The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has directed multiple federal agencies to scrub their Microsoft accounts for signs of compromise after Russia-linked hackers potentially accessed agency passwords and other sensitive log-in details.

In an emergency directive publicly released today, CISA said multiple federal agencies had their email correspondence with Microsoft stolen by the Russian state-sponsored group “Midnight Blizzard.” CISA said the stolen emails pose a “grave” risk to the federal government.

The group gained access to sensitive agency information by compromising Microsoft’s corporate email accounts starting in January. The hackers are now trying to use the information in those stolen emails, which include authentication details, to gain additional access to Microsoft customer systems, CISA said.

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Months of pressure from Congress on federal telework policies and return-to-office plans don’t appear to be anywhere near their end.

A pair of bipartisan senators is now looking to up the ante with a new bill, calling on agencies to report more detailed, timely information on their federal telework policies.

The Telework Transparency Act, which Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) introduced Wednesday morning, aims to provide up-to-date information on federal telework, while also assessing factors like productivity, office space, and recruitment and retention.

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Sometimes you've got to remember the basics. There are some best practices you can implement in the world of government contracting to make sure you don't get caught out in the open. For some tips on how to stay ahead of the game, Federal News Network's Eric White talked with Larry Allen, President of Allen Federal Business Partners.

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The Inflation Reduction Act showered billions on the IRS and the agency developed a strategic operating plan for using some of the money for a long-held goal: Modernizing its information technology. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that IRS officials could do just a bit more to complete their plans. For details, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with GAO's Director of Information Technology and Cybersecurity, Dave Hinchman.

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Large language model artificial intelligence. It's like some exotic new oil. Everyone thinks it can make great recipes, but not many know how to cook with it. Well, some people do. Like a group at the MITRE Corporation, which recently won an award for a product they developed called m-chat. For details, Federal Drive Tom Temin was joined in studio by MITRE's Senior Vice President, Cedric Sims.

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On today's episode of the Federal Drive with Tom Temin:

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While passing the 2024 defense budget was arduous as lawmakers struggled to agree on government funding plans for nearly six months into the fiscal year, negotiating the 2025 defense spending is shaping up to be “particularly difficult.”

The Pentagon proposed a fiscal 2025 budget of $849.8 billion, about 1% higher than this year’s budget request. The top line figure aligns with the Fiscal Responsibility Act passed last year, which sets limits on defense and non-defense discretionary spending. Defense officials said the 1% increase would not be enough to cover inflation.

“Overall, [fiscal 2024] was a good budget. As we pivot toward this year, I think it’s a much more difficult budget, we’re gonna see some very difficult trade-offs. I’m not sure if we’re going to see as positive outcomes as all communities might want see,” Matt Borron, the Association of Defense Communities executive director, said during the Defense Communities National Summit on Tuesday.

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It is an old story, but new versions keep happening. A high-level military official negotiates with a contractor. He seeks employment, leaves the government, and joins the contractor. He may not have a conflict of interest, but if it looks like he does, that's trouble. Federal Drive Host Tom Temin discusses this potential problem with Zach Prince, a procurement attorney wit Haynes and Boone, LLP.

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The University of South Florida (USF) recently opened a new lab aimed at providing quick, innovative solutions to the different challenges facing the Department of Defense. The new Rapid Experimentation Lab (REL) hopes to provide a unique, collaborative space to rapidly test concepts. To learn more, Federal News Network's Eric White spoke with Taylor Johnston, COO of USF's Institute of Applied Engineering, which is managing the lab.

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Twelve members of Congress shave been appointed to a new commission to lead the House’s exploration of AI’s transformational opportunities and potential challenges. Their mission? To create guiding principles, recommendations and bipartisan policy proposals for the regulation of AI. One of those members joined Federal News Network's Eric White to discuss the task ahead: Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.)

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