PODCAST · government
Federal Newscast
by Federal News Network | Hubbard Radio
THE FEDERAL NEWSCAST, (length about seven minutes), is a daily Monday through Friday, high-information compilation of nine 40-second news stories and news packages, generated by the non-partisan, non-political, private-sector team of reporters at Federal News Network. Federal News Radio Producer/Newscasters Eric White and Michele Sandiford assemble and read the stories on the THE FEDERAL DRIVE with TERRY GERTON, the weekday morning-drive program, heard from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. (ET) on the Federal News Network app (and website), on any smart speaker, and on WFED 1500 AM, a 50,000-watt 'Class A' powerhouse radio station in the nation's capital. The podcast is most popular with FNN's audience of highly educated listeners, who conveniently access THE FEDERAL NEWSCAST, 24/7, on any podcast platform . Listen to it (as just mentioned) or read the stories each
Episodes
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OPM issues new strategic plan for hiring at federal agencies
Five overarching goals will define agencies’ hiring strategies for the next couple of years. The Trump administration is calling for skills-based assessments, expanded outreach, transparency and digitization, pooled hiring and data-driven decisions. The Office of Personnel Management’s new...
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Senator rings alarm bells on waste and fraud at DHS
The top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is ringing alarm bells over waste, fraud and abuse at the Department of Homeland Security. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., wants DHS to provide answers to seven questions regarding how it has spent the $260...
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New bill looks to federal agencies to improve air quality
A new bill would require federal agencies to improve air quality and make upgrades to properties to reduce "heat islands." Congressman James Walkinshaw says the bill is inspired by the efforts his Virginia district made over the summer to execute "heat island" reduction plans. Agencies would need...
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American Foreign Service Association calls on State Dept to rehire fired feds
The State Department is opening up applications for its Lateral Entry Pilot Program, which is seeking to hire mid-career employees for the Foreign Service. The American Foreign Service Association says State has more than 2 thousand qualified people waiting to be hired. AFSA says that is how many...
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HUD workforce continues to decline after DOGE
New details on workforce declines at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Government Accountability Office says HUD lost 29% of its workforce in 2025. A new report finds a majority of the departing employees left through DOGE’s deferred resignation program. In 2025, HUD hired...
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OPM partners with White House fraud task force on hiring initiative
The Office of Personnel Management and the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud are partnering to hire the next cohort of the US Tech Force. The two-year program will place applicants across agencies, including the General Services Administration, the Social Security Administration, the…
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A new bill would supercharge customer service at the IRS
A new bill to supercharge customer service at the IRS made it through the Senate. The bipartisan Taxpayer Assistance and Service (TAS) Act would require the agency to create an online dashboard for tax filers and improve other online features like the Where’s my Refund tool. The measures are...
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Coast Guard surpasses its recruiting goal for third consecutive year
The Coast Guard has surpassed its recruiting goals for the third consecutive year, bringing in the largest number of enlisted recruits in nearly four decades. The service enlisted 5,445 active-duty members in fiscal 2026, up from the 5,204 enlisted members recruited in fiscal 2025. It also...
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OPM launches AI chatbot to answer questions about workforce trends
There’s a new way to look at data about the federal workforce. The Office of Personnel Management has launched an AI chatbot to answer the public’s questions about workforce trends. The new feature has been added to OPM’s “federal workforce data” website, which details employment numbers and…
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Federal retirement application processing times trend downward
Processing times for federal retirement applications are speeding up. In September, it took the Office of Personnel Management an average of 56 days to finalize a federal retirement claim. That’s about two weeks faster than the average processing speed for August. The retirement claims backlog…
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DoD wasted millions helping DHS increase immigration detection capacity
The Defense Department wasted millions of dollars helping the Department of Homeland Security increase immigration detention capacity at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. A government watchdog found that DoD spent $2.85 million assembling tents for an initial capacity of 5,000 beds. Those tents,...
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Democrats look to make the retirement process easier for feds
Democrats want to make the retirement process easier on federal employees. A new bill in the House would require the Office of Personnel Management to provide missing records, correct errors and offer benefits information to federal retirees seeking help. Feds who recently separated or retired...
