The Trump administration is moving to strip away the union rights of Transportation Security Administration employees for the second time this year. As part of its latest move, DHS would dissolve TSA’s collective bargaining agreement early next year. The union that represents TSA employees has vowed to fight this latest action in court. Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday joins me with the latest.

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The Trump administration’s deferred resignation program helped lead to a massive and unexpected surge in retirement applications, now flooding the government’s retirement systems. But amid that application influx, the Office of Personnel Management has also rolled out a major effort to modernize the legacy federal retirement system. Many experts see the launch of OPM’s “online retirement application” as a long-awaited improvement. But with high retirement volumes, some remain wary of the timing. As part of her special report this week, Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman gives us the details.

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Federal employees are seeing signs of stability. Retirement processing is improving, workforce protections are holding, and pay raise prospects are clearer. But with continuing resolutions and hiring freezes still in the mix, the path forward requires careful planning. Here with a look ahead is National Association of Retired Federal Employees Association, Vice President for Policy and Programs, John Hatton.

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2025 brought major shifts in how the government buys, from centralization to the FAR rewrite. Emily Murphy, senior fellow at the George Mason University Baroni Center for Government Contracting, is here to look back at the lessons learned and ahead to the trends shaping acquisition in 2026.

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Elizabeth Kolmstetter has led talent strategy across nine agencies, launched programs in engagement and analytics, and earned some of government’s highest honors. Now she's joining the ranks of Fellows of the National Academy of Public Administration. She joins me today to reflect on her career and the future of public administration.

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Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

• Emily Murphy is here with her insights on how federal acquisition changed in 2025 and what’s likely to be coming in 2026
• There are some hopeful signs of stability for the federal work force as retirement backlogs are easing, RIF protections are holding, and a modest 2026 payraise looks likely
• From NASA to CISA, she’s shaped the federal workforce for three decades, and now Elizabeth Kolmstetter is joining the ranks of NAPA Fellows

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Over the past year, there’s been a major uptick in the government’s use of the False Claims Act to take companies to task for cybersecurity violations. The Trump administration has announced six separate False Claims Act settlements. And enforcement has been especially aggressive for companies who do business with the Defense Department. Sara McLean is a former assistant director of the fraud section in the Justice Department’s Commercial Litigation Branch. She talked with Federal News Network’s Jason Miller about the enforcement trend.

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The Trump administration’s “deferred resignation program” this year led to more than 150,000 employees leaving their jobs, in exchange for months of paid leave. But for many of those who took the DRP, the offer came with an added opportunity. Thousands also qualified for early retirement. Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman spent the last several months conducting interviews, reviewing documents, and gathering data about federal retirement processing. She found that the DRP helped lead to a massive and unexpected surge in applications, now inundating the government’s retirement systems.

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From the NDAA fight over helicopter flights near Reagan National to stalled health care extensions, unfinished oversight on a deadly boat strike and nine spending bills still hanging in the balance, Congress is juggling high-stakes battles with no easy compromises. Mitchell Miller, Capitol Hill correspondent for WTOP, is here with the fault lines shaping the final stretch of the year.

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The electro industry powers everything from national security to AI leadership, but a shortage of skilled workers threatens progress. The National Electrical Manufacturers' Association sees veterans as the solution and backs the Veterans Energy Transition Act to make it happen. We’ll explore the stakes and the bill with Peter Ferrell, senior director of government relations at NEMA.

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