The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton A strategic alliance between the Federal Laboratories Consortium and FedTech is looking to speed up how federally funded research becomes real‑world technology With travel season ramping up, the CDC just hit a record number of volunteers to help monitor any viruses on the move Practical politics—and some strategic horse trading—may be returning to Congr...

A new alliance between the FLC and FedTech is aimed at solving a long‑standing gap; connecting federally funded R&D with entrepreneurs ready to build real products and companies. The partnership promises practical support for labs, small businesses, and regional innovation ecosystems. We explore what’s ahead with Paige George of the Federal Laboratory Consortium. See Privacy Policy at https://...

Over one million people have now participated in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Traveler-Based Genomic Surveillance. The purely voluntary program helps to detect and respond to emerging public health threats. To learn more about the scope of the program and what this milestone means, Federal News Network’s Eric White spoke with Heather Reese, who leads the TGS program at the CDC....

Facing pressure to act on national security and domestic priorities, lawmakers appear more willing to negotiate across issue lines. That includes DHS funding and confirmations, questions about authorizing military operations and funding them, and unresolved bills touching surveillance, housing, and financial policy. To assess whether this moment leads to real progress, we’re joined by Capitol Hill...

The Pentagon’s ambitious “Golden Dome” missile defense system is getting more expensive. New estimates from the Defense Department put the price tag at $185 billion; that's $10 billion more than the president originally said it would cost. But some analysts say the new estimate is no more believable than the president’s initial price tag. Federal News Network’s Anastasia Obis has more. ...

The Postal Service says it’s close to running out of cash and may need to cut delivery days. USPS is asking lawmakers to step in and offer some assistance. Congress passed major postal reform legislation in four years ago, but the mail agency is still seeing multi-billion dollar annual net losses. Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman has more.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy a...

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton A mixed‑reality rollout from the Army National Guard is giving students a firsthand look at the skills and careers behind disaster response With drones now touching everything from security to agriculture, The University of Texas at El Paso is gearing up to train the people and build the technology that this new landscape demands A new “drone killer” ca...

The University of Texas at El Paso is strengthening its ability to test next‑generation drone and counter‑drone systems and to apply them to challenges like border security, disaster response, and infrastructure monitoring. It’s part of a growing shift where unmanned systems are becoming essential tools for agencies and communities, not just experimental platforms. We’ll explore what that means fo...

As adversaries lean heavily on small drones for surveillance and strikes, U.S. forces need a response that doesn’t slow them down. Engineers focused on low cost and plug‑and‑play integration and early testing suggests they may have found it. We talk through the capability with Brian Hoffman, Man-Portable Weapons Chief Engineer at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane. See Privacy Policy at https://a...

A new program called “Disasterville” brings National Guard missions into schools through a mix of physical props and virtual reality, letting students step into the middle of a flood, wildfire, or earthquake response. It’s part of a broader effort to build awareness of the Guard’s role in disaster relief. Here to explain the effort is Staff Sergeant Adam Szabo from the National Guard Bureau. See P...

The Trump administration’s new national cyber strategy is starting to translate into agency actions. But there are still a lot of questions about what comes next with the implementation of the strategy. 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 .

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has launched a “ruthless” review of how the military’s legal offices are organized. Experts say while there is room to streamline these offices’ operations, the review will likely be used to thin out the ranks of military lawyers. Federal News Network’s Anastasia Obis has more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://a...

Coming up today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton What happened inside government last year explains many of today’s gaps in capacity and accountability The message from Maryland: losing a federal job doesn’t have to mean leaving the region So many personnel policies are shifting at the same time that even seasoned federal workers are struggling to follow which changes matter most right now S...

Traditional guardrails eroded quickly during the Trump administration’s first year, with ethics bodies sidelined and inspectors general forced out while DOGE tested the limits of its authority. The result was a federal landscape with fewer protections and less capacity just as major decisions were being made. To dig into what that means for rebuilding, I’m joined by Faith Williams of the Project o...

As federal workers and contractors navigate sudden disruption, Maryland leaders are focused on keeping families housed, connected, and economically mobile. Housing tied to transit and new pathways into emerging industries are central to that strategy. We'll learn more from Congressman Glenn Ivey of Maryland and Bryan Franklin, Deputy Director of LISC-DC. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/pri...

Several weeks into the DHS shutdown, front‑line employees from TSA to the Coast Guard are working without pay as airport delays mount and families feel the strain. At the same time, the administration is accelerating major personnel changes, from Schedule Policy/Career conversions to new RIF rules that could redefine job security for tens of thousands of federal workers. We’ll connect all of those...

President Donald Trump promised he would wage a “war on fraud” at his State of the Union address. Now those plans are coming into focus. A new executive order calls on nearly a dozen benefits-paying agencies to come up with ways to reduce fraudulent payments. Vice President JD Vance will lead the task force. Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman has more.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.co...

Agencies have a new opportunity to get help with modernizing their HR functions. A new “HR shared service center” from the Office of Personnel Management launched this week. If agencies opt into OPM’s offer, for a fee, they’ll get access to a suite of IT tools to streamline their human capital management capabilities. Here with more, Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman. See Privacy Policy at http...

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton New limits on executive pay and dividends are changing expectations across the defense sector, even if the effects haven’t hit earnings yet A major reboot of the government’s small‑innovation programs is finally moving after months of uncertainty GAO finds persistent gaps and data problems in OMB’s federal program inventory, limiting its value for overs...

The administration’s new rules on executive pay, dividends and other financial tools haven’t moved defense earnings, but they’re already reshaping how companies think about future contracts. Those limits could eventually influence everything from talent pipelines to supply‑chain stability as they get written into deals over the coming year. We get the latest market signals and industry reactions f...

The Senate has advanced a bill that would reauthorize the SBIR and STTR programs through 2031 after a long lapse, and it comes with some notable changes for small R&D firms. The package adds tougher foreign‑risk screening and introduces new “Strategic Breakthrough” Phase II awards that can reach up to $30 million. We’ll look at what those shifts mean for innovators and contracting officers wit...

The federal program inventory was meant to give policymakers a clear picture of what the government does and how much it spends. GAO says that picture remains incomplete, with missing programs, outdated listings, and inconsistent data undermining confidence in the site. Here to walk through GAO’s findings and what OMB needs to fix is Dawn Locke, Director in GAO’s Strategic Issues team. See Privacy...

As soon as President Donald Trump signs the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer program reauthorization act into law, the Department of Navy will be ready. While the House still needs to do its job and pass the SBIR bill, the Navy has been using the last six months to update its program. With a sneak peak into the Navy’s plans for the future of its SBIR p...

The Navy is in the middle of a year-long push to embed fifth-generation wireless technologies across its systems and installations. And the service’s 5G Integrated Product Team says it’s “making progress” on expanding network coverage. Jason Fox is the director of the 5G IPT in the Department of the Navy Office of the Chief Information Officer. He talked with Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleda...

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton CBO's latest assessment shows a federal outlook defined by rising costs, structural imbalances and tough choices ahead A military widow who turned her deepest loss into a decade of service is being honored with one of TAPS’ highest awards From the Strait of Hormuz to the factory floor, today’s Middle East operations are reshaping what the Pentagon asks...