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Thrift Savings Plan fund had a bad month in September
September was not a good month for the Thrift Savings Plan. All but one of the funds saw month-over-month drops. Only the G fund increased in September by .4% from where it was in August. The silver lining for September for the other 15 funds is they all experienced drops of less than 4% total.…
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Pentagon wants states to complete for new U.S. military base
The Pentagon wants to build a new military base inside the U.S. and is asking states to compete for it. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the base could host up to 25,000 troops and serve as a hub for homeland defense, command and control and cyber operations. He also promises the base will...
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OMB violated Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act with $1 billion rescission
The Government Accountability Office found OMB’s rescission of nearly $1 billion of approved spending on September 26, violated the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. The decision not only was the Trump administration’s 12th violation of the ICA since taking office in…
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Top House Democrat puts defense contractors on notice
A top House Democrat is putting defense contractors on notice about potential investigations into unusual dealings with the Trump administration. House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Jim Himes says he’s concerned that the administration has inappropriately fused contracting processes with...
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Secret Service faces questions about agency funding used for White House renovations
The Secret Service is facing questions about funding that was reportedly taken from the agency’s budget to fund White House renovations. In a letter to Secret Service Director Sean Curran last week, Senator Maggie Hassan asked how the agency would have spent roughly the $415 million dollars that...
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Department of Navy rolls out new features for MyNavy portal
The Department of the Navy is rolling out new features to make it easier for sailors to navigate MyNavy Portal and access personnel services. The eLeave feature, for instance, allows sailors to check their estimated leave balance, request regular leave and extensions and review past leave periods...
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Federal immigration judges at DOJ face doxxing threats
Federal immigration judges at the Justice Department are facing doxxing threats. In a new report, the DOJ inspector general found several judges in the department's Executive Office for Immigration Review had been doxxed using publicly accessible data over the past year. EOIR told auditors that…
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Marine Corps increases imminent danger and hostile fire pay
The Marine Corps said it will pay troops $450 a month while they are engaged in or exposed to enemy fire. That's the legal cap and double what Marines currently receive for hostile fire pay. The service is also increasing imminent danger pay by $50 to $275 per month. Imminent danger pay applies…
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OPM gives agencies authority to give bonuses up to $25,000
Agencies will now be able to more easily offer bonuses of up to $25,000 to federal employees for exceptional work. The Office of Personnel Management is delegating authority to agency leaders to approve larger bonuses for feds. Previously, bonuses of that size required OPM approval. But OPM says...
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House lawmakers want to give the AbilityOne program a makeover
Two House lawmakers want to give the AbilityOne program a makeover. Congressmen Steny Hoyer (D-Md) and Pete Sessions's (R-Texas) American Procurement Improvement Act would modernize the statutory framework governing AbilityOne. The legislation would expand eligibility and help more Americans with...
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USPS fails to meet lowered service standards
The Postal Service has largely failed to meet service standards, even after reducing those standards. A new report from the Government Accountability Office finds that the declining services are in part due to cost-cutting initiatives. In response, USPS officials say they have made some progress…
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A new study finds public trust in the federal government overall is decreasing
In today's Federal Newscast, the public’s trust in government is declining, new research from the Partnership for Public Service shows. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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The head of the Space Development Agency doesn't seemed to worried about the agency possibly being dissolved
In today's Federal Newscast, as Congress pushes to eliminate the Space Development Agency as an independent organization, the organization’s director said he “has some concerns, but not too many.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at...
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Another government contractor settles with the Justice Department over its DEI practices
For the second time in a matter of weeks, the Justice Department won a big settlement from a federal contractor to settle claims it violated the False Claims Act. Plus, a federal court holds up one of the White House's reduction efforts for one agency, and a large swath of soldiers get the ok to...
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House Republicans call for fair compensation for more federal law enforcement
House Republicans are calling for fair compensation and benefits for more federal law enforcement personnel. A letter addressed to the Office of Personnel Management points out discrepancies in how some law enforcement officers are classified for retirement purposes. The GOP lawmakers are calling...
