The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

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FEMA staffing cuts lacked strategy, hit regional staff hardest Aug 07, 2026

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The Trump administration pledged to shift the Federal Emergency Management Agency away from a “bloated, DC-centric dead weight.” But FEMA’s regions, not its Washington headquarters, bore the brunt of workforce cuts that happened without any strategic planning. That’s according to the latest Government Accountability Office report on FEMA’s workforce challenges. Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday joins me for more.

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Some contractors got CMMC certified early, now the implementation is on hold at their expense Aug 07, 2026

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Government often relies on industry to invest ahead of future requirements. The recent pause in CMMC implementation is raising questions about how contractors weigh risk, cost and the value of moving first. Here with one company's perspective are Angie Lienert and Jeremiah Jensen of IntelliGenesis.

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The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton - Friday, August 7, 2026 Aug 07, 2026

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Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

Most people don't think about cybersecurity when they turn on the tap, but the same remote connections that help utility operators monitor and maintain critical systems can also create opportunities for cyber attackers
Some contractors got CMMC certified early, investing before they had to. Now that implementation is on hold, they're asking whether moving first still pays

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Remote connections that help operators monitor critical systems create opportunities for cyber attackers Aug 07, 2026

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Keeping water systems running requires remote access for monitoring, maintenance, and vendor support. Securing those connections has become a growing priority for utilities that rely on operational technology every day. A new NIST guide offers practical approaches for doing that. Here to discuss it is CheeYee Tang, an electronic engineer at NIST.

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OPM drops ‘disparate impact’ guidelines from federal hiring regulations Aug 06, 2026

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A longstanding framework meant to root out inadvertent discrimination in hiring assessments will no longer be required for agencies. An interim final rule that OPM issued last week eliminates the "Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures" from federal personnel policy and regulations. The move aligns with a June opinion from the Department of Justice, which deemed the framework for hiring assessments unconstitutional. Federal News Network's Drew Friedman breaks down what the changes will mean with the Partnership for Public Service's Jenny Mattingley.

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Trump administration creates new commission on military spouses Aug 06, 2026

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Military spouses have long faced challenges that come with frequent moves, career disruptions and balancing family life during deployments. Now, a new White House executive order creates the President's Military Spouse Commission, a panel charged with developing recommendations on issues ranging from employment and child care to health care, education and housing. The administration says the commission will give military spouses a direct voice in shaping federal policy, but questions remain about what authority it will have and how quickly it can deliver results. Federal News Network's Rachel Cohen joins us with more.

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ARPA-H is investing in new technology designed to give clinicians a clearer picture of how a baby is tolerating labor Aug 06, 2026

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For generations, doctors have had to make some of childbirth's most important decisions with incomplete information about how a baby is responding to labor. ARPA-H is funding research aimed at changing that by giving clinicians a clearer view of what's happening in real time. Here with more is Dr. Kate Arnold, Program Manager, Scalable Solutions at ARPA-H.

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New reporting examines the non-combat deaths of Army women Aug 06, 2026

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The Army has spent years studying sexual assault, domestic violence and other threats to the safety of service members. New reporting on the non-combat deaths of Army women raises a difficult question: what happens when an institution understands a problem but struggles to improve outcomes? Here with what they found are Austin Campbell and Daniel Johnson of The Intercept.

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The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton - - Thursday, August 6, 2026 Aug 06, 2026

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Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

Breakthroughs get the headlines. Standards rarely do. But supporters of a bipartisan bill say America's biotechnology future depends on measurement science that most people never see
Better information often leads to better decisions. ARPA-H is investing in new technology designed to give clinicians a clearer picture of how a baby is tolerating labor
Data can reveal a problem. Solving it is another matter. New reporting examines the non-combat deaths of Army women and asks whether years of reviews and reforms have produced meaningful change

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Supporters of a bipartisan bill say America's biotechnology future depends on measurement science Aug 06, 2026

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The United States has invested heavily in biotechnology research, but supporters of a new bipartisan bill argue that innovation depends on more than scientific breakthroughs. They say measurement science and common standards are essential if new discoveries are going to move reliably from the laboratory to the marketplace. Here to discuss that effort is Congresswoman April McClain Delaney of Maryland's Sixth District.

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