A multibillion-dollar backlog of building maintenance projects has grown too large for the federal government’s landlord to effectively manage. That’s according to a board that advises the General Services Administration on buildings it should sell or dispose of. The board recommends a “radical reduction” of buildings GSA owns. Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman join us with more. 

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The Army is beginning to use a promotion authority Congress approved in 2018 that could give some officers more flexibility in how they move through the ranks. Federal News Network’s Anastasia Obis gives us an update.

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The heightened threat environment has put a spotlight on federal readiness, but a new GAP review shows HHS still lacks formal mechanisms to coordinate its two major preparedness programs. Those gaps matter when states face overlapping health hazards from outbreaks to extreme weather to hostile‑actor disruptions. GAO’s Mary Denigan‑Macauley joins us with the details.

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The 21st Theater Sustainment Command. cuts the ribbon March 13 on its Innovation Lab at Kaiserslautern, Germany, built to help Soldiers tackle problems closest to the mission. The lab ties frontline needs to Army Development Command’s ability to prototype and test new concepts. We look at what Soldiers can build, how ideas move through the pipeline, and what success looks like in year one with Major Ron White, Chief Innovation Officer of the Army's 21st TSC.

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By bypassing notice‑and‑comment and issuing an interim final rule, VA shocked groups that normally get a heads‑up on major policy shifts. Veterans responded with near‑universal concern about how treatment‑controlled symptoms would be judged. We hear why the response was so sharp from Carl Blake, CEO of the Paralyzed Veterans of America.

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Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

• A sudden change to how VA evaluates disabilities triggered immediate backlash from veterans and their advocates
• The Army is about to open its first operational makerspace in Europe, a new hub where soldiers can turn ideas into real solutions for the mission
• Amid mounting warnings that Iran or its proxies could strike back, GAO says HHS isn’t fully aligned internally on the public‑health preparedness programs states rely on most

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The Trump administration is out with a new national cyber strategy. The administration’s focus is on making cyber adversaries pay for trying to hack into government networks or critical infrastructure. But there are a lot of familiar themes from past cyber strategies as well. To break it all down, Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday joins me.

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Errors and inconsistencies in a public list of political appointees are raising concerns over the data’s reliability. A new analysis of the so-called “PLUM” book, from the Government Accountability Office, finds that the list of federal executives does not contain all data required by statute. It’s also missing key information across several agencies and senior-level positions. Here with the details, Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman.

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It will hopefully never happen to you, but what if you're taken hostage and therefore unable to file a tax return? It's probably one of the last things on your mind during a traumatic experience, so the IRS does have a plan in place to make sure a victim doesn't face any unfair consequences from their ordeal. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration recently took a look at those protocols. To learn what they found, Federal News Network's Eric White spoke to one of the auditors who conducted the review at TIGTA, John Da Cruz.

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The Defense Department says it has officially notified Anthropic that the company and its products are deemed a supply‑chain risk, a move that could require defense vendors to certify they aren’t using Claude in DoD work. The designation stems from a breakdown over AI guardrails and the Pentagon’s insistence on “all lawful purposes,” raising questions about the scope of the Department’s authority and how a challenge would play out. We’ll sort the law from the headlines and what contractors need to do now with Zach Prince, partner at Haynes Boone.

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