The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

The wait is over for more than 1,400 vendors. NASA’s SEWP program office awarded spots on its sixth iteration of its governmentwide technology contract. In all, NASA made more than 2,100 awards under this governmentwide acquisition contract for IT products and services. For more on the SEWP VI awards, Federal News Network executive editor Jason Miller joins me with details.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As drone operations expand, regulation could easily fragment across FAA, DHS, DoD and others. Instead, there’s growing coordination to manage both safety and security across that system. Katie Inman, a Partner at Holland and Knight, walks us through how that’s taking shape.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 For years, commercial drones have been limited by how far operators can actually see them, that's about to change As drones take on a bigger role in the airspace, the rules around them are getting more complicated but also more coordinated than you might expect Electric aircraft are coming. The rules that will allow them to fly aren’tSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Every year, agencies award billions of dollars in grants and other federal funding to finance infrastructure projects across the country. But few of those dollars come attached with cyber requirements, despite repeated warnings that foreign hackers are targeting power utilities and other critical infrastructure. A new report from the Institute for Security and Technology is now offering Congress and the Trump administration several options for factoring cybersecurity into federal funding. For more, Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday spoke with IST’s senior vice president for policy, Nicholas Leiserson.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The interagency process is designed to coordinate decisions across government, but it can also become a choke point for science and technology policy. Understanding where that process breaks down is key to getting ideas into action. Joining me with his observations and recommendations is the Director of Science Policy and Advocacy at the Stand Up for Science Foundation, Cole Donovan.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 Scientific breakthroughs don’t run on short timelines, but federal funding is starting to A lot of science policy doesn't fail, it just never makes it through the system Security at major events now depends on how well government and contractors operate as one systemSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The public’s overall view of civil servants is trending upward along with increasing public support for a nonpartisan federal workforce. Those latest findings come from a new report from the Partnership for Public Service. The nonprofit is also picking up on a continuing trend of many Americans disapproving of the Trump administration’s cuts to federal funding and the federal workforce. For more on the survey results, Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman spoke with Paul Hitlin, Senior Research Manager at the Partnership for Public Service. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A new House Oversight task force is investigating how organizations handle issues like free speech, DEI and federal funding. With hearings now underway and a tight deadline, the focus is shifting from policy debates to how these decisions are made and documented. Here for a look at what that process actually looks like are Kim Hamm and Carlos Uriarte, co-chairs of Morrison Foerster’s congressional investigations practice.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 best of "The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Bringing more students into public service starts with giving them a way in and a reason to see themselves thereNASA is testing a faster way to recruit top engineering talent inside the federal hiring guardrailsFederal financial management has always been a no‑fail mission. The past year has added new pressure to a workforce already stretched across competing demandsAs AI reshapes work, a new program is showing what it takes to keep upSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is battling one of the worst Ebola outbreaks on record, calling on its workforce to help contain its spread overseas. But the CDC is dealing with last year’s staffing cuts and still lacks permanent leadership in many of its roles. Further, Internal surveys show employees responding to the outbreak are also dealing with low morale. 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.

Even as defense spending rises, many investments are still going into high-cost, limited systems, raising questions about whether the U.S. is building the right mix to sustain a prolonged fight. Here to share her analysis is senior defense policy analyst for the Center for Defense Information at POGO, Virginia Burger.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Even with increased funding and production, rebuilding key missile stockpiles could take years, creating a gap between current demand and available supply. We get a closer look now from Mark Cancian, senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.Read the report here: https://www.csis.org/analysis/rebuilding-us-missile-inventory-multiyear-project See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.