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National Park Service designates 9/11 Memorial as an affiliated area
The National Park Service has designated the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial as an affiliated area. The National Park Service, the Department of Defense and the Pentagon Memorial Fund signed a memorandum of agreement earlier this week to create a formal affiliation with the National Park Service. The...
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Democratic lawmakers press VA Sec. Collins on rejecting reasonable accommodations
All 11 Democrats on the House Veterans Affairs Committee are pressing Doug Collins, the VA secretary, for answers about why the agency is rejecting requests from employees for reasonable accommodations. In a letter sent to VA yesterday, Committee Ranking Member Mark Takano and 10 other lawmakers...
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Federal wildland firefighters to continue earning overtime pay after reaching limits
Federal wildland firefighters will continue to earn overtime pay, even after they hit a legal cap on overtime hours. The continuing resolution that Congress passed last week included a provision to extend a waiver on the cap for federal overtime pay, at least until the end of 2027. Many wildland...
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Lawmakers want Elon Musk to explain the lack of DOGE-claimed savings at DHS
Two Democrat lawmakers are demanding Elon Musk, the former head of the U.S. DOGE Service, explain why 99% of the claimed savings from at the Homeland Security Department never materialized. Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, and James Walkinshaw...
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Army names an acting Secretary following Driscoll’s resignation
Adam Telle, the Army's assistant secretary for civil works, will serve as acting Army secretary. President Donald Trump announced the pick on social media Thursday, calling Telle a "great patriot who is respected by all." Telle took the job overseeing the Army Corps of Engineers in August 2025...
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U.S. Postal Service finalizes election ballot mail portal
The Postal Service is finalizing a new portal to provide election officials with a simple, secure and efficient way to share lists of individuals receiving ballots by mail in their respective states. The U.S. Federal Ballot Mail Portal will soon be available to election officials who voluntarily...
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August was a month of rebounds for the TSP
August was a month of rebounds for the Thrift Savings Plan. All TSP funds ended in the black, the highest increase being the I Fund at 3.3%, followed by the C and S Funds at 2.7% and 2.3%, respectively. The G and F Funds posted more modest increases, both below 1%. For 2026 so far, all but one of...
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Defense Dept opens use of three major AI tools for employees
Defense Department employees can now use three major AI products at work. The department on Monday launched military versions of OpenAI's ChatGPT and Elon Musk's Grok to help the workforce with everyday tasks. DoD says ChatGPT can read documents for unclassified administrative and policy work.…
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GSA orders Trade Agreement Act changes for AbilityOne and National Prison Industries
The General Services Administration has removed the AbilityOne Commission and National Prison Industries' exception from the Trade Agreements Act for all of its contracts. In a deviation to GSA's acquisition regulations, the agency will now require the commission and all of its non-profits like...
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400 federal positions will now earn salaries of up to $400,000
Up to 400 federal positions can now earn salaries of $400,000. A new final rule from the Office of Personnel Management allows the higher pay rates for hundreds of workers under an authority known as “critical position pay.” The authority is meant to help agencies recruit and retain highly...
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Federal wildland firefighters can now earn higher pay rates
Federal wildland firefighters can now earn higher pay rates for more types of work. A recent final rule from the Office of Personnel Management authorizes a 25% “hazard pay” boost for work on prescribed burns. That’s in addition to firefighters already getting hazard pay when working on...
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Thousands of feds who took the DRP have essentially been replaced
Thousands of federal employees who left the government via the deferred resignation program have essentially been replaced. That's according to new data analysis from the Partnership for Public Service. The nonprofit finds that the agency and occupational series for more than 20,000 employees who...
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NSA isn’t complying with federal laws on whistleblower protections, IG finds
The National Security Agency doesn’t appear to be complying with federal laws that require the agency to outline whistleblower protections in its nondisclosure agreement. The NSA’s inspector general said the agency doesn’t have a central repository of its NDAs or an overarching policy. But for…
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Lawmakers call for investigation into CISA workforce cuts as threats increase
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is coming under scrutiny for workforce cuts as cyber and physical threats to critical infrastructure rise. A group of Democratic lawmakers are pushing for a Government Accountability Office report on the impact of recent workforce reductions…
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Agencies are getting some help with logging cybersecurity data
Add the employees at the Agriculture Department's Rural Development Agency to the growing list of successful feds who have won grievances before an arbitrator after losing their remote work and telework rights. Arbitrator Margaret Donaghy ruled Wednesday in favor of RDA employees represented by…
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Space Force opens its own recruiting squadron
The Space Force has opened its own recruiting squadron nearing seven years after the newest service was created. The 320th Recruiting Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, is the service's first unit dedicated to bringing in new generations of guardians. Air Force united handled…
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Military's newest branch sees significant funding increase
The Space Force’s fiscal 2027 budget request would significantly increase funding for missile warning, missile tracking and command and control programs. That would account for more than 45% of the proposed growth, according to a recent analysis. Classified spending would account for about 30% of...
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Air Force updates rules for civilian job applicants
The Department of the Air Force is updating its rules for determining whether civilian applicants are a good fit for federal jobs. New interim guidance says candidates must be deemed initially favorable before receiving a firm job offer and must earn a final decision that they are suitable for...
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FAA hires 2000 gamers as new air traffic controllers
The Federal Aviation Administration has hired over 2,000 new air traffic controllers, all with a shared passion: videogames. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says in a recent online post that the FAA hiring initiative focused on gamers, launched in April, has met 94% of its hiring goal. Duffy...
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Lawmakers want insight into staffing and funding at statistical agencies
A top House democrat is demanding a hearing to examine the effects of the Trump administration’s actions at federal statistical agencies. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), ranking member of the Education and Workforce Committee, said committee members should understand how recent challenges of understaffing…
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MSPB officially transitions away from its authority over adverse action appeals
The Merit Systems Protection Board is officially transitioning away some of its authority over adverse action appeal decisions. A new final rule from MSPB removes all references to the board’s prior jurisdiction over appeals due to firings or demotions during a reduction-in-force, probationary...
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Army loses 18% of civilian workforce at two major depots
The Army has lost 18% of its civilian workforce at two of its major depots. The Government Accountability Office found that the Anniston and Red River Army Depots lost nearly 800 permanent and term-limited employees when comparing fiscal 2021 to fiscal 2025. Specifically, Anniston’s workforce...
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Federal retirement claims backlog at lowest point in 2026
The backlog of federal retirement claims is at the lowest point in 2026 with just over 24,000 in OPM's inventory. New data shows OPM processed more than 17,000 claims last month, of which 14,000 were done digitally. Additionally, OPM says it of the 14,000 claims it received in July, 10,500 were...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
THE FEDERAL NEWSCAST, (length about seven minutes), is a daily Monday through Friday, high-information compilation of nine 40-second news stories and news packages, generated by the non-partisan, non-political, private-sector team of reporters at Federal News Network. Federal News Radio Producer/Newscasters Eric White and Michele Sandiford assemble and read the stories on the THE FEDERAL DRIVE with TERRY GERTON, the weekday morning-drive program, heard from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. (ET) on the Federal News Network app (and website), on any smart speaker, and on WFED 1500 AM, a 50,000-watt 'Class A' powerhouse radio station in the nation's capital. The podcast is most popular with FNN's audience of highly educated listeners, who conveniently access THE FEDERAL NEWSCAST, 24/7, on any podcast platform . Listen to it (as just mentioned) or read the stories each
HOSTED BY
Federal News Network | Hubbard Radio
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Federal Newscast currently has 1000 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Federal Newscast about?
THE FEDERAL NEWSCAST, (length about seven minutes), is a daily Monday through Friday, high-information compilation of nine 40-second news stories and news packages, generated by the non-partisan, non-political, private-sector team of reporters at Federal News Network. Federal News Radio...
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Federal Newscast releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 1000 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.
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You can listen to Federal Newscast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
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Federal Newscast is created and hosted by Federal News Network | Hubbard Radio.
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