The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

Heat is the leading weather-related cause of death in the United States. A team from the National Weather Service spent more than a decade, mostly on their own time, to develop a tool that could link weather data about heat with heat-related injury data to predict heat risk. When that tool went nation-wide, it transformed emergency management, public health, and education. It also earned this team a 2025 Service to America Medal. Here to tell us more about this life-saving technology are Michael Staudenmaier, Chad Kahler, and Mark Loeffelbein of the National Weather Service.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As the Defense Department is working to incorporate right to repair provisions in all new and existing contracts, Congress is wrangling over how to strike the right balance between military readiness and protecting companies intellectual property rights. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis joins me today with more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A decade ago, data on federal spending was a bit of a mess. Yes, even back then, we had usaspending.gov but the data on that site tended to be inconsistent, inaccurate and problematic in a lot of other ways. The reason we have the version we do now is partly because of the DATA Act and partly because of a lot of hard work on the part of Federal Financial Management leaders. The DATA Act is one of the 25 moments of the last 25 years that we're marking as part of Federal News Network's 25th anniversary. Federal News Network's Jared Serbu is writing about it this week, and he 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.

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry GertonThe U.S. wants to ramp up domestic production of critical minerals—but turning policy into progress takes more than just an executive order New rules on reporting foreign investment in defense contractors have some firms scrambling It’s Military Consumer Month—and if you’re a veteran or part of a military family, you might be missing out on benefits you’ve earnedSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

President Trump signed an executive order in March directing an immediate increase in domestic critical mineral production. But directing and doing are two different things. The scientists at Idaho National Labs have been on the front lines of critical mineral extraction for decades and have often led the development of new technologies that make that extraction faster, cheaper, and cleaner. Here to discuss how they're supporting the President's direction is Directorate Fellow at INL, Dr. Bob Fox.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

July is Military Consumer Month, which makes it a great time for servicemembers, veterans, and military families to check in on their financial health. But a lot of folks don’t realize they’re eligible for benefits they’re not using. Here with some practical advice on how to find those benefits, make the most of them, and boost your financial fitness is President of Armed Forces Mutual, Mike Meese.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 is tightening its grip on foreign investments in U.S. defense contractors. A newly revised reporting form—SF 328—is at the center of the change, requiring broader disclosures and clearer documentation. That means more companies, even those working on unclassified programs, could face delays or denials if they’re not prepared. Here with the details of what firms need to know is Special Counsel with Cooley, Grant Schweikert.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Several agencies under the Trump administration are going through some personnel changes. A top official at the State Department is taking over as the acting head of the General Services Administration, and President Trump is withdrawing his pick for lead of it at the Department of Veterans Affairs amid plans to shrink its tech workforce and budget. 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.

Organizations across the world have been scrambling to address a critical cybersecurity vulnerability in Microsoft's widely used SharePoint software, that includes federal agencies who are on a tight deadline to mitigate the vulnerability earlier this week. Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday is here with the latest See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As federal employees are thinking about saving more for contingencies, U.S. savings bonds could be a high-yield option. The Savings Bond payroll program was terminated in January, but there are new and easy ways to buy and redeem savings bonds. Here with more insight into the whys and hows of this investment opportunity is owner of A-G financial services, Abe Grungold.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.