The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is continuing to offer cyber pay incentives to retain skilled technical staff. But fewer employees will qualify for the program under revised criteria that ties eligibility to job series and performance ratings. That’s sparking some concerns that CISA could lose more staff in the near term. For the latest, Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday...

Countries around the world are expanding their nuclear ambitions. That is putting new pressure on the systems designed to keep reactors safe and maintain public confidence. For a firsthand look at that discussion, I'm joined by Ho Nieh, Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. TZ2 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-no...

As nuclear technology advances, regulators are taking another look at assumptions that have guided radiation protection for decades. The public comment period has closed on the NRC's proposal to eliminate the ALARA standard while keeping existing exposure limits in place. For what happens next, I'm joined by Andrew Averbach and Tom Dougherty, partners at Womble Bond Dickinson. See Privacy Policy a...

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton When agencies don't have all the answers, the public still expects to hear from them. New research suggests people are less troubled by uncertainty than by being left in the dark From RIF rules and pay policy to artificial intelligence and retirement security, federal employees and retirees are thinking about both today's challenges and tomorrow's gover...

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is giving service members something a little unusual: a day off from operations to focus on voting. The Pentagon says the stand-down has to happen by October 15th. Hegseth says it will become a regular part of election years. Federal News Network's Rachel Cohen reports on why the Pentagon is doing this and what it means for troops. See Privacy Policy at https://art19...

Last week, lawmakers failed to pass the latest attempt to ban members of Congress from owning individual stocks. Senate Democrats blocked the Stop Insider Trading Act, saying it didn’t go far enough. Mark Greenblatt is a former Interior Department inspector general, also a former chairman of the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency and now, the host of a brand new program on F...

More than four decades after the Bayh-Dole Act reshaped how federally funded research reaches the marketplace, the law is facing fresh scrutiny amid concerns about economic security, global competition and emerging technologies. Supporters argue the evidence points in the opposite direction: the model is working. A new report takes that case directly. Here with more is Joe Allen, executive directo...

The FDA sits at the center of some of government's toughest tradeoffs. Patients want access, companies want predictability, public health officials want vigilance and elected leaders want results. We get a look at what it takes to lead an agency with so many competing responsibilities from Jamie Ravitz of McDermott Will & Schulte. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California...

The latest round of proposals under the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul would affect everything from intellectual-property rights to Buy American requirements and subcontracting rules. Together, they offer another look at how far acquisition leaders are willing to go in reshaping the federal procurement system. Here with her take on the details is Stephanie Kostro, president of the Professional Service...

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Bayh-Dole was written for a very different era of innovation. More than 40 years later, supporters say it remains one of the country's most successful tools for turning research into real-world products Everybody wants something different from the FDA, and the next commissioner has to decide which demands matter most New federal contracting proposals co...

Most federal employees will no longer be able to receive the highest performance ratings. That’s as the Office of Personnel Management moves forward with major overhauls of the government’s performance review system. Here with the latest, 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-i...

There’s another dust up happening between Trump administration leaders and the inspector general community. This time, it’s at the Federal Housing Finance Agency, where the office of inspector general is warning last-minute budget cuts would force it to lay off staff and cease most investigations. For the latest, Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday joins me. See Privacy Policy at https://art19...

A new FBI cyber strategy calls for a more aggressive approach to disrupting hostile cyber actors, while also strengthening support for victims and partners. The bureau hopes to stop more threats before they reach their targets, but success will depend on how those efforts work in practice. Joining me now is James Turgal, vice president of global cyber risk at Optiv. See Privacy Policy at https://a...

The newly exposed QTFY campaign shows how persistent some cyber threats have become. After years of intrusions targeting government systems and critical infrastructure, cybersecurity leaders are putting greater emphasis on resilience and continuity alongside prevention. Here to discuss the implications is retired FBI special agent and retired U.S. Navy commander Rich Kolko. See Privacy Policy at h...

Washington is entering a holding pattern until after the midterm elections, but the agenda lawmakers leave behind is far from settled. Several major policy debates and unfinished legislative priorities will be waiting when Congress returns. We get the latest from Mitchell Miller, Capitol Hill correspondent for WTOP. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at h...

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton The FBI wants to disrupt cyber threats before they become cyber incidents The QTFY hacking campaign has been running for years. Federal cyber strategy is adjusting to that reality Congress may be in recess, but the unfinished business is piling up See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#...

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth raised eyebrows this week with a plan to cut another 10% of generals and admirals in the next three months. He confirmed that goal in a speech to troops at Quantico on how the department has changed in the past year, and what's coming up next. Federal News Network reporter Rachel Cohen joins me now with her takeaways. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy a...

A new report from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General examines how durable medical equipment fraud schemes continue to target Medicare. Investigators found many of those schemes rely on exploiting trusted suppliers, physician orders and beneficiary information rather than breaking through technical defenses. Commander Patrick Nuebert, operations officer in the O...

Once fraudsters learn how to exploit trusted systems, the challenge becomes finding them sooner. A new Justice Department fraud division and detection center are designed to bring together data, investigators and prosecutors in an effort to do exactly that. Joining me with the details is Matt Hanson, partner at King & Spalding. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Pri...

Building better detection systems is only part of the equation. Regulators also have to decide where to concentrate enforcement resources. The SEC recently launched a dedicated financial reporting and accounting unit, a move that could reshape risk calculations for companies, auditors and audit committees. My next guests say the move could affect how companies, auditors and audit committees think...

The Army has officially lifted its civilian hiring freeze, nearly 20 months after President Donald Trump imposed a governmentwide hiring freeze on his first day back in office. Federal News Network’s Anastasia Obis has more. See 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 Medicare fraudsters often don't need to break into the system. They just need to exploit parts of it that were designed to be trusted The government has always chased fraud after somebody finds it. The Justice Department is betting data can find it first The SEC has decided some risks deserve dedicated enforcement teams See Privacy Policy at https://art...

During last fall’s record-long government shutdown, agencies posted messages on their websites and in press releases that blamed the funding lapse on Congressional Democrats. Now, the office tasked with enforcing the Hatch Act found some of those actions “might” have violated the law. But it won’t investigate any further. For more, Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday joins me. See Privacy Poli...

Federal employees and retirees will once again see their health insurance premiums rise in 2027. The Office of Personnel Management has released details on what’s changing next year for participants in the Federal and Postal insurance programs. The announcement comes just ahead of this fall’s Open Season. Here with more, Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com...

The Census Bureau is considering removing race and ethnicity questions from the 2030 Census. Data advocates argue the change would affect far more than demographic research, making it harder to identify disparities in health, education and other areas where outcomes often depend on who is being measured. Here to explain why visibility matters are Denice Ross of the Federation of American Scientist...