

OMB sets procurement guardrails for buying AI tools
12/17/2025 | 7 mins.
Agencies have 90 days to update acquisition polices to ensure that the artificial intelligence tools they purchase are truth seeking and ideological neutral. A new memo from the Office of Management and Budget details new requirements starting March 11 for contracts awarded for large language models. Federal News Network executive editor Jason Miller joins me with more on what agencies will have to do to meet the administration's new AI guidelines.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

GSA terminated hundreds of federal office leases, but far less than DOGE targets
12/17/2025 | 9 mins.
Early in the Trump administration the Department of Government Efficiency directed the General Services Administration to take major cuts to leased office space. GSA officials say they successfully terminated hundreds of leases this year, but far fewer than goals set by DOGE. These updated figures come at a time when government officials are taking stock of DOGE’s impact, and whether agencies came close to achieving the Trump administration’s government efficiency goals. Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman 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.

GAO says the Coast Guard’s biggest shipbuilding program faces major design and cost risks
12/17/2025 | 11 mins.
The Coast Guard urgently needs 25 Offshore Patrol Cutters to replace aging ships, but GAO found serious challenges, from unstable designs to unclear cost baselines that put the $17 billion program at risk. Shelby Oakley, Director of Contracting and National Security Acquisitions at GAO, is here to break down the risks and what needs to change before Stage 3 ship construction begins.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How lean can government get before essential services start to fail?
12/17/2025 | 14 mins.
Holiday travel and tax season remind us how much we rely on federal workers. Elaine Kamarck of the Brookings Institution is here to explain what happens when staffing cuts push government past its breaking point and why the drive for efficiency can create systemic risk.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Impact Project expands its reach with a new Security Map that exposes threats facing public servants.
12/17/2025 | 11 mins.
Six months after launch, the Impact Project has grown in scope and added a Security Map that reveals patterns in threats against public servants. Abby Andre, the project's founding executive director, explains what the data shows and how it can guide action.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.



The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton