How to manage the government, it's the national topic at the moment. Right now the government is managed by Elon Musk and DOGE. Or at least it looks that way. Should we have a Department of Management? My next guest thinks so. Retired federal chief human capital officer Jeff Neal joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
For 50 years the Presidential Management Fellows program has brought promising young people into the government. Now the Trump administration has canceled it. That's not sitting well with my next guest, among others. New Jersey Senator Andy Kim joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin One senator isn't happy with the cancellation of the Presidential Management Fellows program Congress considers big changes to federal benefits, and not good ones Should the government have a management department Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is considering a ways to cut federal benefits and save tens of billions of dollars over the years. Certified financial planner Thiago Glieger joins me with what he's concerned about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Fallout continues for the Defense Department. Republican Senator Roger Wicker, the Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman and the top Democrat Jack Reed, have asked the Pentagon's Inspector General to investigate that infamous leak of a Signal group chat. The discussion about sensitive attack plans against the Houthis in Yemen ended up including a reporter. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is the latest now to come under question. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says FEMA is going to be eliminated. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have proposed an alternative solution, simply to move FEMA out of the Department of Homeland Security. Joining me with all the latest Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Federal employees and service members across the board face challenging time. Sailors and Marines sometimes face special challenges when they return home. That's where the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society comes in. It's accepting applications for 2025-26 education grants. Joining me in studio with more, the society's chief operations officer, retired rear admiral Dawn Cutler. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin If World War III broke out, the U.S. would be on its heels Something new on the health care front for military service members Assistance is available for struggling sea-going service members Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
For the first time ever, uniformed military service members have access to a health care benefit that's long been available to civilian federal employees. That would be a health care flexible spending account. The enrollment period is nearly over, but it will come around again in the 2025 open season and for special circumstances between now then. Joining me with the details, the assistant director for military compensation policy, Ronald Garner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The ability of the U.S. military to deter war and prevail if it happens few are taking that for granted any more. My next guest in fact warned the Senate Armed Service Committee about it just this month. His concern centers on the ability of the defense industrial base to mobilize. The executive director of the Baroni Center for Government Contracting, Jerry McGinn, joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The federal procurement system is famously complicated, but it's actually gotten more streamlined over the past decade thanks to an effort spanning three presidencies. It's called category management, and it's saved the government billions of dollars, and it's still a work in progress. Federal News Network's Jared Serbu wrote about it as one of the key issues that shaped the federal community in the last 25 years as part of our series celebrating Federal News Network's 25th anniversary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Former Postmaster General, Louis de Joy avoided Several third rail types of issues during his tenure. He never talked about privatization, closing post offices or cutting the number of delivery days each week. Postal unions, though, aren't so sure they'll get the same assurances from his successor. President Donald Trump has floated several plans for shaking up USPS, Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Now more than ever, the long running cloud security program known as FedRAMP needs industry's help. That was the message Monday from Pete Waterman, the Director of the Federal Risk Authorization management program FedRAMP at the General Services Administration. Here with what's going on, Federal News Network's executive editor, Jason Miller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act goes back decades. It prohibits U.S. companies from bribing officials of other countries for contracts. Even if corruption is the norm in that country. Now the Trump administration says it's not enforcing the FCPA. For what this means, we turn to an attorney who's an expert in this law, Cadwalader partner Martin Weinstein. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
At least one member of Congress has been busy on several fronts. She's co-authored a bill to keep federal buildings architecturally diverse. Another to boost funding for air traffic controllers. And another to give Homeland Security more resources for event safety. Nevada Democrat Dina Titus joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The White House is looking to give the Office of Personnel Management more say in deciding whether federal employees can continue working. President Trump has directed OPM to rework its suitability and fitness regulations. The coming changes could spit out more reasons you could be found unfit for federal service. Federal News Network's Drew Friedman joins me with the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Federal improper payments went on unabated last year. They reached $162 billion. Most but not all were overpayments. Medicare and Medicaid produced about half the overpayments. We get more now from the director of financial assurance at the Government Accountability Office, Hannah Padilla. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin A bill to keep federal diversity in building architecture Federal improper payments have become a universal constant Trump's take on an obscure law has contractors baffled what to do Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will cancel more than $580 million in contracts and grants. He said they don't align with the Trump administration's priorities. The cuts are part of the Defense Department's work with Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis brings us the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Commerce Secretary Howard Luttnick has disbanded three Census Bureau external advisory groups. Gone are the Census Scientific Advisory Committee, the National Advisory Committee on Race, Ethic and other Populations and the 2030 Census Advisory Committee. The community surrounding the Census Bureau is concerned. Joining me with what this all means, the director of government affairs at the Population Association of America, Mary Jo Mitchell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin The nation's statisticians worry about the state of f federal data-gathering Census Bureau advisors are feeling like they don't count Contractors face new setback in getting paid for their work Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
When it comes to trimming the federal workforce, the Trump administration has had a string of court defeats over the last week and a half. So the administration is going all the way to the top government attorneys filed an emergency application with the Supreme Court yesterday asking the justices to stay a lower court ruling that ordered the reinstatement of thousands of probationary employees. The administration argues that's just one sign of a judicial branch power grab that only the high court can stop. Federal News Network's Jared Serbu joins us now with the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
President Trump recently cited from the oval office statistics about the state of the U.S. education system. What he didn't say is that we know about student achievement levels thanks to data gathered by the Education Department itself. One of the government's most vital activities is the gathering of reliable statistics to guide policy. My next guest says the quality of national statistics has become a concern. Consultant Nancy Potok is the former chief statistician of the United States, and she joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Among the latest White House executive orders, one is holding up payments to contractors. EO 14-222 tells agencies to build tracking systems. It requires written justifications for each payout. And a 30-day review of all contracts and grants. For the implications, we turn to the executive vice president for policy at the Professional Services Council, Stephanie Kostro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Congress re-convenes this week. It'll get to the brass tacks of the President Donald Trump agenda including a big tax cut and what to do about the 2026 budget. We get the rundown now from WTOP Capitol Hill Correspondent Mitchell Miller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Postal Service is letting a team from the Department of Government Efficiency help out with its reform efforts. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy says DOGE will bring a new perspective to problems he spent years trying to solve. Still, DeJoy tells members of Congress that DOGE will look at a narrow set of issues with limited access to agency data. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Very few military service members achieve the Medal of Honor. Now they have a museum. In fact, today is the first full day of operation for the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas. For details, the museum's executive director, Cory Crowley, joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Maybe privatizing parts of the U. S. Postal Service isn't such a bad idea. Nations have a wide range of models for operating their postal services ranging to fully outsourced to industry. On the other hand, no one matches the scale of the U.S. Postal Service. The Postal Service office of inspector general's new white paper details how postal services work in more than two dozen nations. Here with the highlights, research manager John Althen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Hate the idea of a private postal service? Hold on a minute The nation's newest military museum opens tomorrow Congress gets back to serious business this week like your budget Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The White House is bringing centralized procurement back to government. President Donald Trump signed an executive order late last week that puts the General Services Administration in charge of buying all products and services in 10 categories. Federal News Network's Jason Miller broke the story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices