Thousands of federal contractors today are watching their inboxes, waiting for a message from their agency customers that their invoices for work done over the last two months have been accepted. Many of those bills are more than 30 days old, triggering interest payments due to the companies. At least one veteran owned HUBZone firm has about $20 million in outstanding invoices that are now more than 30 days old. Federal News Network's executive editor Jason Miller joins me to discuss why agencies now face a new challenge with the shutdown ending, complying with the Prompt Payment Act. 

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The bill that reopened the government also includes a temporary extension of a landmark cyber information law, the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 expired on October 1. Now it's in force again, at least until January 30. Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday joins me with more on what could be a complicated reauthorization path for CISA 2015.  

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From digitizing pay and HR processes to professionalizing recruiters and accelerating policy change, Army personnel leaders are pushing hard to modernize how the service manages its people. Lieutenant General Thomas Eifler, Army G-1, and Sergeant Major Christopher Stevens met me at the AUSA conference to discuss how technology and leadership are shaping retention, readiness, and the future of the total force.

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The FAR Council eliminated a third of commercial contracting clauses, streamlined registration, and rewrote major acquisition rules in a summer; all released just before the shutdown. Now agencies are adopting the revolutionary FAR overhaul at different speeds, leaving contractors navigating a patchwork of new procedures while dealing with expiring contracts and furloughed contracting officers. Former GSA Administrator Emily Murphy breaks down what's actually revolutionary about these changes, why vendors must comment on what works (not just what doesn't), and the hard choices contractors face when deciding whether to extend work at their own risk during the lapse.

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Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

• When the FAR gets a revolutionary overhaul and the government shuts down, who's reading the fine print?
• Army personnel leaders are pushing hard to modernize how the service manages its people.

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A spending deal to end the longest government shutdown also keeps some agencies funded through the end of the fiscal year. That includes the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is still going through an agency reorganization. Lawmakers have included language that ensures the VA doesn't shed too many employees. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman is here with more insight. 

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For years, the Cyber CORPS Scholarship for Service program has provided agencies with a steady pipeline of cyber talent, but now the program is at a crossroads as Cyber CORPS students struggle to find work amid the ongoing federal hiring freeze, many are now facing the prospect of having to pay back their scholarship. Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday joins me with more info on this situation. 

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The Army is realigning its missile defense forces to prioritize homeland protection, placing two key commands under Space and Missile Defense Command. I spoke with Lieutenant General Sean Gainey, commander of Army's Space and Missile Defense Command, at this year's AUSA conference to understand how this shift fits into a broader strategy that includes space operations, a new MOS, and lessons from today’s global conflicts.

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Small businesses funded through the SBIR program have developed drugs generating $36 billion in annual sales; treating everything from Hodgkin's lymphoma to breast cancer. Now, nearly two months into the program's lapse, those cash-strapped innovators face mounting uncertainty as solicitations freeze and funding disappears. Jere Glover of the Small Business Technology Council joins us with an update.

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The SBIR program channels federal R&D funding to small businesses with high-risk, high-reward technologies, fueling innovation in areas like defense, health, and energy. Some groups want to pair that reauthorization with reforms to improve oversight and commercialization. Here with one set of proposals is Eric Blatt, Executive Director of the Alliance for Commercial Technology in Government and a partner at Scale LLP.

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