Podcasts about federal news network

A Treasury Department watchdog is conducting an audit to see if IRS employees are reporting to the office as often as they claim. President Donald Trump ordered federal employees to return to the office full time soon after taking office himself, but some IRS employees say they're working in unsuitable conditions. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more on all of this.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

$1 contracts for access to leading edge artificial intelligence companies may be too good to be true. The General Services Administration's recent awards to Open AI and Anthropic are facing protests before the Government Accountability Office with details about the protests and why one vendor is crying foul, 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.

The Office of Personnel Management is taking on some big changes this year, like trying to modernize the Federal Retirement System, improve health insurance programs for federal employees, and overhaul the hiring process. But as OPM undertakes those major efforts, the agency is on track to lose 1000 employees, a third of its total workforce by the end of the year. As part of our Workforce Reimagined event Federal News Network's Drew Friedman, got more from OPM Director Scott Kupor. Here's a segment of their conversation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Employees at the Federal Emergency Management Agency are publicly pushing back against changes at FEMA under the Trump administration. More than 190 current and former FEMA staff signed the Katrina declaration, warning that staffing cuts and other changes are risking another crisis like Hurricane Katrina 20 years ago. For the latest on the letter and its impact Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday 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.

It's no secret that the Trump administration wants to have more control of who federal agencies hire and fire. A new proposed rule from the Office of Personnel Management would provide it a new tool to do so, allowing it to examine the suitability and fitness of an employee any time, not just during the hiring process, as it is currently used. As you can imagine, there are some against the idea. One of them is Joe Spielberger, policy counsel for the Project on Government Oversight. He recently spoke to Federal News Network's Eric White to lay out the organization's argument against the proposal.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today's episode of Govcon Giants, I sit down with Jason Miller, Executive Editor of Federal News Network, to unpack the chaos shaking the government contracting community. Over the last 4–6 months, we've seen partnerships shrink, contracts cut, and entire workforces pushed into early retirement. Jason pulls back the curtain on GSA consolidation, NASA SEWP, consulting contract crackdowns, and the uncertainty surrounding CMMC, NIST 800-171, and small business programs like 8(a). This isn't just noise—it's a direct hit on how small businesses survive and thrive in the federal marketplace. Jason and I go deep on the big numbers—25,000 fewer staff at GSA, programs like CIO-SP3 still stuck in protest, and the seven-year delay of CMMC rollout that's left contractors dangerously exposed. We also discuss how the Trump administration's aggressive cost-cutting, paired with industry silence, could cripple government contractors who refuse to speak up. If you're counting on the old rules to keep you safe, think again—this episode is your wake-up call. Connect with Jason: LinkedIn account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmillerfnn/ LinkedIn corporate: https://www.linkedin.com/company/federal-news-network/posts/?feedView=all Link to your company: https://federalnewsnetwork.com/  

The Trump administration is tapping a private sector tech leader with ties to the Department of government efficiency to overhaul federal websites. Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia says he's been appointed to serve as the Chief Design Officer of the United States. President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week outlining his plans to make public facing services beautiful and efficient. Here with more on the EO and Gebbia is Federal News Network's Jory Heckman.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Employees at the Department of Health and Human Services have lost official recognition of their right to union representation. The cancelation of collective bargaining at HHS makes it the latest agency in a growing line of union contract terminations across government. The move comes in response to an executive order from President Trump earlier this year. Here with more details on this is 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.

