Federal Drive with Tom Temin

Some 50,000 federal employees are on track to see their civil service protections removed. That's right, the Trump administration is pushing forward with converting employees who shape federal policy into at will employment status. New proposed regulations from the Office of Personnel Management bring the Trump administration's effort a step closer to reality, Federal News Network's Drew Friedman has more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He might be one of the most enduring federal inspectors general having served Justice Departments under the Obama, Trump, Biden and second Trump administrations. He's also been a regular guest here on the Federal Drive. Joining me for my final interview with him, Michael Horowitz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The State Department has launched a comprehensive reorganization. Secretary ofState Marco Rubio says the changes will focus the department on the Trump administration's foreign policy. Well, now an unsigned draft executive order would shake up life for Foreign Service, workforce, people. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Department of Government Efficiency says it's cancelled $33 billion in grants. And more are likely to come. Just what privileges does the government have in revoking grants, and do grantees have any recourse? Some answers from Haynes Boone procurement attorney Dan Ramish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Temporary Aid for Needy Families, or TANF, is a $16.5 billion a year government grant program managed by the Department of Health and Human Services. GAO recently reported that HHS needs to do a better job managing the program. Federal News Network's Terry Gerton dug into the details with GAO's Director of Financial Management and Assurance, Jim Dalkin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin How the Justice Department inspector general stays ahead of the storm The risks created by 57 material weaknesses in a government audit Grant cancellations are happening across the government, what can grantees do Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Education Department has canceled more than $3 billion in contracts or threatens to. Contractor services company TechnoMile finds that one in five contractors have their entire Education business at risk. Details now from TechnoMile's senior vice president Kevin Brancato. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What's it like to spend literally decades trying to understand, decode and interpret a federal agency and then joining it at the executive level. We're about to find out. Larry Allen spent years as a federal sales and marketing consultant after a stint as president of the Coalition for Government Procurement. He was also a regular guest here on the Federal Drive. Last month he joined the General Services Administration as associate administrator for the Office of Governmentwide Policy. Larry Allen joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin After decades of critiquing this agency, now he's helping run it Contractors hit hardest by contract cancellations at the Education Department Industry has something to say about that rewrite of the buying rules Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A federally funded cyber security program used by organizations throughout the world nearly shut down. Last week, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency finally inked a last minute contract extension to keep the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures program up and running. Well now the cyber security community itself is debating whether reforms are needed to that CVE system. Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday joins me with what's going on here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The General Services Administration is reviewing a second round of submissions from some of the top vendors, the ones who provide consulting services to the government. GSA is looking to them to find ways to trim contracts and save money. 10 vendors, which include some of the big names like Accenture, Deloitte and SAIC, had until Friday to submit fresh suggestions. GSA called the first data call unimpressive and, to quote, insufficient to the point of being insulting. Federal News Network's executive editor Jason Miller joins me with more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The now infamous rewrite of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, all 2,000 pages of it, the government has a lot of work to do. But the result will have the most effect on contractors. For whether they'll have any say in the rewrite and what they would say, we turn to the executive vice president for policy at the Professional Services Council, Stephanie Kostro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Defense Department's planning, programming, budgeting and execution system it looks pretty much like it has for decades. This, more than a year has after a Congressionally-chartered commission came out with a long list of ways to reform it. This year, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at least paid lip service to the idea of PPBE reform. So what's going on? We turn to the CEO of the Society of Defense Financial Management, Rich Brady. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Here's one federal staff that's not getting cut Industry wonders whether the Pentagon will ever reform its budgeting system The to-do list for Congress gets longer over recess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

So fed up with the Trump administration, you want a lawyer, well now you might get one for free. Some unions and self styled good government groups have put together a network of attorneys who will give free legal support for people fired or otherwise impacted by current actions. Federal News networks Drew Friedman joins me with the details and this project. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Members of Congress are back in their home districts, but the list of things they'll have to tackle when they come back keeps getting longer. A budget reconciliation bill is top priority, but now they also have to think about how presidential executive orders, DOGE-directed closures, and tariffs are affecting their constituents at home. Federal News Network's Terry Gerton got the details from Bloomberg Government Senior Reporter Jack Fitzpatrick. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The House of Representatives consists of more than its 435 members. It also has a workforce numbering just under ten thousand. Staff do everything from helping constituents with flags and Social Security questions to drafting legislation and helping members understand the issues. For what's going on with this highly specialized federal workforce, we turn to its chief human capitol officer, John Salamone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Trump administration, as you know, has made a return to the office a top priority for federal employees. Well now, in a parallel effort to cut federal real estate by 50% the General Services Administration is setting a higher minimum office occupancy standard underutilized buildings would get the ax, Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Trump administration nominated, and Congress approved, at least one experienced hand to the Veterans Affairs Department. Paul Lawrence became deputy secretary last month. During the first Trump administration, he ran the Veterans Benefits Administration. Now he's got to find new health and benefits executives. For an update on this and other matters, Paul Lawrence joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is the goal of reducing the federal workforce by 10% wrong? Or just the way the Trump administration is going about it? And what about the five-bullet email? Some perspective now from retired federal manager Abe Grungold of A-G Financial Services. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Trump administration has mounted an attempt at the biggest overhaul of the Federal acquisition process since the 1990s. Two executive orders from President Donald Trump this week kicked off a rewrite and slimmed down of the Federal Acquisition Regulations the far it will renew the mandate to buy commercial products and services wherever possible. And for more on what they're up to Federal News Network's executive editor Jason Miller, got an exclusive interview with the Office of Management and Budget's Senior Advisor leading the FAR overhaul, Kevin Rhodes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Pentagon's hiring freeze has at least one unintended, or maybe intended consequence, one that could affect readiness of the armed services. For one thing, it has reversed years of progress the Air Force made in expanding Child Care Access. 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 An experienced hand returns to the executive levels at Veterans Affairs A federal retiree looks in amazement at what's going on Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Pathways program came from a simple need to replace the government's old internship programs, but it quickly turned into an opportunity for agencies to completely rethink how they hire early career employees. Pathways has had its fair share of challenges over the years, but with the latest changes from the Trump administration, the future of the federal workforce is murky, you might say. Here with the latest Federal News Network's Drew Friedman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When the government terminates a contract for convenience, the contractor has rights and responsibilities. To find out how contractors can prepare in the current environment, Federal News Network's Terry Gerton spoke with Contract Attorney with Rogers Joseph O'Donnell, Stephen Bacon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Homeland Security Department has canceled a Federal Workforce Initiative for Neuro diversity. The move ends a years long effort to accommodate people with conditions like autism as part of federal recruiting and retention. The initiatives were aimed at filling gaps in crucial fields like cyber security. For the latest, Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With Thrift Savings Plan accounts nose-diving and DOGE possibly coming for your job, no wonder federal employees are on edge. Times like these demand your calmest and clearest thinking. Here to help, certified financial planner Thiago Glieger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Preventing EFT payment fraud in Medicare and Medicaid What contractors need to do now to prepare for terminations for convenience TSP tanking? Job in danger? Take a deep breath Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Department of Health and Human Services IG recently recovered $27 million in fraudulent payments made through electronic funds transfers. There are steps that would improve payment security, but the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid may not have the bandwidth to help state agencies comply. Federal News Network's Terry Gerton dug into the details with the regional Inspector General for Evaluation and Inspection for HHS, Brian Whitley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Institute of Museum and Library Services has been around for nearly 30 years. It only has about 75 employees and the Trump administration wants to cut that in half. The move isn't sitting well with libraries who receive federal dollars via the IMLS. For why it's suing to restore the agency, the American Library Association's policy chief Alan Inouye. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When buying certain commodities for resale, the Defense Commissary Agency doesn't always have to use full and open competition. It can pick among suppliers after a simple request for information. But that doesn't mean there are no rules as the agency found out in a protest. Haynes Boone procurement attorney Zach Prince joins me with the details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Defense Secretary, Pete hegseth has directed the termination of $5.1 billion in contracts for it, management and consulting services. At least one external watchdog group says the guidance lacks clarity, gives unrealistic deadlines and contradicts earlier directives Federal News Network's, Anastasia Obis sorts out what's going on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A lot of agencies across different federal departments have to coordinate in the execution of counter drug operations. Even though they've been doing it for decades, a recent report from the Government Accountability Office says they still have some work to do to get it right. Federal News Network's Terry Gerton got the details from GAO's Director of Homeland Security and Justice programs, Triana McNeil. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Libraries push back against cutbacks to a federal library support program How many special agents DOES it take to conduct all of the counter drug operations? Non-competitive buying doesn't mean non-responsible Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Office of Personnel Management, like many agencies, is sending its employees back to the office full time. Trouble is OPM has lots of remote employees far from its offices. OPM gave them an ultimatum, relocate within commuting distance of an OPM office, or risk termination. Many employees took the former option, but now OPM faces a steep bill for relocation expenses Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In conversation, we often equate the federal government with Washington DC, but a new on-line tool shows just how broadly government operations extend across the country. The Impact Project's online map shows the distribution of federal employees, facilities, and contracts down to congressional districts, and how the latest firings and contract terminations are affecting local communities. Federal News Network's Terry Gerton spoke with the founder of the Impact Project, Abby Andre. 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 who've recently lost their jobs because of orders from the Trump Administration. Maryland Congressman Glenn Ivey, whose district includes Prince George's County wants to help. He joined Terry Gerton in studio with plans for a resource fair coming up soon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The former Interior Department Inspector General. He was also chairman of the Council on the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. Mark Greenblatt received a taunting phone call to his personal cell phone about a month ago as an IG Greenblatt was used to a certain level of negative comments and hate mail. This one went further in this week's federal report. Federal News Network's executive editor, Jason Miller, writes about how Greenblatt's experience is becoming all too common for federal employees and what they can do to protect themselves from harassment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Congress and other acquisition policy makers have been pressing the Defense Department to embrace more commercial technologies, literally, for decades. Well now there's a new push, a sweeping executive order issued last week tells DOD to reform its acquisition processes with a first preference for commercial solutions. That was also the theme of a panel Federal News Network's Jared Serbu moderated at last week's Sierra Space conference. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin One Congressmen helps out his federal employee constituents Veteran self scheduling system for medical appointments stills need a little work What do New York, Georgia, and Washington state have in common? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It seems simple enough. Veterans seeking care from community providers external to VA can schedule their own appointments. That's once they get the ok from VA. Now the VA's Office of Inspector General has called for more oversight of the Veteran Self Scheduling system. More now from the director for community care in the office of Audits and Evaluations, Jennifer McDonald. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Legal experts are feeling better about this round of the deferred resignation program, but the program is still in legally murky waters. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis has more for us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices