The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate is accepting applications for its HS-POWER internship program. The program offers hands-on work on mission-critical technologies with DHS mentors. Here to tell us more about the program and the January 5th application deadline, is Deputy Director, Office of University Programs at the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate, Jennifer Foley.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This year brought sweeping changes to how agencies and contractors secure sensitive data, from the rollout of CMMC to tighter restrictions on controlled unclassified information. Townsend Bourne, Partner at Shepherd Mullin, explains why 2025 was a turning point and what it means for risk management going forward.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 DHS calls it a once-in-a-lifetime chance for STEM students—and the clock is ticking 2025 reshaped federal cybersecurity, from new mandates to tougher compliance rules The holiday break comes with unfinished business on Capitol HillSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Before recess, lawmakers moved a few priorities forward but also left major challenges behind. Deputy News Director for Bloomberg Government, Loren Duggan, joins us with the scorecard and the stakes for January.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The future at the Federal Emergency Management Agency remains murky after the Trump administration recently delayed a long-anticipated report from the FEMA Review Council. The uncertainty around the council’s recommendations cap a year of flux at FEMA. Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday joins me 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.

The Treasury Department is officially suspending Direct File, a free online tax filing platform the IRS launched last year. The department said it’s exploring alternatives. That includes strengthening its partnership with tax preparation companies through its Free File program. Direct File expanded to 25 states during this year’s filing season and saw higher favorability scores. But Treasury said the program cost too much and didn’t see enough usage to keep scaling it up. For more on what happens next, Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman spoke with the CEO of Code for America, Amanda Renteria.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 ruled that the VA violated the Trade Agreements Act by awarding a drug contract to a non-compliant supplier, rejecting the agency’s argument that high cost justified bypassing the law. The decision underscores that TAA imposes an outright sourcing prohibition and not a price preference. Here to explain what this means for federal procurement 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.

Anthropic says Chinese hackers used its Claude chatbot to automate a cyberespionage campaign against tech firms, financial institutions and government agencies, marking what could be the first large-scale AI-driven attack. Joining me to explain what this means for defenders and what’s next for nation-state tactics is the former department head of AI security at MITRE and co-founder of AI security consulting firm, Fire Mountain Labs, Dr. Josh Harguess.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 hackers weaponize AI, the rules of cyber defense change overnight New provisions in the shutdown-ending funding deal aim to modernize Congress with data tools and casework innovations championed by POPVOX Foundation A recent court ruling could reshape how agencies source under the Trade Agreements ActSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The bipartisan package that ended the shutdown includes measures to upgrade legislative operations, from a Data Map for AI readiness to Case Compass for smarter constituent service. Danielle Stewart of POPVOX Foundation explains how these changes tackle Congress’s “pacing problem” and what comes next.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.