Shows / Federal Newscast
Federal Newscast
THE FEDERAL NEWSCAST, (length about seven minutes), is a daily Monday through Friday, high-information compilation of nine 40-second news stories and news packages, generated by the non-partisan, non-political, private-sector team of reporters at Federal News Network. Federal News Radio Producer/Newscasters Eric White and Michele Sandiford assemble and read the stories on the THE FEDERAL DRIVE with TERRY GERTON, the weekday morning-drive program, heard from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. (ET) on the Federal…
Episodes
- Federal Newscast
New task force to oversee DoD’s removal of all diversity, equity and inclusion offices
A new task force will oversee the Defense Department's efforts to abolish all diversity, equity and inclusion offices within the department. The task force's…
- Federal Newscast
Senators push back on President’s firing of IGs
Leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee are pushing back on President Donald Trump’s mass firing of agency watchdogs. Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking…
- Federal Newscast
Trump Justice department fires employees who worked on Trump criminal investigations
The Justice Department says it's fired more than a dozen employees who had worked on criminal investigations into President Trump before his election. A DOJ…
- Federal Newscast
OPM testing governmentwide email communication
Some federal employees may have seen a test email land in their government inboxes last week. The Office of Personnel Management is looking to open a direct…
- Federal Newscast
Trump administration revokes diversity requirements for federal vendors
The Labor Department's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs will no longer hold vendors accountable for promoting diversity, taking affirmative…
- Federal Newscast
OPM issues federal civilian hiring freeze guidance
More details are emerging about President Trump’s federal hiring freeze executive order. A memo from the Trump administration confirms that military personnel…
- Federal Newscast
DHS nominee advances out of committee to Senate floor
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s nomination for homeland security secretary is moving forward in the Senate. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs…
- Federal Newscast
Federal agencies under 90-day hiring freeze
All agencies are under a 90-day hiring freeze with the exception of military personnel of the armed forces or of positions related to immigration enforcement…
- Federal Newscast
Democrats introduce FAIR Act to raise federal pay in 2026
Civilian federal employees just got a 2 percent average raise added to their pay checks. But Democrats are already looking ahead to next year’s federal pay…
- Federal Newscast
Comer introduces SHOW UP Act to get federal workers back to the office
Federal employees are facing a familiar bill in a long line of legislation aiming to cut telework options. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer…
- Federal Newscast
State Dept reports a record number of Americans now have passports
A record number of Americans hold a U-S passport. The State Department says there are more than 170 million in circulation and that it issued or renewed 90…
- Federal Newscast
OPM finalizing rules to bring blue collar wages in line with General Schedule
The Office of Personnel Management is finalizing rules meant to bring the wages of blue collar feds more geographically in line with their General Schedule…
- Federal Newscast
OPM tells federal workers to plan to telework throughout inauguration week
As Inauguration Day approaches, federal employees in the D.C. area should plan to telework all this week, and into next week, if they’re able to. The Office of…
- Federal Newscast
Federal workers who telework one day a week could lose locality pay
Federal employees who telework at least once a week would lose locality pay under a new House bill. Under the Federal Employee Return to Work Act, teleworking…
- Federal Newscast
Incoming House Foreign Affairs committee puts hold on State Dept & USAID project funds
The new chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee is putting a hold on hundreds of millions of dollars for the State Department and the U-S Agency for…
- Federal Newscast
OPM clarifies rules for political appointees resigning on Inauguration day
Political appointees who are resigning on Inauguration Day later this month have some special rules to pay attention to. A new memo from the Office of…
- Federal Newscast
AFGE files unfair labor practice against Bureau of Prisons
The American Federation of Government Employees filed an unfair labor practice against the Bureau of Prisons for its decision to close seven facilities. AFGE…
- Federal Newscast
Partial payouts for 2015 OPM data breach
The federal government is only paying out a small fraction of the settlement funds it set aside for victims of the 2015 Office of Personnel Management data…
- Federal Newscast
Opening day for the 119th Congress