Congress is once again focusing on quantum cybersecurity—this time with a bipartisan bill that calls on the White House to lay out a national strategy for protecting federal systems from future quantum-powered hacks. It builds on earlier efforts to prepare agencies for the encryption-breaking risks that quantum computing could bring. To explain what's in the bill and where the government stands, Federal News Network's Eric White spoke with Rebecca Krauthamer, CEO of post-quantum cryptography firm QuSecure.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Trump administration is directing agencies to identify data that could help combat fraud and improper payments. The administration wants to centralize much of that data under the Treasury Department's Do Not Pay database. For the latest on these efforts, 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 Pentagon is calling on its civilian workforce to volunteer for temporary assignments supporting operations along the southern border. The program allows DoD civilians to be detailed to the Department of Homeland Security for up to six months filling critical support roles at the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection facilities. Here with more detail is Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, the GovNavigators welcome Jason Miller, Executive Editor at Federal News Network, for a wide-ranging conversation on the state of federal acquisition and IT leadership. From the long-awaited FAR overhaul and GSA's contracting shifts to the evolving role of the federal CIO, Jason unpacks what these changes mean for agencies, industry, and small businesses alike.Show NotesOMB: Improper Payments MemoEO: Improving our Nation Through Better DesignEvents on the GovNavigators' RadarAugust 25, 2025: A Hole in One with ACT-IACSeptember 16-18, 2025: Partnership for Public Service's GovHR Conference September 18, 2025: GAIN 2025 (Marketing Conference)

The IRS is walking back its plans to conduct mass layoffs and plans to rescind hundreds of deferred resignation offers to fill critical vacancies. The IRS is on track to lose more than 25% of its workforce by the end of the year, largely through employees taking voluntary separation incentives. That's led to some concerns about how the IRS will prepare for next year's filing season. Here with more details on what's happening there is Federal News Network's Jory Heckman.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The IRS, like many agencies, fired probationary employees earlier this year at the Trump administration's direction, but a new inspector general report shows that when the IRS terminated those workers, it didn't account for employee performance. The findings come as the government wide probationary firings remain tied up in legal battles. Here with more on the new report is 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.

If you live in Washington D.C., you've probably noticed National Guard troops around the city. The Trump administration says they're here to help tackle rising violent crime—but what's this move really costing the federal government and the local economy? To break that down, Federal News Network's Eric White spoke with Michael Negron, Senior Fellow for Economic Opportunity at the Center for American Progress.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has wrapped up a novel cybersecurity competition. The goal of the AI cyber challenge was to use artificial intelligence to quickly find and patch vulnerabilities in software. Now, DARPA and the finalists are looking to put their new AI systems to use in the real world. Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday joins me now with more details. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Trump administration's effort to overhaul the Federal Acquisition Regulations took a big step forward last week with the update to several major sections, including parts 812, and 40. At the heart of these changes is the mandate to use best in class or preferred contract vehicles for common goods and services. For more on the Office of Federal Procurement Policies initiative to reform Federal Acquisition, 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.

Agencies are facing tons of changing expectations from the Office of Personnel Management this year. In the last few weeks alone, OPM has told agencies how to think differently about awarding employees for good work, as well as how to implement recent changes to the federal probationary period. To help make sense of it all Federal News Network's Drew Friedman caught up with the Partnership for Public Services, Vice President of Government Affairs, Jenny Mattingly.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Meet Paul. Paul was a CDC employee for more than 20 years. He left CDC in February and only got officially out processed in June. Paul's experience is all too common these days at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where months of delays are normal, as well as a lot of other agencies. In this week's Federal Report, Federal News Network, Executive Editor Jason Miller writes about why CDC delays are having real world consequences for former employees like Paul.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The foundations for Evidence-based Policy Act directed agencies to make better use of their data. Since 2019 each administration has put its own touch on implementing the legislation, but agencies are still wrestling with some of the legislation's bigger goals, like how and when to share government data. As part of Federal News Network's 25th anniversary, Jory Heckman joins me with more on this landmark legislation. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Homeland Security Department's requirement that all contract awards and modifications worth more than $100,000 to get approval from the secretary's office is having real world consequences. Vendors are laying off employees and considering closing down altogether, while DHS components are in danger of having services turned off because approval is taking too long. For more on the ongoing impacts of DHS' review process 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.

