The Federal Communications Commission is set to reverse cyber security rules for telecommunications providers. The Commission will meet Thursday to rescind requirements that were put in place following the Salt Typhoon hacks. For more, Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday 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 bipartisan bill that would end the Trump administration's rollback of collective bargaining rights for most federal employees is guaranteed to get a full House vote now that the majority of lawmakers support it. A group of 218 lawmakers have signed on to a discharge petition that would force a floor vote. A Republican lawmaker co-sponsored the bill, and two other Republican lawmakers helped get this bill moving. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman is here with 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 When the hotspots go dark, who connects the unconnected? When a cyberattack hits, breakdowns inside the organization may be as dangerous as the hackers themselvesThis firm is using employee ownership and AI to stay ahead in federal contracting See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A recent decision from the Federal Communications Commission has the nation's public libraries concerned. It had to do with a program aimed at providing publicly available high speed broadband internet, particularly in rural areas. However a recent vote by the agency ends its support of the program. For a look at how public libraries will look to adjust, we welcome Sam Helmick, President of the American Libraries Association. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Saalex started as a small business with big ambitions. Today, it’s a mid-market federal contractor betting on innovation, agility, and shared ownership to thrive in a fast-changing government landscape. Chairman and CEO Travis Mack shares how the company scaled up and why an AI-first culture is central to its future in this episode of "Government Contractors to Watch" sponsored by JP Morgan Chase. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

New data from Cytactic shows that 70% of security leaders say internal misalignment creates more disruption than the threat actor itself. From unrehearsed plans to unclear authority, organizations are struggling to respond effectively even with strong tech in place. Josh Ferenczi, Head of Strategy at Cytactic, explains what leaders should do now to close the readiness gap. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Defense Logistics Agency may have solved two problems. Every agency tends to struggle with attracting new and innovative companies and changing the culture of its workforce to work with those companies. DLA's tech accelerator team has shown over the last several years that it can use private sector methods to take an agile approach to solving problems, using interviews, data and market research. For more on the tech accelerator team, Federal News Network's executive editor Jason Miller, talked with David Koch, the Director of Research and Development at the Defense Logistics Agency. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last week's conclusion of the record breaking government shutdown was great news for federal employees in general, but for a few thousand feds, it was even better news. They'd been told they were about to lose their jobs completely, and those positions are now safe. That's thanks to a provision of the legislation that undid reductions in force that happened during the shutdown. Recent court documents shed more light on exactly how many employees the Trump administration tried to fire during that timeframe. Federal News Network's Jared Serbu is here with more details on what we learned from those tallies.  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 What keeps recreational boaters safe, and what happens if the funding dries up? Now that the shutdown is over, contracting officers have a lot to catch up on Can digital engineering cut a decade-long test program in half? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The nation's waterways may have some more reckless driving on them. Among the Trump administration's cuts to government spending, the Coast Guard planned to cut funding for boating safety grants to states and non profits. To find out what this could mean for the maritime community and to get a little more insight into how they work, Federal News Network's Eric White spoke with David Kennedy, Government Affairs Manager for the boat insurance company, BoatUS. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Army is racing to field a prototype assault aircraft by early 2027 that flies twice as fast and twice as far as the Black Hawk. Colonel Jeffrey Poquette and Bell's Ryan Ehinger explained to Federal News Network's Jared Serbu how 215 flight hours on the V-280 Valor demonstrator proved tilt rotor technology works, why maintainers with virtual toolboxes are fixing design problems before metal gets cut, and how digital twins for every aircraft will slash 70% of lifecycle costs typically spent on sustainment. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Contracting officers and contractors are facing a mosaic of updates, everything from FAR deviations to new DoD priorities like speed and portfolio-based acquisition. Emily Murphy, Senior Fellow at the Baroni Center for Government Contracting at George Mason University, is here with advice on how 1102s and businesses can keep it all straight while dealing with increasing workloads. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As Congress works to finalize the fiscal 2026 defense policy bill, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren is calling out a leading industry group for trying to block bipartisan right to repair efforts that would give soldiers the ability to fix their own equipment. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis is here to help us sort it out. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Trump administration is looking to hire thousands of federal law enforcement personnel as part of expanded immigration enforcement efforts. But the courts handling these cases aren't seeing the same surge in resources. Several immigration judges recently fired by the Justice Department say the court system is losing staff and it's unable to address a multi million case backlog. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman is here with more details. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From back pay delays to contractor backlogs, agencies face a cascade of challenges as they restart operations. Bill Hoagland, senior vice president at the Bipartisan Policy Center, has seen shutdowns and recoveries before. He's here to explain what it takes to restore continuity and prepare for the next funding deadline. 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 What really happens in a shutdown and what does it really take to reopen the government?This federal contractor is reinventing itself by shifting from services to solutionsThe lessons lawmakers took from the shutdown, and what they have to do before funding runs out again on January 30th. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

ERT’s legacy in space and Earth science is evolving under CEO Mark Lee. His strategy blends innovation, infrastructure, and collaboration to position the company for complex federal projects. Lee shares how ERT is scaling without compromising the mission in this episode of "Government Contractors to Watch" sponsored by JP Morgan Chase. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After weeks of gridlock, the government is open, but scars from the shutdown remain and the clock is ticking toward January 30. Lawmakers face a packed agenda, from appropriations to hearings and a health care vote, with little room to avoid another showdown. Joining us with the outlook is Mitchell Miller, Capitol Hill Correspondent for WTOP. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The bill that reopened the government also includes a temporary extension of a landmark cyber information law, the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 expired on October 1. Now it's in force again, at least until January 30. Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday joins me with more on what could be a complicated reauthorization path for CISA 2015.   See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Thousands of federal contractors today are watching their inboxes, waiting for a message from their agency customers that their invoices for work done over the last two months have been accepted. Many of those bills are more than 30 days old, triggering interest payments due to the companies. At least one veteran owned HUBZone firm has about $20 million in outstanding invoices that are now more than 30 days old. Federal News Network's executive editor Jason Miller joins me to discuss why agencies now face a new challenge with the shutdown ending, complying with the Prompt Payment Act.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.