The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

Over a five‑year period, GSA’s Public Buildings Service obligated more than $100 million for building studies, but a new inspector general audit finds the agency lacked a consistent way to track those studies or whether their recommendations informed decisions. We’ll break down what the audit examined, what it found, and what GSA has been asked to fix with Michelle Westrup and Brian Gibson from th...

HUD’s decision to withdraw long‑standing fair housing guidance is changing how landlords, developers and local governments interpret their federal obligations, even as the underlying law remains the same. The move is raising new questions about compliance, enforcement and how much certainty housing providers can rely on as policy priorities shift. Helping us make sense of that landscape is Gwen Ro...

The Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy has released its first‑year report examining how small businesses are responding to rapid shifts in federal contracting and regulatory policy. The findings highlight both strain and adaptation as firms adjust to changing rules and agency practices. We’ll walk through what stood out and what comes next with Chip Bishop, Deputy Chief Counsel for A...

The General Services Administration, a former hub of activity for the Department of Government Efficiency is looking to hire hundreds of employees after facing deep workforce cuts last year. The agency’s top leader is also taking on a second job as the acting head of the National Archives and Records Administration. And for its current workforce, GSA is asking employees to provide a daily check-in...

The Defense Department is once again facing scrutiny over how it handles sensitive but unclassified information, after a new watchdog review found that widespread problems identified years ago remain unresolved. 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 .

Coming up today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Federal transparency has improved on paper—but GAO says key gaps still undermine accountability and program integrity From AI to DEI to national security, congressional oversight is widening and more agencies are being asked to explain how decisions get made DOGE’s Medicaid data experiment adds a new player to healthcare fraud enforcement, the...

Congress and federal agencies have taken steps to improve transparency around spending and programs, but GAO says persistent gaps continue to limit oversight, efficiency and program integrity. From incomplete spending data to FOIA backlogs and missing program inventories, these weaknesses carry real operational consequences. To explain where transparency efforts are falling short and what would ma...

Congress may be struggling to pass legislation, but it’s not slowing down when it comes to oversight. Investigations in 2026 are moving faster, stretching wider, and pulling in companies, universities, and nonprofits that may not see themselves as obvious targets. Joining me to break down what’s driving this moment and what smart preparation really looks like is Partner at Morgan Lewis, Amanda Rob...

By releasing a sweeping Medicaid claims dataset, DOGE is testing whether broader public analysis can complement government fraud investigations. The move raises questions about accuracy, accountability and whether this approach is scalable or sustainable. I'll walk through the pros and cons with John Barry, senior counsel at Epstein Becker Green. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and...

The Trump administration is once again pursuing deep spending cuts for federal civilian agencies, as part of its budget request for next year. Overall it’s proposing a 10% cut to nondefense discretionary spending. The White House is also doubling down on reorganization plans that Congress ignored in a comprehensive spending plans for this year. Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman has more.  S...

The departments of Justice, Veterans Affairs and Treasury are among the biggest winners when it comes to increasing their technology budgets for 2027. These and a handful of other civilian agencies are driving the Trump administration’s record $75.7 billion IT request for next year. Here with more details and analysis of the 2027 IT budget request for civilian agencies, is Federal News N...

Coming up today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton OMB’s latest IT memo echoes years of policy, but signals some important shifts agencies can’t ignore The CAS Board is carrying out a congressional mandate with comments now open The administration’s new cyber strategy bets that coordination, not regulation, drives better security outcomes See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Cal...

OMB memo M‑26‑10 revisits familiar themes around CIO authority and IT governance, but with sharper expectations for transparency, reporting, and shared responsibility. The question now is what agencies are expected to do differently and how this guidance changes day‑to‑day decision‑making for federal IT leaders. Here to walk us through the key points of the memo is former GSA Administrator and Sen...

The Board’s proposal implements 2026 NDAA language aimed at simplifying CAS without losing oversight. With comments due soon, agencies and contractors are weighing how the rule reshapes compliance, audits, and long‑term contract management. We'll walk through the proposed rule and what happens next, with Dan Ramish, a partner at Haynes Boone. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Cal...

More than 80% of U.S. critical infrastructure is owned by the private sector, putting public‑private collaboration at the center of the administration’s Cyber Strategy for America. We’ll examine what that partnership needs to look like in practice with John Miller of the Information Technology Industry Council. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https:...

The White House is proposing a significant military pay raise as part of its massive $1.5 trillion defense budget request. 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 .

The odds are not in federal employees’ favor for getting a pay raise next year. The White House’s budget request does not include any mention of a 2027 raise for civilian workers. That’s in contrast with a proposed raise of up to 7 percent for military members. Here with more, Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at htt...

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton The President’s budget landed on Capitol Hill last week, but left plenty of unanswered questions. We'll take a closer look at how Congress is navigating the budget moment Year after year, the same financial weaknesses keep showing up in the government’s books Federal government shutdowns have become routine, but their impact on public safety is anything...

The President’s budget proposal sets the stage, but much of the action is happening elsewhere on Capitol Hill. We begin with a look at how lawmakers are handling overlapping funding challenges and what comes next with Mitchell Miller, Capitol Hill Correspondent for WTOP. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Another year, another GAO audit unable to certify the federal government’s financial statements. The latest report points to persistent problems that agencies and Congress have struggled to fix, despite targeted improvements in some areas. Joining us to explain what’s stuck and what could change is Dawn Simpson from GAO. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice...

Shutdowns are no longer rare events, and law‑enforcement leaders say that recurring uncertainty creates real risks for public safety agencies that rely on continuity and trust. The National Police Association is throwing its support behind the Eliminate Shutdowns Act as a way to break that cycle. Joining me to discuss why predictability matters so much for policing and public safety operations is...

A patchy federal job landscape is threatening to upend a longstanding cyber talent pipeline. Hundreds of students graduate from the CyberCorps Scholarship-for-Service program every year. But recent and soon-to-be graduates say they continue to face major challenges in finding federal job opportunities. For more, Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday joins me. See Privacy Policy at https://art19....

The Trump administration is opening up more opportunities to expand hiring across government. In less than a week, the Office of Personnel Management has set up an “early-career talent network” and also launched a recruitment effort for project managers. The initiatives come after sweeping reductions to the federal workforce over the last year. Here with the latest, Federal News Network’s Drew Fri...

Coming up today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Rubin Observatory just turned the night sky into a live feed and the universe is far busier than anyone imagined A new ARPA‑H effort aims to change how doctors understand and treat critical illness in real time See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The launch of Rubin Observatory's alert system marks a breakthrough in astrophysics, giving scientists a real‑time stream of changes across the sky, from brightening stars to newly spotted asteroids. It’s one of the final steps before the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, which will scan the southern sky every night for a decade with unprecedented precision. Dr. Bob Blum joins us to share why this...