The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

Art Stein, a Certified Financial Planner from Arthur Stein Financial, reveals the risks of a 'set it and forget it' approach to L funds in the Thrift Savings Plan. He warns that this passive strategy can undermine purchasing power due to inflation and taxes. Stein emphasizes the need for active management and offers advice for young federal employees on taking control of their TSP investments. He explains how engaging with one’s investments can optimize financial outcomes as retirement approaches.

Local congressional offices have staff specifically to help constituents get the support they need from federal agencies. In the midst of a disaster that assistance can be vital. But a new report from POPVOX Foundation indicates that those local caseworkers face particular challenges. Here with more on their findings and recommendations is the Deputy Director of POPVOX, Anne Meeker.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 When disaster strikes, your local congressional office can help If your TSP is in an L fund, do not set it and forget it Some practical suggestions for those looking to make government more efficientSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Navy's top IT and personnel leaders are at odds about the future of the services, Human Resources modernization effort. At the center of the clash is a canceled contract that was helping the Navy to move sailors personnel and promotion records to the cloud, Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis is here with more details.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A government watchdog faces a nearly 50% cut to next year's budget under a proposal from House lawmakers. The legislative branch portion of the fiscal 2026 spending bill would both cut funding for the Government Accountability Office and limit GAO from investigating whether the Trump administration unlawfully withheld funding already approved by lawmakers Federal News Network's Jory Heckman joins me with more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

By one estimate, there are now over 100,000 federal employees currently on paid administrative leave. Some took the deferred resignation option offered early in the Trump Administration, but about 50% were put on administrative leave involuntarily. Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility has filed with the Office of Special Counsel claiming that administrative leave status was imposed illegally. Here with more on their argument and its status is PEER's senior counsel, Peter Jenkins.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

To prevent fraud, the IRS needs to make sure that tax filers are who they say they are. a new ID-proofing approach now means that over 70% of filers can be verified digitally. But the GAO says IRS still needs to work on its privacy and program evaluation practices. Here with more details on the findings that can help many other federal agencies is Director of Strategic issues at GAO, Jay Mc TigueSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The National Contract Management Association is launching a new effort to improve federal acquisition efficiency. That has also been a central focus of many of the Trump Administration's early actions in procurement. Here today to discuss how this new group will work, and what makes it different from its many predecessors are Kraig Conrad, CEO of the National Contract Management Association, and the two leaders of the effort. Wes Bennett is Vice President of Contracts at Booze Allen Hamilton and will chair the working group. Soraya Correa is the President and CEO of National Industries for the Blind and will join Wes as the Vice Chair. 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 has a long way to go before it's ready to say what the successor to its joint war fighting cloud capability contract will be. But that doesn't mean officials don't at least have a wish list. One thing we're likely to see is more opportunities for more vendors, not just the four big hyper scale companies that have spots on today's JWCC contract. Rob Vietmeyer is DoD, chief software officer, and he talked with Federal News Network's Jared Serbu on our recent 2025 cloud exchange.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up today on The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton A new working group wants to make federal procurement more efficient Digital identification verification is the wave of the future at IRS The outlook for federal workers involuntarily placed on administrative leaveSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.