The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

This year continues to be challenging for the federal workforce. While federal offices reopened and hundreds of thousands of federal workers went back to work after the longest shutdown in history, many say nothing is back to normal. Federal News Network’s Anastasia Obis has more from an exclusive Federal News Network survey. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The State Department’s diplomatic workforce is feeling overburdened, under-resourced and more likely to leave in the next few years. That’s according to a recent survey from the American Foreign Service Association. The State Department conducted widespread layoffs this year. It also closed and consolidated hundreds of offices as part of an agency reorganization. Foreign Service officers say they’re spread thin because of these changes. 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.

VA's outdated infrastructure and regional silos make care coordination painfully slow, especially for mental health. Sean O'Connor, navy veteran and Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer at DexCare is here to explain why modernization is urgent and how real-time access could transform veteran care.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 The VA's size and complexity may be keeping top tech minds away, and veterans pay the priceWhat can individuals and businesses expect when the tax filing window opens in just a few weeks? A protest from a winner? A recent case shows why timing matters when challenging solicitation termsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As Congress catches up on its shutdown backlog, tax legislation is back in play. But now those conversations are under the shadow of an election year. Anna Taylor, Managing Principal of Deloitte’s Tax Policy Group, joins us to break down what’s realistic for year-end packages and the road ahead for tax policy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Court of Federal Claims has rejected a post-award protest from Active Deployment Systems, which argued ICE awarded too many IDIQ contracts for detention services. The decision underscores that disputes over solicitation language and pricing structures must be raised before bidding, not after award. Zach Prince, Partner at Haynes Boone, explains what lessons we can take from this case.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has just advanced an array of bills, including many that would impact the federal workforce. Some legislation, such as a bill to overhaul the probationary period, passed just along party lines. But other bills, like one that would standardize training for federal executives, received unanimous committee support. Here with the latest, 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.

The Technology Modernization Fund is running out of time. In eight days, the reauthorization will expire for the eight-year old governmentwide account to help agencies update IT systems. That is unless Congress acts to extend the TMF. For more on what it would mean if the Technology Modernization Fund would expire, 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.

The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association is urging the SEC to modernize its communication and recordkeeping rules. Robert Cruz, Vice President of Information Governance at Smarsh, joins us to explain why the current framework is falling behind, how firms are navigating enforcement risks, and what a workable compliance model could look like.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Timely payments, rescinding stop-work orders and monitoring long-term impacts are top priorities as agencies restart operations. We’ll also look at key takeaways from PSC’s Vision Conference with CEO Jim Carroll.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.