Federal Drive with Tom Temin

From the overhaul of the Federal Acquisition Regulations to the push for consolidation and centralization, these three requests for proposals demonstrate how agencies are implementing and accepting the Office of Management and Budget's prioritization of reforming federal technology and acquisition management. In his reporter's notebook, executive editor Jason Miller writes about how the RFPs from Commerce, Treasury and GSA are demonstrating the changes happening. Jason joins me now to discuss.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Department of Health and Human Services carried out widespread layoffs a year ago. Now it's sending out a second wave of reduction in force notices. HHS says these are more targeted layoffs, targeting employees it missed when their offices and programs were eliminated last year. All of this is happening as HHS embarks on a hiring surge. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

PCS moves can put real strain on military families from unexpected costs to the impact on careers and kids. Sarah Roder, Director of Partnerships and Member Engagement at Armed Forces Mutual, joins us to explain where families get caught off guard and what helps smooth the transition.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal senior executives are coming out of a demanding year, with mission changes, retirements and rising expectations across agencies. That pressure is reshaping how SES leaders approach their roles and forcing a reset inside the organization that supports them. Dr. Michelle Sutter, executive director of the Senior Executives Association, joins us to talk about what comes next for SES leaders and how SEA is adjusting.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Air Force has spent years building China‑related expertise. But researchers find the personnel system doesn't always reward or retain that specialization. That leaves a gap between what strategy calls for and how careers actually play out. Dr. Miriam Matthews and Cristina Garafola from the Rand Corporation join us with their analysis.TAGSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Having expertise doesn't always mean the system knows what to do with it After a tough year for federal senior executives, new leadership at SEA is looking at what comes next A PCS move can test a family's finances, routines, and support systems all at onceSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has launched a sweeping review of the military legal system, directing the Pentagon's general counsel to convene a special review panel that will conduct what he described as an “ongoing, long-term, departmentwide review of all aspects of the military legal system.” The review faces numerous challenges — and the panel's structure will determine whether it leads to meaningful reform. For more, Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis spoke with Ira Rushing, an associate at the Tully Rinckey law firm…See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Some adjustments to financial security, retirement payments and insurance options for feds are in the beginning stages of consideration in Congress. Four recent bills that House and Senate lawmakers have introduced over the last few weeks aim to tackle a range of benefits issues across government. Here with details, Federal News Network's Drew Friedman.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

By opening its Defense Industrial Base Cybersecurity Program to new partners, the Pentagon is trying to reduce vulnerabilities across the supply chain. As those risks extend beyond government systems into the private sector, partnership becomes central. How that model works and what success looks like is at the center of my conversation with Terry Kalka, director of the Defense Industrial Base Collaborative Information Sharing Environment at the Defense Department Cyber Crime Center.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest use of the Defense Production Act expands federal tools to support domestic energy capacity across the supply chain. It does not compel action, but it opens a path for financing and program support. Whether that translates into projects will turn on agency follow-through. Scott Johnson, of counsel at Foley & Lardner, is here to share with us how that would work.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A new GAO assessment looks ahead at emerging technologies where early decisions could shape how they're used and how they're governed across government. We talk through what those trends are and what Congress and agencies need to be thinking about now with GAO Chief Scientist Dr. Sterling Thomas.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Getting the rules right early can shape both safety and growth of emerging technologies The administration is leaning on the Defense Production Act to shape supply chains through federal support, not mandates Some of the biggest cyber risks to the military don't start inside government networksSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Navy is ensuring its officers at the highest levels understand how artificial intelligence works as it adopts and integrates it into its warfighting functions. The Naval Postgraduate School is at the center of those efforts, providing both the courses and the technology to drive that learning. For more on what NPS is doing, Federal News Network executive editor Jason Miller caught up with Randy Pugh, the vice provost for warfare studies, the director of the Office of Warfare Studies and the lead of the AI task force.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The State Department is directing managers to go back and revise recently submitted annual performance evaluations to give employees lower scores. That's all part of recent governmentwide guidance limiting the number of top scores that federal employees can receive. Impacted employees say these changes could disrupt the collaborative nature of their diplomatic work. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When a contractor files a bid protest at GAO, the award usually pauses while the protest is reviewed. But recent court decisions are clarifying when agencies can override that stay and how closely judges will examine those decisions afterward. Here to help us understand the complexity of this contingency is Zach Prince, partner at Haynes Boone.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As hantavirus cases draw renewed attention, contractors are part of how the government builds capacity in public health emergencies, especially with large gatherings like the World Cup on the horizon. At the same time, a new Pentagon memo is putting more pressure on how contractors account for facility costs. Jim Carroll, CEO of the Professional Services Council joins me to connect those dots.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Deltek's new Clarity report, based on 2025 data, shows a widening divide inside the federal contracting market. The firms growing fastest aren't just adding revenue, they're maintaining tighter controls and fewer hidden risks at the same time. Kevin Plexico, senior vice president of information solutions at Deltek, explains what the data shows about balancing speed and scrutiny across the market right now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Growth across federal contractors averaged about 15% in 2025, according to Deltek's latest Clarity report, but that growth is showing up alongside new pressure on margins, controls and visibility Federal contractors are doing more than delivering programs, they're helping the government respond when conditions change quickly Challenging a GAO protest stay override may be getting clearer, but not any easierSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal agencies doubled their number of AI use cases over the past year. That's according to the latest inventory maintained by the Office of Management and Budget. There are now more than 3,600 use cases documented across the government. Gregory Barbaccia is the federal chief information officer and chief AI officer. In a conversation with Jason Miller, Barbaccia gave us an update on Federal News Network's 2026 A-I and Data Exchange.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last year, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the military services to reduce the number of Permanent Change of Station moves by 50%. The Air Force, in partnership with RAND, then took a closer look at how longer assignments and fewer moves would impact budgets, readiness, retention and the career development of Airmen. To understand more about RAND's findings, Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis spoke with Lisa Harrington, senior operations researcher at RAND and Kelly Atkinson, political scientist at RAND. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Taxpayer Advocacy Panel's 2025 annual report surfaces nearly 200 recommendations on where IRS communication and services continue to break down. Philip Hwang, national chair of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel at the IRS, explains what taxpayers are still struggling with and how their feedback helps to shape what changes next.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A year ago, the Interior Department pitched a sweeping reorganization as a way to save money and streamline operations. What the evidence actually shows about how that played out is the focus of my conversation with Tim Whitehouse, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Congress is wrestling with the big questions, but it's the details that are slowing everything down. That tension between ambition and execution shows up across the agenda and it's shaping what happens next. Here to bring us to speed on the details is WTOP's capitol hill correspondent, Mitchell Miller.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton A tied vote, a stalled reconciliation package and big questions about how laws actually get finished Reorganization plans can look clean on paper and turn out far messier in real life The IRS's service picture may be improving, but taxpayers are still running into real frictionSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Agriculture Department employees are suing Secretary Brooke Rollins over what they are calling “coercive” religious messaging. The lawsuit comes in response to an Easter message that Rollins sent to 100,000 department employees. Plaintiffs say her email implies an “in-group” religion at USDA and that those who don't agree may face “negative consequences.” Here with more, Federal News Network's Drew Friedman.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The growth of shared services for grants across government has climbed steadily over the last five years. Through the Grants Quality Service Management Office, 29 agencies are using standardized technology services to help award more than $1.2 trillion a year. With more on how the Grants QSMO plans to further drive standardization into grants management, Federal News Network's executive editor Jason Miller joins me now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Shaping environmental outcomes isn't limited to writing legislation. In many cases, it comes down to knowing how federal decisions actually get made, through regulation, procurement, data and funding choices that shape behavior across the system. That's the approach being taught to climate professionals by Mai Sistla, Senior Climate Policy Advisor at the Aspen Policy Academy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Testing new technology is one thing. Making it work in real conditions and earning trust is another. USDA's new National Proving Grounds Network is designed to close that gap, testing emerging agriculture technologies on working farms and ranches so they can move from idea to adoption. Here to explain how that model is taking shape is Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics and Chief Scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Scott Hutchins.