The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

At most agencies, probationary employees left their jobs at a higher rate than other federal workers in 2025. That’s according to analysis of about two dozen agencies in a new report from the Government Accountability Office. Early last year, agencies implemented mass terminations of employees on their probationary period, who have limited job protections. For a look at how those separations panne...

The Army is warning that an amendment in the House Armed Services Committee’s version of the 2026 defense policy bill could discourage technology companies from building data centers on military installations and jeopardize the service’s modernization efforts. Federal News Network’s Anastasia Obis has more.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at http...

Coming up today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton When the rules change, people will change how they work Agencies are doubling down on AI upskilling, but new research suggests they may be solving the wrong problem Congress is at a pivot point on reconciliation and the defense bill See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-no...

The rollout of Schedule Policy/Career and a proposed government-wide nondisclosure agreement are putting new pressure on how federal employees think about their jobs from security and accountability to what they’re willing to say out loud. The effects are starting to show up in real ways across agencies. John Hatton of NARFE connects the dots for us. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy...

There’s a growing push to build new skills across government, especially in AI. But if the surrounding systems don’t support that learning, the investment may not translate into performance. A new body of research is challenging how agencies think about the problem. Here to share those findings and recommendations is he Upskilling Lead in the Administrative Modernization Program at Oregon State Un...

Questions about the future of another reconciliation package are rippling through Congress, with implications for how and when lawmakers take up the annual defense policy bill. Mitchell Miller joins us with the latest from Capitol Hill. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

New data from Democrats on the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee shine fresh light on just how rough its been for many small business contractors over the last 15 months. A new report from Senator Ed Markey, ranking member of the committee, found since January 2025 when President Donald Trump took office, agencies have reduced spending by 19% and thousands of small firms have le...

The emergence of artificial intelligence-driven cyber threats is forcing a shift in how agencies manage software vulnerabilities. In a new directive released this week, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency laid out how agencies should prioritize the highest risk vulnerabilities on their networks. For more, Federal News Network Justin Doubleday joins me. See Privacy Policy at https:...

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton ARPA‑H is testing a model to make research faster, more repeatable, and less dependent on where or with whom you work A lot of health AI isn’t where you think it is and it’s not overseen the way you might expect The people who rely on Medicaid helped design a plan to curb fraud without putting their own care at risk See Privacy Policy at https://art19.c...

The limits of biomedical research often come down to access, tools, networks and where the work happens. ARPA‑H is piloting a system meant to level that out while improving reliability. Here to tell us how this will all work is Dr. Paul Sheehan, program manager for IGOR at ARPA‑H. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell...

From administrative decisions to care management, health AI tools are influencing outcomes in ways patients may never see. But many of those systems fall outside the usual oversight framework, and that can leave gaps in accountability and increase the risk of errors or inconsistent standards. Here to discuss her recent diagnosis of this space is the Bipartisan Policy Center's Maya Sandalow. See Pr...

A new report on Medicaid fraud starts from the ground up, built with input from the people who depend on those services every day. It lays out ways to tighten oversight while preserving access to home and community‑based care. Here to walk us through the problem and the solutions is Leslie Ford, Senior Fellow with the Able Americans program at the National Center for Public Policy Research. See Pr...

The House Armed Services Committee is pushing back against President Donald Trump’s executive order that removes collective bargaining rights for civilian workers in the defense department. 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 General Services Administration, the landlord for much of the federal government, says none of the owned or leased buildings it has data on meet the minimum occupancy standard set by law last year. But GSA is reexamining the data it’s collected so far. Among its concerns, the data doesn’t differentiate office space from rooms where employees aren’t working. Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman...

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Bringing more students into public service starts with giving them a way in and a reason to see themselves there Federal hiring problems may start with how the jobs are defined What looks like stability in today’s workforce may actually be caution, as more people choose to stay put in an uncertain economy See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy...

A new program at Arizona State University is connecting students to federal service while they’re still in school, through a model that blends coursework with hands‑on experience. It’s part of a broader effort to strengthen the talent pipeline and widen access to government careers. Shannon Portillo, Director of ASU's School of Public Affairs, is here to give us more information about the initiati...

Efforts to improve federal hiring and pay often run into the same problem. The system that defines jobs has stayed largely the same, even as the work itself has changed. Here to walk us through the problem and a path to modernization is Gabe Menchaca, a Senior Policy Analyst at the Niskanen Center. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/p...

This moment in the labor market looks stable on the surface, but underneath it’s driven by caution and constrained choices. Workers are holding on rather than moving on. My guests are Matt Terry from The Economist Enterprise and Brendan McCarthy from Nuveen. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

More details are emerging about the practical implications of Schedule Policy/Career. New guidance from the Office of Personnel Management comes as agencies face a looming deadline to formally reclassify thousands of career federal employees … in effect, those reclassifications will strip workers of long-standing civil service protections. Here with the latest, Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman...

Congress just passed fiscal 2026 appropriations for most of the Department of Homeland Security in May. But lawmakers are already moving forward with crafting a 2027 budget for DHS. The House Appropriations Committee’s homeland security spending bill pushes back on some cuts proposed by the Trump administration. For more, Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday joins me. See Privacy Policy at http...

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton The government wants more of your seafood to come from U.S. waters and it’s standing up a new office to help make that happen A long-running federal river program delivers real returns, but now it’s on the chopping block The systems that keep water flowing are more connected than ever and more exposed to cyber risks than most people realize See Privacy...

Seafood isn’t usually top of mind at the Agriculture Department, but that’s starting to change. A new Office of Seafood is meant to help grow domestic production and connect producers to markets using USDA’s existing tools. Mike Illenberg is acting director of the office, and he's here to tell us how they're getting started. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy No...

For more than two decades, the Army Corps of Engineers has worked with partners to change how dams are operated, reducing flood risk and boosting local economies along the way. A new analysis says the returns are significant, but funding is now at risk. Jim Howe of The Nature Conservancy explains what the program actually does and what could be lost. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy...

Cyber threats are moving beyond data and into the systems people depend on every day, including water and wastewater infrastructure. A new GAO report finds persistent vulnerabilities, shaped by uneven resources, aging systems, and limits on federal oversight. Here to break down the findings and recommendations is Dave Hinchman, director of information technology and cybersecurity at the Government...

More details are emerging about the practical implications of Schedule Policy/Career. New guidance from the Office of Personnel Management comes as agencies face a looming deadline to formally reclassify thousands of career federal employees … in effect, those reclassifications will strip workers of long-standing civil service protections. Here with the latest, Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman...