The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton US Cybercommand is 15 years old--is it ready to stand on its own? Inside the battle for control of the Library of Congress Paying attention to the details of the latest Executive Order on CybersecuritySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When Cybercom was created in 2006, its commander was dual-hatted as the commander of the National Security Agency. The expectation then was that the two organizations would eventually be separated. But in a world of increasing cyber threats, some argue that the current situation works just fine. Here to make that case is the Chairman of the Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation (CITI) subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Don Bacon.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

President Trump's removal of the Librarian of Congress unsurprisingly provoked an immediate court challenge. Depending on the resolution of that case, there's much at stake for the legislative branch. Here with insights as to why it matters is Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Kevin Kosar.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest cybersecurity order sets some new standards and direction, but it also goes back and makes changes to Biden-era executive orders. If you didn't take a red pen to the previous versions, you might miss some of the important details. Fortunately, my next guest did do the markup. Here with a practical discussion of what these changes mean for government contractors is partner in the Governmental Practice in Shepherd Mullin's Washington, D.C. office, Townsend Bourne.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Agencies officially have more leeway to fire federal employees who recently started a new job. That's after the Office of Personnel Management finalized changes to the federal probationary period. OPM says its final rule sets expectations for a high performing Federal workforce, but some say the OPM rule focuses on the wrong reforms for probationary employees. Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman, got more from the Partnership for Public Services, Vice President of Government Affairs, Jenny Mattingly.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Defense Department's fiscal 2026 budget request is down slightly from last year, but that's only part of the story. Pentagon officials decided to take a highly unusual approach this time and shift a portion of defense funding to the reconciliation bill that is still moving through Congress. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis is reporting on this story.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 Over 300 NIH employees go public with their concerns about what's happening to that organization There are more new updates to the FAR--how do they all fit together? The person with the toughest job in Washington is the Senate ParliamentarianSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Watching leaders lose their jobs for opposing DOGE's efforts to terminate research programs at the National Institutes of Health could have demoralized the remaining staff. Instead, they mobilized. Over 300 of them signed their names publicly to an open letter to the NIH Director about their concerns. They're hoping to shine a light on the real impacts to patients and science. One of the people who signed that letter is Dr. Jenna Norton. She's here in her personal capacity to share more about the Bethesda Declaration and what she and her colleagues hope it accomplishes.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 tackling the FAR update in small bites, and released another set up updates that include Parts 11 and 39. Here with insight into the new sections, how they fit with previous updates, and what is still to come... Senior Fellow at the George Mason University Baroni Center for Government Contracting, Emily Murphy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As the Senate works through the reconciliation megabill, what's in and out matters a lot to federal workers. Here with an update on those negotiations and other congressional happenings is WTOP's capitol hill correspondent Mitchell Miller.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.