The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

Federal employees may soon start seeing and hearing more about religion at the office. New guidance is out telling agencies to protect religious expression in the workplace. The Trump administration is hoping it will help recruit and retain federal employees of faith. Here with details is Federal News Network's Drew Friedman.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A new directive from the Office of Management and Budget is pushing federal agencies to consolidate how they buy goods and services, aiming to streamline procurement, reduce duplication, and improve efficiency. But this shift raises important questions about agency autonomy, innovation, and the role of small businesses in federal contracting. Here to unpack the implications is Emily Murphy, former Administrator of the General Services Administration.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Since January, the Trump administration has moved aggressively to cut the size of the federal workforce. After months of changes and constant fear of potential job loss as layoffs loom, many federal workers found themselves struggling with high levels of anxiety or seeking therapy and medication for the first time in their lives. Some experienced chronic insomnia, depression, aggressive outbursts, isolation and even self harming thoughts Federal News Networks Anastasia Obis is here to break down new findings from an exclusive Federal News Network survey on mental health impacts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

More than 20 million U.S. adults live with chronic neocortical brain damage caused by stroke, Alzheimer’s, or traumatic injury—conditions with few effective treatments. A new research initiative aims to change that by using regenerative medicine to repair damaged brain tissue and restore lost function. Joining us to explain the science and the vision behind the program is Jean Hebert, Program Manager for Health Science Futures at the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The NIH is facing growing backlash over canceled research grants, internal pushback, and sweeping policy changes under the Trump administration. Just last week, the administration asked the Supreme Court to block a federal order that would force the agency to reinstate grants it cut over conflicts with its stance on diversity, equity, and inclusion. With billions in funding at stake, NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya joins us to break down what it all means for researchers, institutions, and the patients who rely on them.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jay Bhattacharya, the Eighteenth Director of the NIH, tackles grant termination controversies and the Bethesda Declaration aimed at enhancing minority health research. Emily Murphy delves into the challenges of centralizing federal procurement and its implications for small businesses. Jean Hébert discusses innovative strategies for brain repair, focusing on the promising FRONT program that targets chronic brain damage. Anastasia Obis reports on the mental health crisis impacting federal employees, highlighting the urgent need for support in the wake of workforce changes.

The House may be out, but the Senate returns this week with a lot still up in the air. Appropriations are moving slowly—just two bills have cleared the House, and only one is pending in the Senate. A continuing resolution looks likely, and talk of a shutdown is already starting. Meanwhile, redistricting is back in the spotlight. WTOP’s Mitchell Miller joins us to break down what’s ahead.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If nothing changes, social security benefits will start to decline by 2034. Math is math...and there simply are more people are drawing social security benefits than there are people paying in to the program. There is a lot of talk about how to solve the problem, but so far, not much action. Here with ideas about what might work is the director of the Retirement Security Project and senior fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution, Dr. Gopi Shah Goda.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Anyone who pays attention to cloud computing in the federal community knows the term FedRAMP, but more than a decade after the program's establishment, it's becoming something new and hopefully a lot more streamlined. Part of that is the FedRAMP 20x Phase One pilot. The program management office is moving to a more elective or discretionary style of security verification rather than a prescriptive one. Pete Waterman is director of FedRAMP at the General Services Administration. He talked with Federal News Network's Jason Miller as part of our annual cloud exchange.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Between the largest force reduction in its history and major workforce realignments, the Social Security Agency has been struggling to deliver basic services. New technology is supposed to fill the service gaps, but most of the experts needed to develop and deploy those tools have left the agency. Here with more details on the impacts of these staffing reductions is the Director of Social Security and Disability Policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Kathleen Romig.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.