Two more agencies have officially terminated their collective bargaining agreements, the US Citizenship and Immigration Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency both canceled their union contracts late last week, and they're not the only agencies making that move here with the latest is 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 next chapter of the Pentagon's cloud strategy is starting to take shape, while the final solicitation for the Joint War Fighting Cloud Computing Contract is still months away, the Defense Department is already applying lessons learned from the current vehicle as it finalizes its acquisition strategy to get more on how JWCC Next is coming together, Federal News Network's Executive Editor Jason Miller, spoke with the Chief of Product Management and Development at the Defense Information Systems Agency, John Hale.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As you can imagine, Democratic members of Congress representing the DC metropolitan area are none too pleased with plans to relocate some USDA agencies out of the area. The idea stems from the first Trump administration, when Suhas Subramanyam was still serving in the Virginia Senate. He's now a member of Congress and spoke with Federal News Network's Eric White about his thoughts on the proposed moves.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Defense Department's program for assessing whether contractors are following cybersecurity requirements is nearly a reality. The White House is now reviewing the final rule for the Cybersecurity Maturity Model certification requirements. For more on the path forward for CMMC, Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday 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.

Registration is now open for senior executives who want to take a leadership development training program. The Office of Personnel Management is encouraging federal employees to sign up after launching the new training series this week. The OPM program comes alongside other big changes for the Senior Executive Service this year, and here with more details is 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 Air Force is getting ready to roll out a brand new cloud computing strategy, and this version includes a big focus on making sure service members can access secure and resilient cloud services in contested theaters like Europe and the Indo Pacific. Officials say it will build on progress the service has already made in transitioning from limited cloud use to a more robust multi cloud architecture. Keith Hardiman is the Department of the Air Force's director of Enterprise Information Technology. He talked with Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis as part of our annual cloud exchange. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The E-Government Act didn't just become law, it became one of the most influential pieces of IT legislation in more than two decades. Getting it passed took determination, persistence and a little bit of luck. When Congress approved the bill and President George W. Bush signed it in December of 2002 few realized how far reaching its impact would be. As part of Federal News Network's 25th anniversary, the E-Government Act has been recognized as a defining moment in federal management. To explain why it still matters today, Federal News Networks 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.

The Senate voted to confirm several Trump administration nominees before leaving town over the weekend, including new national cyber director Sean Cairncross as the President's Principal Advisor on all things cybersecurity. Karen cross faces a raft of challenges as he enters the White House for more Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday 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.

The nearly brand new health insurance program for postal workers is at risk of an operational failure. A new inspector general report says recent staffing and funding reductions at the Office of Personnel Management are creating some challenges, and if those problems aren't addressed soon, the IG says it will cause problems during the upcoming Open Season. 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.

For months, the public has remained somewhat in the dark on how and where federal workforce reductions have taken place, and it will probably still take a while before there's a complete understanding of the Trump administration's workforce overhauls, but new numbers are beginning to paint a picture of how those changes have played out so far. Here with more is 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.

Senators are pushing for the reinstatement of Environmental Protection Agency employees who remain in limbo. A letter from Democrats this week comes after more than 140 EPA employees were put on administrative leave about a month ago. The agency says it's investigating the employees, but there's no clear timeline for when the investigation will wrap up. Here with the latest is 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 House and Senate versions of the 2026 defense policy bill both zero in on acquisition reform, targeting similar areas, but taking different approaches to accomplishing those reforms. That means there's still significant work ahead to reconcile the two. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis spoke with Tim Brennan from the Professional Services Council about what made it into the bills and what's next.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Office of Management and Budget is planning to supercharge the Do Not Pay database. The White House says it will cut through some of the systemic issues that have kept this database from helping other agencies further reduce the amount of improper payments across the government. For more on OMB's plans, 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.

