The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

You’d expect the Department of Veterans Affairs to lead on accessibility, given the community it serves. But a recent report from the VA’s Office of Inspector General found that just four out of 30 sampled IT systems met federal accessibility standards under Section 508. The findings raise serious questions—not just for the VA, but for every agency building digital tools for the public. Joining me with the details on what went wrong, and how the department is working to get it right is Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Audits and Evaluations, Daniel Morris See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After months of uncertainty, the Department of Labor is resuming enforcement of affirmative action requirements for federal contractors who hire veterans and people with disabilities. While broader affirmative action rules tied to race and gender were rescinded earlier this year, these programs remain in place by law—and they’re now being revised to reflect the administration’s policy priorities. Here to break down what contractors need to know, what’s being proposed, and why this moment matters for compliance and equity alike is Partner at Haynes Boone, Dan Ramish.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The IRS is trying to modernize a more than 50 year old IT system that's critical to its work. Every filing season, the agency is working on a future state of its integrated data retrieval system. This system would be a long awaited win for the agency, which has struggled to get the funding and staffing necessary to modernize some of the oldest legacy IT system still running in the federal government, 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 Affirmative action for veterans and people with disabilities is back on the books and back under scrutiny Tucked into the new reconciliation bill are tax changes that could reshape how you save for retirement Accessibility isn’t optional—it’s essential, and a new report shows what can go wrong when it’s not built into federal tech from the startSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is out with some new guidance on how agencies can adopt zero trust security architectures. CISA's latest guide focuses on a security concept called micro segmentation. It's considered critical to containing hackers and malware before they wreak havoc across networks and steal sensitive data. For more, Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday spoke with Shelley Hartsook, an Acting Associate Director in CISA cybersecurity division.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.

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.

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.

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.