The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

NASA is testing a new way to bring engineers and technologists into the agency more quickly. The idea is to move faster while still working inside federal hiring rules. Here to tell us how the program will work is NASA Chief Human Capital Officer, Kelly Elliott. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Budget uncertainty, pay debates, and retirement delays are shaping real decisions for federal workers right now. That’s affecting whether people stay, leave, or retire—and how stable the workforce feels day to day. John Hatton, staff vice president at NARFE, joins us to explain what’s driving those challenges and what they mean for the workforce. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and...

Workforce strain and technology changes are reshaping how federal financial management gets done. That’s affecting everything from daily decisions to long-term accountability across agencies. Here to share more about the future of federal financial management are Ann Ebberts, CEO of the Association of Government Accountants and Rich Brady, CEO of the Society of Defense Financial Management. See Pr...

Federal employees may soon have to start signing non-disclosure agreements. The Office of Personnel Management has unveiled a governmentwide NDA template for agencies. It’s an attempt to stop government documents from being leaked to the press. 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/pr...

The Federal Risk Authorization and Management Program is making a simple word change that will hopefully put to rest some long-standing confusion about the cloud security program. Under the new rules, cloud services the program has approved will be dubbed “FedRAMP certified” instead of “FedRAMP authorized.” Nicole Thompson is the security director for FedRAMP at the General Services Administration...

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Even as a legal challenge unfolds, a new DEI order for federal contractors is already being enforced through the contracting proces .DoD’s ability to protect classified information held by its contractors depends on a system under growing strain Some of the most important parts of disaster response happen long before anything goes wrong and often with h...

The administration’s latest DEI directive is moving ahead on two tracks, into federal contracts and into federal court. While a lawsuit raises questions about its scope and authority, agencies are pressing forward with new clauses and compliance expectations. Dan Ramish, Partner at Haynes Boone, explains where things stand and what contractors can’t afford to wait on. See Privacy Policy at https:/...

GAO says the agency responsible for overseeing classified work at defense contractors is falling short of its mission, with gaps in inspections, staffing and risk prioritization. Joe Kirschbaum of the Government Accountability Office explains how those weaknesses affect security and what changes matter most now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https...

Hurricane season is starting, and FEMA is looking at changes to how it responds. That puts new attention on the people and capacity behind the scenes and how ready they are before a crisis begins. Here to discuss how contractors work with federal agencies to plan for disaster response is the President of the Professional Services Council, Stephanie Kostro. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/p...

The General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service updated its organizational structure to better reflect how agencies buy and vendors sell. The new setup features five new portfolios called: Assist, Centralize, Create, Deliver and Optimize. Each is bringing together sometimes disparate services and moving FAS out of its previous organizational structure that centered on category ma...

The Department of Health and Human Services is shrinking cash awards for its top performers. In its place, the department is shifting a majority of its bonus budget to cover “special act” awards with eligibility criteria that are less well-defined. This is all part of a governmentwide push to limit the number of top scores federal employees get on their annual performance reviews. Federal News Net...

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton The federal watchdog system was built to be independent by design, a former inspector general tells us why that design still matters Existing ethics laws weren’t written with prediction markets in mind A week that didn’t end the way Congress planned See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privac...

The inspector general system has weathered political pressure before, but this moment is testing how durable it really is. Even so, the day-to-day work of audits, investigations, and accountability continues. Former FDIC Inspector General Jay Lerner is here with perspective from inside that system. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/p...

Political prediction markets allow traders to profit from future events tied to public decision‑making. But as oversight systems come under strain, POGO says that structure creates risks current ethics laws were not designed to address. Janice Luong, a policy analyst at the Project on Government Oversight, walks us through how those markets work and where guardrails fall short. See Privacy Policy...

Both chambers were lining up for votes, then packed up and left town early. From sudden funding fights to shifting priorities, it turned into a week of surprises on Capitol Hill. Joining me to walk through what happenedand what comes next is Loren Duggan, Deputy News Director for Bloomberg Government. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.co...

It's Memorial Day, and coming up today on "The Best of The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton," A military widow turned profound loss into a decade of service. Now she’s receiving high honors A PCS move can test a family’s finances, routines and support systems all at once A military family is sharing lessons from their decades‑long journey with autism See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy...

The Trump administration is looking to overhaul federal employees’ avenues for appealing adverse personnel actions. As that gets underway, former officials from the Merit Systems Protection Board are warning of significant consequences for the civil service. Here with more, Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https:...

Lawmakers are renewing their efforts to give service members the ability to fix their own equipment after popular right to repair provisions were stripped from the 2026 defense policy bill following strong industry pushback. 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...

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Cyber isn’t just about defense anymore. Governments increasingly assume they’ll use offensive cyber tools as part of state power Even as AI gets better at finding digital weak spots, it doesn’t eliminate the human role in cyber conflict See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell...

Offensive cyber operations have moved from the margins of national security into the core of how governments plan for conflict, deterrence and competition. That shift means agencies are building cyber capabilities into standing strategy and industry is increasingly expected to design, operate and protect systems with the assumption that cyber operations are a normal feature of state behavior. Kat...

Security teams have long chased known vulnerabilities, but AI is accelerating how new ones are discovered and exploited in a world where cyber operations are already part of state competition. Here to walk through how that changes the balance between attackers and defenders is associate professor of the practice of cyber studies at the University of Tulsa, Justin Miller. See Privacy Policy at http...

The Department of Health and Human Services carried out widespread layoffs a year ago. Now it’s sending out a second wave of reduction in force notices. HHS says these are more targeted layoffs, targeting employees it missed when their offices and programs were eliminated last year. All of this is happening as HHS embarks on a hiring surge. Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman has more. See Privacy...

From the overhaul of the Federal Acquisition Regulations to the push for consolidation and centralization, these three requests for proposals demonstrate how agencies are implementing and accepting the Office of Management and Budget’s prioritization of reforming federal technology and acquisition management. In his reporter's notebook, executive editor Jason Miller writes about how the RFPs from...

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Having expertise doesn’t always mean the system knows what to do with it After a tough year for federal senior executives, new leadership at SEA is looking at what comes next A PCS move can test a family’s finances, routines, and support systems all at once See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.co...

The Air Force has spent years building China‑related expertise. But researchers find the personnel system doesn’t always reward or retain that specialization. That leaves a gap between what strategy calls for and how careers actually play out. Dr. Miriam Matthews and Cristina Garafola from the Rand Corporation join us with their analysis. TAG See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Cal...