The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

Following a year of sweeping staffing reductions, the Trump administration is laying the groundwork for agencies to ramp up recruitment efforts. The Office of Personnel Management has directed agencies to begin assembling “annual staffing plans” for fiscal 2027. The guidance places a particular focus on hiring technologists and early-career talent. Here with more, Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Pentagon wants to steer up to $244 million to Palantir through March 2027, with the possibility of additional funding through the end of 2028. But a draft memo obtained by Federal News Network doesn't spell out exactly what the money would pay for or which programs it would support.
The Defense Department says the memo is part of a broader effort to use industry expertise to speed up defense production. But one government watchdog raised questions of transparency and whether the directive could lead to sole-source contracting without enough consideration of competition. Federal News Network's Rachel Cohen 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.

A housing problem, a benefits problem, or an employment problem may actually start as a legal problem. The challenge for many veterans is recognizing that early enough to get help before the consequences spread. We'll talk about a new effort to close that gap with Ron Flagg, president of the Legal Services Corporation
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When military orders arrive, families may have only a short time to make one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives. Whether to buy, rent, sell or hold a home can have consequences long after the move is complete. For perspective on making those choices, I'm joined by Mike Meese, president of Armed Forces Mutual.
TAG
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The VA says people remain responsible for decisions affecting veterans' benefits and healthcare, even as artificial intelligence becomes more common behind the scenes. But for veterans, trust depends on understanding how decisions are made and who answers when something goes wrong. Joining me now to share what that transparency could really look like is Benjamin Krause, founder of Krause Law.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.