The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton If AI starts doing the work, can people trust the outcome? The administration’s new AI framework includes something the government hasn’t had before. A chance to see advanced systems before they’re released to the public Congress returns from recess with a lot of its plate See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at...

Agentic AI systems promise faster, cheaper execution for federal agencies, but they also raise new questions about governance, accountability and trust. We talk through what has to change as these systems scale with Karim Fadel, vice president of CGI Federal. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

A new executive order sets up a pathway for companies to share advanced artificial intelligence models with federal officials ahead of public release, giving the government earlier visibility into emerging capabilities and the risks they could pose. Joining me to explain how this is playing out is Alex Hastings, a Partner at Morgan, Lewis. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Califo...

Congress was sort of stuck in a wait and see mode once the president demanded more attention was directed at passing his election security legislation. An effort that that again was thwarted by procedural rules in the Senate. Joining me to explain how things went down and what to watch for after their brief recess next week, Bloomberg Government Deputy News Director Loren Duggan.   See Privac...

Today on "The Best of the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton" we revisit some of our best interviews of the past couple of months. Learn more about what it will take to replenish the U.S. missile stockpile after the operations in Iran. Also, a warning the agency responsible for overseeing classified work at defense contractors, it may be falling short of its mission. See Privacy Policy at https://art...

The Trump administration is giving agencies more leeway to remove federal employees deemed “unfit” for their jobs. A new final rule from the Office of Personnel Management expands the reasons that employees might be considered “unsuitable” and therefore fireable. The change is meant to increase employee accountability, but concerns remain about the possibility of politically motivated removals. He...

The CIA is looking to drastically speed up its acquisition timelines to acquire cutting edge technology like AI. CIA Director John Ratcliffe says the goal is to complete most technology acquisitions within six months. And the secretive spy agency also wants to open up to industry through a new Office of Corporate Partnerships. For more, Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday joins me. See Privacy...

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton The FAR rewrite is more than just updated rules If you’ve ever struggled to hear someone in a crowded room, you’ve experienced a problem today’s technology still hasn’t solved. Researchers are now taking a different approach. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

We are now starting to see some of the changes to the FAR being implemented in real time. There of course still many questions to be answered during such a large transition phase. To discuss them, I recently caught up with Emily Murphy, former administrator for the General Services Administration and now senior fellow at the George Mason University Baroni Center for Government Contracting. I also...

Even advanced hearing aids and implants can fall short when it comes to separating voices from background noise. A new federal research program is looking beyond the ear and into the brain for answers. We get more from Dr. Calvin Roberts, the HEARING program manager at ARPA-H. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-...

The Office of Personnel Management is giving many employees in its healthcare and insurance division another chance to accept voluntary incentives and leave their jobs, ahead of their busy season. OPM is giving most employees working there another shot at the deferred resignation program that will allow them to go on paid administrative leave for six months before leaving the agency. OPM is making...

As Washington heads into its summer lull, current and former national security leaders gathered Tuesday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies to discuss the state of play for the defense-industrial base and what we could see ahead on Capitol Hill. Federal News Network's Rachel Cohen joins us today with more from that discussion.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy...

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton When it comes to personal security, knowing something is happening isn’t the same as knowing what to do about it The next test for the infrastructure investment and jobs act is whether it can deliver, not just distribute A new proposed FAR rule is trying to fix one of the government’s most persistent data problems, figuring out exactly what needs to be...

Security leaders are recalibrating how they read risk in a more fragmented environment. What used to be isolated signals now connect in ways that can change decisions fast. Here to explain what that means for public officials at all levels is Executive Director of Protective Intelligence at Ontic, Fred Burton. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https:/...

Five years after the passage of the IIJA, attention is shifting from getting money out to making sure projects move and results show up. Oversight is finding persistent issues that could shape how that plays out. Joining me to discuss how this is playing out at EPA specifically is senior advisor to the EPA Inspector General, Kate Robinson. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Califo...

A revised FAR proposal now out for comment aims to unify how civilian agencies define and safeguard controlled unclassified information in contracts, reflecting industry pushback on earlier drafts while addressing long‑standing gaps that left contractors navigating a patchwork of policies. Here to walk us through the details is Zach Prince, a partner at Haynes Boone. See Privacy Policy at https://...

Leaders across all levels of government convened last week at the Library of Congress in downtown Washington, D.C, for an event celebrating public service. As the U.S. approaches the 250th anniversary of its founding, the ceremony sparked inspiration for the next generation of government leaders. Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman was at the event and she files this report. See Privacy Policy at...

Despite all the turmoil in federal contracting over the last year, agencies surpassed the 23% governmentwide goal for awards to small businesses in fiscal 2025. The Small Business Administration said last Thursday that agencies awarded 28% of all prime contracts to small firms last year. While agencies reached the overall goal, the total dollars going to small businesses dropped to $179 billion la...

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton The "Father of the Nuclear Navy" is still influencing modern day leaders Two trends in the TSP don’t seem to line up, but they might actually be the same story The government is rewriting the rulebook for how it buys and the changes are coming fast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy...

Admiral Hyman G. Rickover had a huge task, development a naval nuclear propulsion program that will use the technology efficiently and safely for years to come. Now known as the "Father of Nuclear Navy," it is safe to say that mission was accomplished. During his career however, he brought many into his sphere of influence and advised many other federal leaders and even presidents about nuclear po...

Net contributions are down and now negative. At the same time, the G Fund has lost its place as the dominant investment. Arthur Stein, Partner with Allworth Financial, says those shifts are connected, and together they point to a change in how the TSP is working for investors. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-...

A massive overhaul of the Federal Acquisition Regulation is now moving through formal rulemaking, with the first set of proposed changes touching wide swaths of how contracts are planned, awarded and managed. The documents run longer than Moby Dick, and stakeholders have just 30 days to weigh in. Here to walk us through the key changes is Partner at Haynes Boone, Dan Ramish. See Privacy Policy at...

Food insecurity is on the rise among military families. And more than a third of currently serving families said they had less than $500 in savings. Those are some of the findings of the Military Family Advisory Network’s biennial survey . Over the years, the survey, which is the largest independent research effort focused on the military family population, has helped shape major policy and qualit...

The Defense Industrial Base Cybersecurity Assessment Center has long been a key cog in the Pentagon’s efforts to protect sensitive information from leaking to foreign adversaries. But the Pentagon is now ramping up a new evaluation regime under the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program. evaluating potentially tens of thousands of contractors that hold sensitive CUI. For more on w...

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton When there’s broad agreement on disaster response reform, why does action still stall? The Postal Service has the authority to expand into government services, so why hasn’t it acted? Congress seemed close to resolving several key issues until the White House stepped in, so what happens now? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California...