. My next guest is a contracting officer in the retail utility procurement branch of the GSA's Public Buildings Service, Bonnie Bueter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Some governmentwide plans the GSA is cookin' up The latest chapter in the government's pursuit of carbonless electricity Why contractor pricing misconduct seems to endure perpetually Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The General Services Administration both creates procurement trends and tries to keep up with them. Balancing the legitimate interests of the government, and taxpayers and industry has been the mantra of administrator Robin Carnahan, who spoke last week at the annual ACTIAC executive leadership conference. Afterwards, I caught up with Carnahan to discuss several issues, starting with GSA's artificial intelligence buying guide, which sound a lot like recent White House AI memos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One thing that's not secret in the intelligence community, it's looking to use more artificial intelligence and automation. A big challenge for the IC is that patchwork of data across 18 intelligence components. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is about to move on a new framework to help solve that problem. We get more now from Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After a year of development and testing, the Defense Information Systems Agency is ready to roll out an artificial intelligence concierge for its workforce. The platform will help DISA’s employees to quickly find answers to everyday questions instead of pestering colleagues. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis has more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're getting a lot more details on the Defense Department's plans to shore up its industrial base. Yesterday, DoD released a detailed implementation plan for how it will implement its first ever national defense industrial strategy. It includes nearly $38 billion in planned spending this year alone, with more to come in the future years. As the Pentagon rolls out six separate industrial base initiatives, we get more details now from Federal News Network's Jared Serbu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The General Services Administration is gathering feedback on how to make the federal government more open to the public. It's getting some of its recommendations from the Open Government Federal Advisory Committee. A mix of federal officials and good government groups serve on the committee, which recently held its first meeting. For a closer look at its work, Federal News Network's Jory Heckman spoke with the committee's chairman and executive director of the American governance Institute, Daniel Schuman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The first Columbia class submarine is due for delivery to the Navy in 2027. It plans to spend more than a hundred billion dollars for a dozen of them. Delays in this scale of program are inevitable. In fact, sub number one is already late. Yet the Navy … auditors say … lacks a statistical schedule risk analysis to go along with the program. And that means it may not have enough insight into the whole program. More now from the director of contracting and national security acquisitions at the Government Accountability Office, Shelby Oakley. Read the report here: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-107732 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin How the Postal Service's IG plans to keep the agency in line for the next 5 years The Navy only *thinks* it has a schedule for new submarine delivery Some recent decisions in federal court could mean trouble for SBA's minority business efforts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Minority owned small businesses were dealt another blow when a Kentucky federal judge on September 23rd, partially blocked a U.S. Transportation Department program that issues contracts to them. There are some that worry this trend of decision against programs to diversify federal contract spending will hamper progress. One of them is Kendra Perkins Norwood, a partner with the law firm Reed Smith, who I had the chance to speak with earlier about this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A new strategic plan from the Postal Service Office of Inspector General is out. The five year plan comes during a turbulent time for the agency with tight budgets and a dire need for efficiency. The IG's office hopes to help with that by making a few updates to it's mission. To learn more, we welcome Postal Service IG Tammy Hull. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Agencies have their results in hand for the 2024 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. Overall, the responses on employee engagement and employee experience are looking pretty positive, but digging a little deeper into the results could help agencies understand where improvements might still be needed. Federal News Network's Drew Friedman joins me with more to discuss the results. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over the last 15 years, agencies have focused on fixing the federal hiring process. While that process is far from perfect, the Office of Management and Budget is starting to look at keeping those employees in government once they have been hired. For more on how the retention of employees is beginning to get some newfound attention, Federal News Network's executive editor Jason Miller caught up with Kristy Daphnis, the Federal workforce Branch Chief at the Office of Management and Budget during the Imagine Nation conference sponsored by ACT-IAC in Hershey, Pennsylvania.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Just days ago, the White House came out with a national security memorandum devoted to artificial intelligence. It's a catch-all for trying to keep the United States ahead of A-I developments in what the memo calls the new frontier. For analysis, Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with the executive vice president for policy at the Professional Services Council, Stephanie Kostro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Although her name is on the Labor Department headquarters, Frances Perkins is not well known nearly 60 years since her death. Yet the long-serving secretary of Labor left an enormous legacy for the U.S. public and on the government itself. Now the keeper of Perkins' legacy is seeking to have her homestead in Maine made into a national Park. Joining me with the details, the executive director of the Frances Perkins Center, Giovanna Gray Lockhart. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One of the main tools the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention has to help it control and prevent is the National Health Safety Network (NHSN). As the nation’s most widely used healthcare-associated infection tracking system, it ensures the folks whose job it is to help patients are being protected themselves. For an overview of how the NHSN works and the role it plays in CDC's mission, we welcome Arjun Srinivasan, Deputy Director for Program Improvement in the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion at the CDC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin National Health Safety Network has a mission to protect the patient and the healthcare worker A new national park for a long-ago American heroine? A look inside the latest White House artificial intelligence memo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Coming up today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin How to keep employees with disabilities from leaving your agency A new source of rising cost and oversight for Medicare At least two branches of government are hell-bent on artificial intelligence Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The government is pretty good about hiring people with disabilities. But sometimes not so good at keeping them. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission did a detailed study of what it takes to retain people with disabilities. Here with more, the social science research analyst in the EEOC's Office of Federal Operations, Karren Brummond. https://www.eeoc.gov/retaining-persons-disabilities-federal-workforce Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Defense Department and the Small Business Administration are pouring more than $2.8 billion into startups and other small businesses developing technologies deemed vital to national security. This is all through the new program called the Small Business Investment Company critical technology initiative. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis joins us with more  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A bipartisan task force convened by Auburn University is out with a cybersecurity policy blueprint for the next administration. The group has dozens of recommendations, including one to strengthen the authorities of the White House Office of the National Cyber director. For more Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday spoke with two of the task force members. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With less than two weeks before the election, the White House released a national security memorandum on artificial intelligence. Lots of provisions for keeping the U.S. at the forefront of safe and ethical AI. Bloomberg Government deputy news director Loren Duggan joins on this and a few things happening on Capitol Hill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The rise of telemedicine means more people are monitored remotely. Medicare pays for a lot of remote monitoring. But according to the Health and Human Services inspector general, Medicare officials need a lot more insight into who's monitored remotely and why. Joining me with the details, the HHS Deputy Inspector General for Evaluation and Inspections, Ann Maxwell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's episode of The Federal Drive with Tom Temin: Retiring at the end of this year? Hope you've completed your homework A fresh federal effort at reducing homelessness The State Department renamed its CIO office. That only the start of change Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lots of federal employees like to pin their retirements to the end of the year. It makes for nice closure on a career. But if you mean this year, there's no time to lose. Retirement is all about the planning you do ahead of time. I got the lowdown from one of the top retirement planning experts, Tammy Flanagan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Few problems seem as intractable as homelessness. Get one person into housing, and two more end up under a bridge. Now the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness plans a fresh run at prevention, with what it calls its first-ever prevention framework. Joining the Federal Drive with details, the council's executive director, Jeff Olivet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Agencies with high employee satisfaction scores tend to also have high performance scores. That's according to research by the Partnership for Public Service. For more on the viewpoint survey and performance connection, Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman spoke with the Partnership’s Senior Manager for Data Science and Strategy, Brandon Lardy.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Agencies now have the results of the 2024 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, FEVS. So what should they do with that knowledge? The Chief Human Capital Officers Council has been helping agency managers understand and respond to the FEVS results. And looking at ways to support the HR workforce, and better use human capital data. Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman recently spoke with CHCO Council Executive Director, Colleen Heller-Stein. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a memo released this morning, OFPP details four new initiatives to train, develop and retain contracting officers and other acquisition employees. Federal News Network executive editor Jason Miller got exclusive details from OFPP senior advisor Christine Harada. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anyone with a career, assets and perhaps a family needs a little estate planning. It might be arcane, but it matters unless you plan to live forever. Military service members sometimes have higher risks, so they need to think about estate planning too. For some tips, the Federal Drive turned to the president and CEO of the Navy Mutual Aid Association, Brian Luther. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices