The Trump administration’s “deferred resignation program” this year led to more than 150,000 employees leaving their jobs, in exchange for months of paid leave. But for many of those who took the DRP, the offer came with an added opportunity. Thousands also qualified for early retirement. Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman spent the last several months conducting interviews, reviewing documents, and gathering data about federal retirement processing. She found that the DRP helped lead to a massive and unexpected surge in applications, now inundating the government’s retirement systems. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Over the past year, there’s been a major uptick in the government’s use of the False Claims Act to take companies to task for cybersecurity violations. The Trump administration has announced six separate False Claims Act settlements. And enforcement has been especially aggressive for companies who do business with the Defense Department. Sara McLean is a former assistant director of the fraud section in the Justice Department’s Commercial Litigation Branch. She talked with Federal News Network’s Jason Miller about the enforcement trend. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The electro industry powers everything from national security to AI leadership, but a shortage of skilled workers threatens progress. The National Electrical Manufacturers' Association sees veterans as the solution and backs the Veterans Energy Transition Act to make it happen. We’ll explore the stakes and the bill with Peter Ferrell, senior director of government relations at NEMA. 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 A final regulation issued on Halloween has reshaped the Public Student Loan Forgiveness programA new bill could turn military experience into energy-sector strength Defense, health care, oversight and spending; these four fronts are exposing deep divides on Capitol Hill See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From the NDAA fight over helicopter flights near Reagan National to stalled health care extensions, unfinished oversight on a deadly boat strike and nine spending bills still hanging in the balance, Congress is juggling high-stakes battles with no easy compromises. Mitchell Miller, Capitol Hill correspondent for WTOP, is here with the fault lines shaping the final stretch of the year. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Department of Education has finalized regulations that redefine Public Student Loan Forgiveness eligibility, barring organizations with a “substantial illegal purpose.” Randall Thomas, Partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius explains what this means for borrowers, employers and compliance going forward. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency doesn’t want to leave companies hanging when they reach out with a bold new innovation or tech development. So CISA this month unveiled its “Industry Engagement Platform,” where people can sign up to communicate directly with agency officials. For more on the new platform, Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday spoke with the chief information officer at CISA, Bob Costello. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

More than a dozen federal statistical agencies are falling behind on producing high-quality data sets that impact the U.S. economy and government policy. The American Statistical Association finds changes under the Trump administration have led to certain public-facing data sets being delayed, suspended or canceled. It’s also flagging declines public trust scores in data sets produced by the federal government. 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.

Months of disruption have left some federal employees disengaged and others burned out. Laurin Parthemos of Kotter explains what leaders must do to restore stability and psychological safety and find a "new normal" going forward. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The NDAA rewrites the playbook for cost accounting and pricing, with changes that could ease burdens but raise new questions. We’ll explore the details and the stakes with Zach Prince, partner at Haynes Boone. 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 New rules in the NDAA aim to cut red tape in defense contracting—but will they deliver? Federal leaders face the challenge of restoring stability and agency performance after months of workforce disruption See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It took several years, including some false starts, but the Defense Department’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program in now a reality. The final rules are in place, and several hundred contractors have already earned their third party certifications. But most of the initial implementation work will happen over the next year. For a look at the work ahead, Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday talked with Matthew Travis. He’s the CEO of the Cyber Accreditation Body, the nonprofit organization that helps manage the certification process. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 8(a) small business contracting program is in a fight for its life. From Capitol Hill to the courts to now the executive branch, the 47-year old program is facing questions about its legitimacy and challenges to its true impact like never before. For more on how the increased level of scrutiny is putting the 8(a) contracting program in the cross hairs, 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.

A new Deloitte report argues that inefficiencies in HR, finance, IT, and acquisitions are draining resources from warfighting. It calls for an AI-first overhaul to fuel lethality and readiness. Tom Muir, former Department of Defense leader and Specialist Executive with Deloitte is here to explain what it will take to transform mission support and why this time might be different. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A new guide from the Open Contracting Partnership frames procurement as the key to effective AI adoption in government. It highlights how agencies can manage risk, cut through vendor hype, and foster collaboration between IT and acquisition teams. We’ll explore those insights with Kathrin Frauscher, Deputy Executive Director at the Open Contracting Partnership (OCP). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Defense leaders warn that fragile supply chains and maintenance bottlenecks could undermine readiness. Advanced AI-powered world models can help integrate real-time logistics data, predict disruptions, and accelerate manufacturing agility. Here to explain what “smart logistics” means for the military and the defense industrial base is Jon Gerrity, CEO of Tagup Inc. 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 Can fixing the Pentagon’s back office make the front lines stronger? Procurement could decide whether AI succeeds or fails in governmentAI is stepping into the fight for supply chain resilience and battlefield readiness See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A federal judge in San Francisco is temporarily blocking the State Department from finalizing hundreds of employee layoffs. Foreign Service employees were slated to be officially separated from the agency last week. But federal employee unions are making the case that State and several other agencies aren’t fully adhering to a provision in the shutdown-ending spending bill. That provision temporarily blocked the Trump administration from carrying out layoffs. 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.

The Pentagon’s plan to fix its decades-old material weaknesses, specifically its inability to reliably track government property in the possession of contractors, is failing. The Defense Department inspector general warns that if the services don’t implement a department-wide solution soon the Pentagon risks missing its goal of achieving a clean audit opinion by 2028. For more, Federal News Network’s Anastasia Obis spoke with Mark Thomas, DoD IG’s supervisory auditor. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Justice Department has directed all 93 U.S. attorneys to compile extensive data on enforcement mandates including immigration, political violence, and sanctuary jurisdictions. Bloomberg Law’s Ben Penn explains what triggered the move, what DOJ wants, and the implications for prosecutorial independence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.