The crash of healthcare.gov in October 2013 sparked a nationwide conversation about how the federal government designs and launches online services to the public. About a year later, the White House launched the US digital service, a tech hub within the executive office of the president. That office is now home to the Department of Government Efficiency. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more on this historical moment in federal news history. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The IRS is trying to modernize a more than 50 year old IT system that's critical to its work. Every filing season, the agency is working on a future state of its integrated data retrieval system. This system would be a long awaited win for the agency, which has struggled to get the funding and staffing necessary to modernize some of the oldest legacy IT system still running in the federal government, Federal News Network's Jory Heckman is here with more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is out with some new guidance on how agencies can adopt zero trust security architectures. CISA's latest guide focuses on a security concept called micro segmentation. It's considered critical to containing hackers and malware before they wreak havoc across networks and steal sensitive data. For more, Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday spoke with Shelley Hartsook, an Acting Associate Director in CISA cybersecurity division.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Since January, the Trump administration has moved aggressively to cut the size of the federal workforce. After months of changes and constant fear of potential job loss as layoffs loom, many federal workers found themselves struggling with high levels of anxiety or seeking therapy and medication for the first time in their lives. Some experienced chronic insomnia, depression, aggressive outbursts, isolation and even self harming thoughts Federal News Networks Anastasia Obis is here to break down new findings from an exclusive Federal News Network survey on mental health impacts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal employees may soon start seeing and hearing more about religion at the office. New guidance is out telling agencies to protect religious expression in the workplace. The Trump administration is hoping it will help recruit and retain federal employees of faith. Here with details is 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.

Anyone who pays attention to cloud computing in the federal community knows the term FedRAMP, but more than a decade after the program's establishment, it's becoming something new and hopefully a lot more streamlined. Part of that is the FedRAMP 20x Phase One pilot. The program management office is moving to a more elective or discretionary style of security verification rather than a prescriptive one. Pete Waterman is director of FedRAMP at the General Services Administration. He talked with Federal News Network's Jason Miller as part of our annual cloud exchange.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Trump administration has been overhauling the civil service in multiple ways. They're attempting to close the door to more political appointees, while also making it easier to remove career federal employees from their jobs. But those workforce changes don't appear to resonate positively with many Americans, including those who support the administration's cuts more broadly. Here with a closer look at some new survey data is 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.

As the Defense Department is working to incorporate right to repair provisions in all new and existing contracts, Congress is wrangling over how to strike the right balance between military readiness and protecting companies intellectual property rights. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis joins me today with more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A decade ago, data on federal spending was a bit of a mess. Yes, even back then, we had usaspending.gov but the data on that site tended to be inconsistent, inaccurate and problematic in a lot of other ways. The reason we have the version we do now is partly because of the DATA Act and partly because of a lot of hard work on the part of Federal Financial Management leaders. The DATA Act is one of the 25 moments of the last 25 years that we're marking as part of Federal News Network's 25th anniversary. Federal News Network's Jared Serbu is writing about it this week, and he 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.

Organizations across the world have been scrambling to address a critical cybersecurity vulnerability in Microsoft's widely used SharePoint software, that includes federal agencies who are on a tight deadline to mitigate the vulnerability earlier this week. Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday is here with the latest See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Several agencies under the Trump administration are going through some personnel changes. A top official at the State Department is taking over as the acting head of the General Services Administration, and President Trump is withdrawing his pick for lead of it at the Department of Veterans Affairs amid plans to shrink its tech workforce and budget. 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.

Senate lawmakers are looking at big reforms for the intelligence community. The Intelligence Authorization Act advancing in the Senate would overhaul the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. It would also push the intelligence community to embrace artificial intelligence and other game changing technologies Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday is here with more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Trump administration's cuts to the federal workforce have left many out of work, employees contemplating their next steps. Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government is giving former Feds and a wide range of other public servants a chance for a full scholarship while earning their master's degree in public administration. Applications go live this September. For a closer look at this program, Federal News Network's Jory Heckman spoke with the Chief Communications officer for the Harvard Kennedy School, Adam Farina.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Trump administration has created a classification of political appointees called Schedule G. The new employment category will let agencies hire non career federal employees to work on the administration's policies. The White House says Schedule G will improve operations and efficiency, but some critics are wary of the executive order's broader implications Here with more is 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 lot of the heavy lifting for the 2026 defense authorization bill wrapped up in the House last week. That Chamber's Armed Services Committee finished its annual marathon markup session with a 55-2 vote that sent the bill to the House floor. And there were at least a couple of surprises from the Republican controlled committee areas where the bill contradicts some significant Trump administration priorities as we continue our coverage of this year's NDAA process, Federal News Network's Jared Serbu has details on that aspect of the legislation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The White House is working on some big cybersecurity policy updates, new zero trust strategies, post quantum cryptography guidance and new security requirements for drones are all on tap for more details, Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday 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.