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Glacier‑related flooding is becoming more frequent and more dangerous in parts of the country, prompting the Corps to step in with targeted mitigation efforts. We hear how that work is unfolding on the ground, from Mike Records and Daryl Downing with the Army Corps of Engineers on site in Alaska.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up today on "The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton" Environmental change can turn rare risks into immediate problems and the Army Corps of Engineers is stepping in to manage the consequences “Testing new technology is one thing, making it work in the field and getting people to trust and use it is another Some of the most important environmental policy work doesn't happen in legislation it shows up in how agencies act, spend and measure resultsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Defense Department is proposing a sweeping rule that would significantly expand the government's scrutiny of foreign ownership and influence across the defense industrial base, requiring tens of thousands of uncleared contractors to comply with security requirements historically applied only to companies handling classified information. For more, Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis spoke with Scott Freling, co-chair of Covington's Government Contracts practice, and Heather Finstuen, partner at Covington & Burling. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's grant processes are about to get a little more transparent. That's because a new law requires FEMA to publish a dashboard of public assistance claims stemming from federal disasters. That requirement comes as the administration and Congress consider broader reforms to FEMA. For more, Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday joins me. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Federal Laboratory Consortium has introduced a professional designation designed to strengthen how federal labs move research into real‑world use by building recognized, transferable expertise. The goal is to create a clearer marker of credibility for agency leadership, industry partners and the workforce itself. My guest is Andy Myers, technology transfer lead at the Kansas City National Security Campus.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A joint effort bringing together Navy medicine, the Air Force Research Laboratory, NASA and academic researchers is reshaping how the government studies human performance under changing gravity. The focus is building durable capability for longer, more demanding missions. My guests are Rich Folga and Dr. Michael Schubert. Dr. Schubert is Professor in the ENT Department at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Mr. Folga is Aerospace Medical Research Device Program Manager, Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Using allied rail systems in Europe, the Army is testing how rail evacuation could expand medical capacity during large‑scale conflict. Here with more details on what's being tested by this exercise is Col. Crystal Belew, Commander of the 519th Hospital Center.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up today on "The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton" The Army is testing whether rail networks can carry medical evacuation in modern warfare What happens to the human body when missions become longer, more demanding and harder to support from Earth? As federal missions grow more complex, technology transfer is getting a credential meant to sustain expertise and credibility over timeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Postal Service generally pays its own bills through its own revenue. That's been the way it has operated for more than 50 years. But the agency is floating the possibility of Congress stepping in to provide more financial assistance to keep the agency from running out of cash early next year. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

House Republicans are demanding more information about the costs of settlements for federal employee disputes with their agencies. A new letter from leaders on the Oversight committee argues that agencies are settling too often, instead of fighting cases they could likely win. But the letter is also coming under scrutiny from federal employment attorneys. Here with more, Federal News Network's Drew Friedman.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A tougher federal anti‑fraud posture is changing how grants and contracts are scrutinized, especially when routine compliance decisions come under review after problems emerge. We'll look at where scrutiny is showing up, who's being held accountable and what recipients are expected to get right with Michael Anderson, counsel at Smith Anderson.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As the federal government takes on more financial risk, a GAO review of government‑wide grants management points to staffing limits, data mismatches and unclear roles that complicate how funds are awarded and overseen. The findings suggest persistent operational challenges that accounting fixes alone haven't solved. Jeff Arkin is director of strategic issues at the Government Accountability Office.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Insurance pricing plays a powerful role in signaling where disaster risk is increasing and where the federal government is increasingly exposed when coverage breaks down. We'll examine a proposal that would bring the federal government into the reinsurance market, how that could affect those signals and what questions leaders should ask before shifting risk further upstream. Professor Ben Collier of the University of Wisconsin is here to guide us through those questions.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Managing disaster risk is about how risk is understood, priced and communicated across the system The size of the federal grants system is well known, how well it's set up to manage that scale is another question Receiving federal funds now comes with a different kind of risk calculus for granteesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.