The Trump administration is calling on agencies to hire federal employees more quickly, and soon it will ask candidates applying for federal jobs how they will adhere to its government efficiency agenda. The Office of Personnel Management rolled out a new governmentwide hiring plan last week, and Federal News Network's Jory Heckman is here with the highlights. 

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Small business advocates are sounding alarm bells over the Small Business Administration's fiscal 2026 budget request, the White House is proposing to eliminate several long standing programs that support the development of small businesses, including the Women's Business Centers, and score for more on the potential impact on small businesses if the Trump administration cuts funding for these programs. Federal News Network's Executive Editor Jason Miller talked to Bridget Weston, the CEO of Score.

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Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

• Using artificial intelligence to reduce DoD's procurement timelines
• New research speeds up quantum computing

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The FedRAMP program at the General Services Administration has enabled agencies to safely use commercial cloud computing for more than a decade. Last month the GSA launched an update called FedRAMP 20-X. It's designed to make it easier and faster for vendors to get the authorization they need to take on federal customers. For how it looks to industry, we turn to the founder and CEO of RegScale, Travis Howerton.

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For his second go around at this president thing, Donald Trump's cabinet confirmation's has outpaced three of the last four administrations. If you've been following his policy measures, you won't be surprised to hear that his nominees are not quite as diverse as previous cabinets. Those are just a couple of the findings from the Brookings Institution, where its Center for Effective Public Management continues to keep a tally of which posts are filled. For more, we welcome back to the program Katie Dunn Tenpas, who is a visiting fellow at Brookings, Ms. Tenpas welcome back.

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The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program seems to transcend generations. The first copy took flight back in 2006. The capable but finicky aircraft continues to have maintenance and manufacturing problems. Now it has a new program manager on the contractor end of the program. Earlier Federal News Network's Tom Temin spoke with Lockheed Martin's Chauncey McIntosh.

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Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

• A status report on the most expensive weapon system ever
• Looking at the Trump administration against its predecessors
• The FedRAMP cloud security program goes cloud native

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The Pentagon's purge of Diversity Equity and Inclusion personnel actually began in 2024 following a provision in the annual defense policy bill that mandated changes to the department's dei workforce while the Trump administration finalized the cuts, Congress laid most of the groundwork well before this administration took office for more Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis spoke to the Government Accountability Office's Managing Director, Cathleen Berrick.

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For one reason or another, many more federal employees have flocked to the second round of the deferred resignation program. Some say the offer coming from their agency rather than OPM, felt more legitimate. Others want to leave on their own terms, rather than being pushed out in a reduction in force. But many are still choosing to stay in their jobs. Here with more on our latest survey results, Federal News Network's Drew Friedman.

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Much has changed for federal contractors over the last three months. The Trump administration has rescinded rules and made rules without comment periods, terminated and then restarted contracts, and slowed reimbursement. Here to help us make sense of all the changes is David Berteau, President and CEO of the Professional Services Council.

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During the first Trump administration, MITRE led a team that proposed a new solution to the shortage of cybersecurity analysts--hiring neurodistinct individuals. The team launched successful pilot projects with NGA and then CISA. The new Trump administration terminated the contract just prior to completion but the lessons learned are still available. Here with those lessons, Board Director at Melwood, Jim Cook.

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The Program Integrity Alliance suggests that there’s a better way to reduce fraud than the government’s current pay-and-chase approach. But to make it work, someone will have to change the rules and approve new investments. Whose job might that be? Boston University Assistant Professor and PIA Senior Fellow, Jetson Leder-Luis has some ideas.

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Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

• A new idea to help DOGE meet its fraud reduction goals
• The government is giving up on an important part of the cybersecurity workforce
• The contractor community tries to make sense of Trump's first 100 days

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The Defense Department is wrapping up its what you did last week exercise, but it has one final ask of its civilian workforce, Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis is here with more.

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The first look at the White House's fiscal 2026 budget request is a tale of haves and have nots. The Departments of Defense and homeland security would see record discretionary requests when the Trump administration sends its full budget to Congress in the coming months. Meanwhile, civilian agencies are facing drastic budget cuts for more on what the White House wants spending to look like in 2026 Federal News Network's executive editor Jason Miller joins me to discuss the details. 

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio's sweeping reorganization plan would break up the Department's Bureau of cyberspace and digital policy, even though it has yet to celebrate its fourth birthday. Cyber policy experts, though, say the bureau should be retained as one integrated organization. Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday has more.

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Now that Congress is back from spring break, they have spring cleaning to do finishing up budget reconciliation, tackling tax cuts, and sorting out federal benefits. We get an update on these and other Hill matters from WTOP Capitol Hill Correspondent Mitchell Miller.

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The latest annual report from the CIGIE documents over $70 billion in monetary accomplishments from IG investigations in 2024. Despite the Trump Administration's disruption of the IG community, my next guest assures us that these kinds of investigations continue. Joining me in studio is the Executive Director of the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, Andrew Cannarsa.

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Child care for federal employees could soon be more expensive and harder to find. DOGE eliminated the GSA office that managed child care centers in federal buildings. Federal News Network’s Terry Gerton explored the potential impact on federal workers with the Executive Director of the Alabama Institute for Social Justice, Lenice Emanuel.

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Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

• What happens for federal workers now that The General Services Administration has given up its management of child-care centers
• Despite the early firing of 17 IGs, the CIGIE agenda continues
• Congress tries to figure out how to do less with less

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The Trump administration is pushing forward with deep cuts across government. Seems though, that a majority of Americans continue to show support for federal employees. That's according to new survey results from the Partnership for Public Service. The survey also found that two thirds of the public are concerned about a loss of experience and knowledge at agencies. Federal News Network's Drew Friedman got more from the partnership's senior research manager, Paul Hitler.

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Over the first 100 days of the Trump administration, the US Department of Government Efficiency banged the drum of rooting out waste, fraud and abuse across federal programs. At the same time, the White House wants agencies to reduce their budgets and the workforces of the organizations that typically lead those efforts. Federal News Network executive editor Jason Miller joins me to discuss how two of these agencies, the GAO and the postal services Inspector General, made their cases to Congress for more funding to better address waste, fraud and abuse.

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Federal agencies who fund programs the states administer often face an oversight problem. Namely, poor or missing state or municipal data. For some ways to improve data for program oversight and management, we turn to Polco CEO Nick Mastronardi.

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The state of Maryland got a crash course in emergency economic assistance when the Francis Scott Key bridge collapsed just over a year ago. They're now bringing those lessons learned to support federal workers and contractors who may have lost their jobs because of recent realignments in funding and programs. Maryland's Secretary of Labor Portia Wu is here to tell us more.

For Maryland Labor Department resources visit: labor.maryland.gov/federalworkers

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Last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered immediate changes to the DoD household goods moving program, mainly to deal with the department's current struggles in implementing the new global household goods contract. But there's a new effort in the works that could make some significant changes to how often service members have to move in the first place. Hegseth is framing the latest initiative as a cost cutting move, but it could also offer members of the military more geographic stability in the coming years. Federal News Network's Jared Serbu joins me now with details 

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Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

• How one state prepared to meet the needs of unemployed feds and contractors
• How manage federal programs better using state and local data

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As Tom Temin retires from "The Federal Drive," he introduces the new host Terry Gerton.

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As Tom Temin retires from "The Federal Drive," he sits down with Julia Ziegler, WTOP, Director of News and programming and Daisy Thornton, FNN Digital Managing Director

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As Tom Temin retires from "The Federal Drive," he sits down with the producers of the show Eric White and Michele Sandiford.

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As Tom Temin prepares to retire from "The Federal Drive," he sits down with Federal News Network's Executive Editor Jason Miller

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The Navy has spent the last several years standing up technical solutions and designating them as intended for use across the fleet. Officials say the next step is extending that approach to the end point devices that sailors use every day, both ashore and afloat. For more on the unified endpoint initiative, Federal News Network's Jared Serbu talked with the Navy's Justin Finelli, Brandon Weller and Matthew Rambo.

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US Cyber Command has come a long way in the past 15 years, and it's finally closing the gap between day to day operations and the strategic view of cyber. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis reports.

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Staffing reductions, center closings, and database access issues at the Social Security Administration have been in the headlines lately. But my next guest argues that, while all of these may save some money around the edges, they don’t fundamentally address the serious funding challenges facing the Social Security program. Program Integrity Fellow at Arnold Ventures, Doug Criscitello, joins me now.

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If air superiority is crucial to modern warfare, then the U.S. Air Force is not up to the task. That's the gist of a detailed look by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. Among the findings, the Air Force is short by, get this, two thousand pilots. The Air Force itself is what the report calls the oldest, smallest and least ready in history. More details now from Mitchell Senior Resident Fellow Heather Penney.

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DoD has issued several directives regarding DEI, including eliminating identity months for one, and directing removal of DEI-related content from web pages and social media sites for another. Questions remain about where this information is going and how it might be brought back. Joining me to discuss the implications of these actions is the President of the Military Womens’ Memorial, Phyllis Wilson.

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The Trump Administration has rescinded a rule related to the Hatch Act that now allows federal employees to wear campaign paraphernalia. That is only if the items are not in support of a person who is actively running for office. That may be confusing as potential candidates don't seem to ever stop campaigning in this era of influencer and branding. For some explanation of this move and what it could potentially mean for the Hatch Act overall, Federal News Network's Eric White spoke with Michael Fallings, Managing Partner at the law firm Tully Rinckey.

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Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

• An organization keeping women’s military history alive
• The Air Force has a simple need: All new planes, and lots more pilots
• The biggest problem with the social security program is not customer service

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Welcome to a special hour of the Federal Drive with me Tom Temin. We're changing up the programming this hour. It's my last as host, a chair I've occupied for more than 17 years. I'd like to take you behind the scenes of Federal News Network and hear from some of our team.

• Jason Miller, Federal News Network, Executive Editor
• Eric White and Michele Sandiford, Federal Drive producers
• Julia Ziegler, WTOP, Director of News and programming and Daisy Thornton, FNN, Digital Managing Editor
• Terry Gerton, incoming Federal Drive host

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Probationary employees have a fresh hurdle to clear before they can solidify their federal employment. President Trump signed an executive order last week calling for changes to how probationary periods work. It adds a new reason newbies can be canned here with more Federal News Network's Drew Friedman.

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The Homeland Security Department abruptly canceled flexible work arrangements, announcing the change on Sunday. Well, that gave employees less than a day's notice to start a five day in person schedule employees who failed to show up to the office Monday on time while they were threatened with termination. Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday has the latest.

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The government might employ some two million people. But no two federal employees are alike. That's why career and retirement planning can be complicated. For instance, what if you're old enough to retire but have less than 30 years in. For insight into what's know as MRA plus 10, we turn to long time federal retirement expert Tammy Flanagan.

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The Defense Department's education activity, known as DODEA, has trouble delivering special needs services for children overseas. The Government Accountability Office finds a number of reasons including the way DODEA formulates staffing requirements. We get more now from the GAO's director of K-12 education research, Jackie Nowicki.

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Without a secure domain name system, the interview doesn't really have any security at all. Now the National Institute of Standards and Technology has revised its Secure DNS deployment guide, and seeks public comments. For more on the importance of the DNS and what's in special publication 800-81 revision 3, we turn to one of its principal authors, Cricket Liu.

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Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin -- Wednesday, April 30, 2025

• NIST looks to improve security of a foundation pillar of the internet
• Service members children have special needs, too
• A new wrinkle on the notion of postponing your federal retirement
• A behind the scenes look as Tom retires from "The Federal Drive"

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Virginia Congressman Gerry Connolly, who's been at the center of federal employment and government operations issues for nearly two decades, made the surprise announcement yesterday he won't seek another term in Congress, and he'll step back from his work as ranking member of the Oversight and Reform Committee. Connolly's been fighting esophageal cancer, and he says it's returned. Joining me with more Federal News Network's Drew Friedman and Jason Miller.

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The Defense Department's rollout of the Trump administration's deferred resignation program is in full swing, and that does not mean it's been smooth. In fact, some civilian employees are still waiting on their Separation Agreements and approvals, even though the administrative leave period is only two days away. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis brings us the latest to sort this all out. 

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Federal civilians already have a lot on their minds these days, including thinking about whether or not to take one of the retirement options on the table. The reconciliation bill in Congress could change your math and make you recalculate your estimated benefits. Joining us to lay out the factors is Thiago Glieger, a wealth adviser with RMG Advisers of Rockville, Maryland, a firm that specializes in federal employees.

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The Trump administration has shown a great deal of interest in contracting and procurement. In fact, it has four executive orders on the street relating to procurement. Some things seem new, some things we've seen before. An assessment now from the senior fellow at the George Mason University Baroni Center for Government Contracting, Emily Murphy.

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My next guest has operated in the federal information technology and services acquisition field longer than I have. But, like me, he's about to retire or at least take a step back from the fulltime grind. Former Pentagon acquisition official and Professional Services Council CEO David Berteau joins me for a final Federal Drive with Tom Temin interview.

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Henry Kerner is at the moment a member of the Merit Systems Protection Board, when lots of federal employees wonder whether merit principles have much of a future. He was also special counsel in the Office of Special Counsel and a long time prosecutor and congressional investigator. Henry Kerner joins me now in studio.

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