The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Helping disaster survivors recover is one of FEMA’s most visible missions. A new GAO review looks at how well that assistance actually lines up with what survivors need on the ground Telehealth expanded quickly, oversight is still catching up Two changes moving through the House would reshape how agencies buy, from who gets a shot to how fast decisions...

Delivering disaster assistance at scale is one of FEMA’s toughest operational challenges. A GAO review looks at where the system struggles to match survivor needs after major disasters, and Chris Currie, Director in the Homeland Security and Justice team at GAO, is here to walk us through the details. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.co...

An HHS inspector general audit found that targeted system edits and clearer coding guidance could have prevented a share of improper Medicare payments tied to virtual visits. Here to talk us through what those fixes would change and how CMS is responding, is Assistant Regional Inspector General for Audit Services at the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, Kari Lowe...

The House is trying to give the “Rule of Two” more legal weight, even as it pushes agencies to move faster on acquisition. One effort tightens expectations. The other opens the system up. Former GSA administrator Emily Murphy is here to walk us through what these changes might mean for the daily work of buying for the government. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Priva...

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is hiring again. With Atlantic hurricane season officially underway, FEMA is trying to fill hundreds of open positions. But that comes after the agency lost roughly 5,000 employees since last January. For the latest, Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday joins me. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art1...

The National Institutes of Health is leaning into artificial intelligence to gather insights from a vast amount of health data. And the hope is that shift will let the agency conduct research more quickly and offer new tools to support clinicians. Susan Gregurick is associate director for data science at NIH. She talked with Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman about how AI is helping to unlock ins...

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton There’s more AI activity inside federal agencies than ever before, but the results aren’t always easy to see A simpler way to file taxes ran into a complicated system around it Retirement changes the rules for your portfolio, what worked while you were building savings can start to create real risk once you begin drawing it down See Privacy Policy at ht...

Direct File had to fit into an ecosystem that includes private tax prep companies, state system and IRS capacity. Even with positive user feedback, that environment created friction that could shape what comes next. Gabriel Zucker, Fellow at the Economic Security Project, joins us to walk through a new report that details what happened with Direct File and what lessons future reformers should lear...

Federal agencies have expanded their use of artificial intelligence beyond early experimentation, but maturity varies widely from one organization to another. Some have moved toward operational use, while others are still working through basic implementation. That uneven progress is shaping how much of that activity actually turns into results. Here to break down her recent findings and take a loo...

The move from saving to spending introduces a different kind of risk, where timing matters as much as returns. That shift can change outcomes quickly, especially in the early years of retirement. Certified financial planner Thiago Glieger of RMG Advisors, joins me to walk through those risks and how to plan for them. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at...

The regulations for grants management are getting their second major rewrite in two years. The Office of Management and Budget has three main goals in its proposed rewrite of 2 CFR 200, including improving the transparency and accountability of grant awards. Federal News Network executive editor Jason Miller joins me now to discuss what the proposed changes say and would mean for agencies. See Pri...

The Agriculture Department is relocating employees at many of its component agencies. That includes staff at the Food and Nutrition Service which carries out SNAP and other food assistance programs used by tens of millions of Americans. But many FNS employees say they would sooner quit than jobs than relocate, according to an internal poll conducted by their union. Federal News Network’s Jory Heck...

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton The to-do list for Congress is filled with regular, and not so regular, order The Coast Guard has plenty of tools to assess waterway risk, the challenge is making them work together Fraud detection is getting more data‑driven and the Justice Department is raising expectations for how that work gets done See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy an...

As Congress returns after the Memorial Day holiday recess, the things they left on the desk are still there and how lawmakers use the next two months could shape funding, oversight and the runway agencies have heading into fall. We'll get the details from WTOP's capitol hill correspondent, Mitchell Miller. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art...

Looking at risk one tool at a time can leave gaps in how the full system is understood. That’s prompting a closer look at how assessments are connected—and how they guide choices. For a look at how those pieces could work together differently, I'm joined by Susan Resetar and Eric Cooper of RAND. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/priv...

The DOJ’s new FOCUS initiative puts a spotlight on the quality behind data‑driven fraud claims, encouraging closer engagement with analysts who can show their methods hold up. That shift could change what kinds of cases make it forward and what organizations need to be ready for when they do. Here with more insight into how these cases are proceeding is Tom Suddath, partner at Reed Smith. See Priv...

Federal employees may soon see opportunities to move up the career ladder more quickly. The Office of Personnel Management is proposing to eliminate a required waiting period for federal promotions. Here with more, 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-info .

House lawmakers want to ensure any incidents involving Defense Department artificial intelligence systems are quickly reported. The House Armed Services Committee’s mark up of the 2027 defense authorization bill would establish a protected disclosure program for AI systems at DoD. For more, Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday joins me. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Califo...

Coming up today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton The same data that’s out there about you can also be used against you and now it is For military families, the pressure isn’t just external, it shows up at home As AI reshapes work, a new program is showing what it takes to keep up See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not...

Reports of an Iranian‑linked group contacting U.S. troops using their own personal data points to a shift in cyber conflict from networks to people. It’s direct, personal and hard to defend against. Ron Zayas, CEO of Ironwall, joins me with what that means for service members and the federal workforce. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.c...

New survey data shows military families facing sustained financial and daily life pressures from childcare to employment that are starting to affect stability and readiness. As demands on the force grow, those strains are getting harder to ignore. Kathy Roth‑Douquet of Blue Star Families joins me with what the latest numbers show. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Priv...

As AI reshapes how work gets done, a new, hands‑on program is showing how veterans can build real, usable skills and do it quickly. It’s a practical take on the Labor Department’s push for AI fluency, with results already taking shape. Mika Cross and Ted Adair join me to walk through what participants are learning. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at ht...

Agencies will soon have new requirements for logging cybersecurity data to better secure their systems and data against ever increasing threats. The Office of Management and Budget’s new memo outlining these changes is one of several ways the Trump administration is recalibrating cyber defenses as the threat of artificial intelligence-fueled cyber attacks increase. See Privacy Policy at https://ar...

The Department of Veterans Affairs is getting bipartisan praise for its resumed rollout of a new Electronic Health Record; a multibillion-dollar project that has run into myriad problems since it began under the first Trump administration. The VA rolled out the system to new sites last month after a three-year pause on deployment. Groups representing VA employees, however, say the latest faci...

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton NASA is testing a faster way to recruit top engineering talent inside the federal hiring guardrails Even as agencies try to bring in new talent, a lot of current employees are making tough decisions about pay, retirement and whether to stay Federal financial management has always been a no‑fail mission, the past year has added new pressure to a workforc...