The 119th Congress begins today and several key Senate committee federal workforce committees have new leaders. At the Homeland Security and Governmental…
- Federal Newscast
D.C. Mayor Bowser and President-elect Trump meet about underutilized federal buildings
President-elect Donald Trump and D-C Mayor Muriel Bowser agree the federal government has more office space than its employees currently need. Bowser says her…
- Federal Newscast
Oklahoma Senator takes aim at waste and fraud
Two new bills from Senator James Lankford are aimed to recovering improper payments from two large programs. The first bill, the Fraudulent COVID Funds…
- Federal Newscast
Immigration and Customs Enforcement working to fill workforce gaps
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is working under a new enterprise strategy to fill workforce gaps. ICE’s 2024 annual report details how the agency used…
- Federal Newscast
President Biden signs the annual defense policy bill into law
Junior enlisted troops will receive a historic pay raise next year after President Joe Biden signed the annual defense bill into law on Monday. Other service…
- Federal Newscast
Contribution changes coming to TSP in 2025
The Thrift Savings Plan board is reminding participants about changes to contribution limits coming for 2025. Generally, TSP participants will be able to…
- Federal Newscast
A quarter FDIC employee survey respondents say harassment is common in the workplace
A new survey of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation employees finds that a majority feel safe, valued and respected in their workplace. But more than a…
- Federal Newscast
Senate clears way for bill to get rid of WEP and GPO
In today's Federal Newscast, the Senate has cleared the path to a final vote on the Social Security Fairness Act.See Privacy Policy at…
- Federal Newscast
Homeland Security gets its very own generative AI chatbot
In today's Federal Newscast, the Department of Homeland Security's new AI chatbot, DHSChat, is now available to roughly 19,000 employees.See Privacy Policy at…
- Federal Newscast
President elect Trump appears to be no fan of federal telework
In today's Federal Newscast, President-elect Donald Trump promised yesterday to dismiss any feds who don’t come to work onsite full time. See Privacy Policy at…
- Federal Newscast
Federal agencies facing partial shutdown by week's end
Federal agencies are facing a partial shutdown on December 21st at midnight if Congress doesn't pass another continuing resolution or the funding bills for…
- Federal Newscast
House lawmakers take on recruiting doctors for Department of Veterans Affairs
A bipartisan bill in the House envisions a new way for the Department of Veterans Affairs to recruit doctors. The Supporting Medical Students and VA Workforce…
- Federal Newscast
VA awarded bonuses to career executives amidst multi-billion dollar budget shortfall
Department of Veterans Affairs is dealing with a multi-billion-dollar budget shortfall and awarded bonuses to career executives not eligible to receive them…
- Federal Newscast
House Veterans Affairs Committee chairman keeps his post
The top Republican on the House Veterans Affairs Committee will keep his post in the next session of Congress. Congressman Mike Bost will continue to serve as…
- Federal Newscast
Incoming Senate Judiciary Chair backs Trump plan to remove FBI Director Wray
The next leader of the Senate Judiciary Committee is backing President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to clear out top officials at the FBI. Senator Chuck Grassley…
- Federal Newscast
Senator plans to introduce package of bills called the DOGE Acts
Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn plans to introduce a new package of bills this week, called the DOGE Acts. One bill would require agencies to report to…
- Federal Newscast
Some Social Security Administration employees lock in telework through 2029
Some employees at the Social Security Administration have locked in their current telework levels through 2029. The agency reached an agreement last week with…
- Federal Newscast
Sen. Duckworth calls for support of in-vitro coverage for military personnel
Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth is asking President-elect Donald Trump to support her legislation to expand insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization for…
- Federal Newscast
Veterans denied benefits under PACT Act due to incorrectly processed claims
A watchdog report finds Veterans Affairs incorrectly processed disability claims from veterans and underpaid benefits that some veterans were eligible for.See…
- Federal Newscast
IRS warns of holiday identity theft scams
The IRS is raising the alarm on identify theft scams this holiday season. The agency says it's seeing an uptick in phishing email and texts and other scams to…
- Federal Newscast
Trump taps outsider for Navy Secretary
President-elect Trump tapped businessman John Phelan to serve as the next secretary of the Navy, saying Phelan will 'put the business of the U.S. Navy above…
