The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

Defense Department employees have become the latest to lose their protections provided under collective bargaining agreements as the Trump administration continues to strip workers of their union rights at agencies with national security missions. But unions say they have represented federal workers for decades, have successfully challenged similar efforts in the past and will continue to fight the move. For more, Federal News Network’s Anastasia Obis spoke with Ira Rushing from the Tully Rinckey law firm. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A pay raise for federal employees in 2027 is looking even further out of reach. The House Appropriations Committee has advanced spending legislation that makes no mention of a federal pay raise next year. That aligns with the White House’s omission of a civilian raise in its budget request from earlier this month. Here with the latest, 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.

USPS leaders have warned Congress about financial strain, rising costs and the possibility of service reductions, concerns that show up first in rural delivery. That stress now collides with growing demands on the mail system, including election‑related responsibilities. Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski representing Illinois’ 13th Congressional District, joins me with her thoughts on the challenges facing the postal service. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

OPM’s request for more granular FEHB health data and the Postal Service’s suspension of employer pension contributions raise separate issues, but they share common questions about privacy, authority and long‑term trust in benefit structures. John Hatton joins us with NARFE’s perspective. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Transportation Security Administration has quietly been advancing big changes to the private contractor security screening program. TSA says the goal is innovation and a better passenger experience. It comes against the backdrop of Trump administration efforts to privatize more TSA operations. 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://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nearly seven months into the fiscal year, the Small Business Administration is considering moving the small business contracting goal posts for agencies. In a document sent to agencies in March, SBA detailed several new factors it will consider as it grades agency efforts to contract with small businesses. For more on this new methodology and why SBA's plans are causing concern among small business experts and on Capitol Hill, Federal News Network executive editor Jason Miller joins me to discuss. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Office of Special Counsel occupies a complicated place in the federal system; part protector, part enforcer and increasingly, a test of trust for career employees. As demand rises and scrutiny intensifies, OSC is formally defining how it sees that role over the next five years. My guest is Charles Baldis, senior counsel and designee to the acting special counsel at the Office of Special Counsel. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Three former FBI agents fired last fall are now bringing a class‑action lawsuit, arguing their removals crossed a line with consequences beyond their own cases. What the legal challenge could mean for agents working controversial investigations and for the Bureau itself is the focus of our conversation with former FBI agent David Sundberg. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Congressional scrutiny of the Department of Defense’s clearance backlogs comes as the Pentagon again asks civilian employees to volunteer for temporary immigration‑support deployments. Together, the moves highlight growing strain on the defense civilian workforce and the systems that support it. We’ll unpack both with Dan Meyer, national security partner at Tully Rinckey. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After major staffing reductions under the Trump administration, the federal workforce is at a 15-year low. But now, some agencies are reversing course and talking again about expanding recruitment opportunities. That comes as administration officials are also pushing for hiring reforms, like technical assessments and pooled recruitment. For the latest on agency hiring prospects, Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman sat down with vice president of government affairs at the Partnership for Public Service, Jenny Mattingley. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The federal government’s landlord and its human resources office are embarking on plans to share the same headquarters. The Office of Personnel Management and the General Services Administration are moving together under one roof. This is the latest example of agencies in the Washington, D.C. area moving out of headquarters that aren’t meeting minimum occupancy requirements recently set by law. Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman has more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Advanced computing and AI are reshaping nearly every sector, but access to those capabilities remains uneven. The National Science Foundation is launching a new effort aimed at broadening who can use advanced computing. Dr. Erwin Gianchandani joins me from the National Science Foundation. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The federal government’s national strategy for quantum computing lays out broad goals, but a new GAO review finds gaps in coordination, accountability, and performance measurement across agencies. We’ll walk through what’s missing and what updating the strategy could change with Candace Wright, director for science, technology assessment, and analytics at the Government Accountability Office. Read the report here: https://files.gao.gov/reports/GAO-26-107759/index.html?_gl=1*1u44tf*_ga*MTc1Mjk3OTI1MC4xNzQ2NjUwOTc0*_ga_V393SNS3SR*czE3NzQ2MjcyOTMkbzQ4JGcwJHQxNzc0NjI3MzAyJGo1MSRsMCRoMA.. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The National Nuclear Security Administration has finalized a site‑wide environmental impact statement for Los Alamos, shaping the lab’s path for years to come. Reviewers say the process raises important questions about how impacts were evaluated and what assumptions were made and how those choices may ripple through future oversight and planning. Joining me to explain where process missteps might affect future implementation is Dr. Dylan Spaulding, a senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The challenge of delivering capabilities to warfighters at a faster rate is hardly a new problem for the Defense Department. But with the rise of artificial intelligence and cloud services, there may be no better opportunity to shift the timetable and accelerate delivery. For more on how at least the Marine Corps is cutting down the time it takes to deliver capabilities, Federal News Network executive editor Jason Miller talked to David Raley, the chief digital business officer of the Marine Corps Community Services, about a platform that is cutting down the time to delivery to as little as 15 minutes. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For perhaps the first time since the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act became law in 1994, the Office of Management and Budget is holding agencies accountable for how they buy commercial items. What’s different now is that OMB wants agencies to prove they’re meeting the spirit and intent, not just the letter, of the law. For more on how OMB is raising the bar, Federal News Network executive editor Jason Miller joins me now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.