- Federal Newscast
Treasury warns of potential IRS hiring freeze
The Treasury Department says an IRS hiring freeze is possible if Congress doesn't address a $20 billion budget anomaly. The IRS already saw a $20 billion cut…
- Federal Newscast
Pentagon drafts potential biggest government AI contract
The Pentagon is out with its first draft of what could become the biggest government AI contract in history. Potential bidders have a little under a month to…
- Federal Newscast
Long standing SSA executive takes over as acting Commissioner
SSA confirmed that President Joe Biden is expected to name Colvin, a 30-year SSA veteran and former acting commissioner for six years, to lead SSA during the…
- Federal Newscast
Presidential Rank Award winners are announced
President Joe Biden is recognizing 236 federal employees across 30 agencies for their exceptional leadership and accomplishments. The Office of Personnel…
- Federal Newscast
Federal contractors agree to pay fines for False Claims Act violations
Two government contractors agree to pay a total of $4.3 million to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act and forced the Army to overpay…
- Federal Newscast
A House lawmaker wants to do away with CMMC program
At least one member of Congress wants to do away with the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program. Alabama Republican Gary Palmer has…
- Federal Newscast
Overhaul of security clearance and personnel vetting process enters new phase
The White House-led initiative to overhaul the security clearance and personnel vetting process has entered a new phase. The Performance Accountability Council…
- Federal Newscast
OMB to push Congress on extra funds for longer-term disaster relief
OMB Director Shalanda Young says in the coming days the White House will send Congress a comprehensive disaster package to replenish funding for agencies…
- Federal Newscast
House to vote on bill to make it easier to fire VA employees accused of misconduct
Congress already passed legislation in Veterans Affairs to fire employees accused of misconduct in 2017, but federal courts and the MSPB block the law from…
- Federal Newscast
FDA sees high vacancy rates for drug manufacturer inspectors
The Food and Drug Administration is having trouble retaining employees who inspect drug manufacturers. The vacancy rate for these FDA investigators nearly…
- Federal Newscast
Musk & Ramaswamy tapped to head government efficiency effort
The new organization isn't an official department. It is charged with working from the outside of the government to offer the White House “advice and…
- Federal Newscast
FEMA to take action to comply with premium pay laws
The agency's Payroll and Compensation Branch tells FEMA's inspector general that it will complete all premium pay reconciliations for 2021 by January 31. See…
- Federal Newscast
Navy Admiral Alvin Holsey makes history at U.S. Southern Command
Navy Admiral Alvin Holsey officially assumes duties as the new commander of U.S. Southern Command, making history as the first Black commander of SOUTHCOM…
- Federal Newscast
GSA opens access to transition resources for Trump team
The General Services Administration says it’s standing at the ready to give Trump’s transition team post-election resources. See Privacy Policy at…
- Federal Newscast
GSA gears up for post-election presidential transition
The General Services Administration is gearing up for post-election presidential transition efforts. And this time around, the process will look a little…
- Federal Newscast
House lawmakers slam Sec. McDonough over VA request for emergency funding
Congress gave nearly $3 billion to the Department of Veterans Affairs at the end of fiscal 2024.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California…
- Federal Newscast
IRS raises contribution limits for Thrift Savings Plan
Federal employees can contribute more money to their Thrift Savings Plan accounts in 2025. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California…
- Federal Newscast
CISA issues warning to feds about large-scale spear phishing campaign by a foreign actor
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is warning federal executives about a large-scaling spear phishing campaign by a foreign actor. In a new…
- Federal Newscast
Lawmakers want a closer look at how agencies address improper payments
Top lawmakers on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee are calling on a government watchdog to take a closer look at how agencies are addressing…
- Federal Newscast
New bill would penalize career federal employees for policy resistance
A new bill in the House would penalize career federal employees who don’t follow directives from a presidential administration. The so-called STRAFE Act would…
- Federal Newscast
DHS Cyber Safety Review Board to examine Salt Typhoon attacks
The Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber Safety Review Board will look into an alleged China-linked hack of U.S. telecom networks. See Privacy Policy at…