Episodes

  • Defense Department orders review of military standards

    Defense Department orders review of military standards
    Mar 14 2025
    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a departmentwide review of military standards, including physical fitness, body composition and grooming. A memo released on Wednesday directs the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness to review how the standards have changed since January 2015. Hegseth pledged to conduct this review during his confirmation hearing. The defense secretary said the review will “illuminate how the department has maintained the level of standards required over the recent past.” The Defense Department opened up combat roles to women in December 2015, a decision that Hegseth has previously opposed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    6 mins
  • Union warns of lead contamination at FAA headquarters

    Union warns of lead contamination at FAA headquarters
    Mar 13 2025
    A union tells Federal Aviation Administration employees there’s lead contamination in the water at headquarters. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1653 tells employees not to drink the water or use it to wash anything they’ll eat or drink from. The union says the FAA recently shared summary test results showing lead contamination. The General Services Administration which oversees the building says the water is “safe for all uses.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    8 mins
  • Pres. Trump makes new nominations to OMB

    Pres. Trump makes new nominations to OMB
    Mar 13 2025
    President Donald Trump nominated Eric Ueland to be the top federal management official. Ueland, who is currently the acting chief of staff for OMB, would be the deputy director for management at OMB if confirmed by the Senate. He would replace Jason Miller, who was DDM for all four years of the Biden administration. Ueland is a former Senate staff member, having worked for majority leader Senator William Frist (R-Tenn.) and then as staff director for the upper chamber’s budget committee. Along with Ueland, Trump nominated Ethan Klein to be an associate director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, which is another name for the federal chief technology officer. He was an emerging technology policy adviser during the first Trump administration where he focused on autonomous and unmanned systems. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    7 mins
  • DHS brings back one of its federal advisory committees

    DHS brings back one of its federal advisory committees
    Mar 12 2025
    The Department of Homeland Security is bringing back at least one of its federal advisory committees. In a public notice this week, DHS announced it is renewing the Homeland Security Advisory Committee. The reconstituted panel will have 35 members. They will serve three-year terms and provide strategic advice to the secretary of homeland security. DHS terminated several advisory panels in the early days of the Trump administration, including the Cyber Safety Review Board that was investigating a major U.S. telecom hack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    7 mins
  • With government shutdown less than a week away, calls for Congress to pass a spending bill

    With government shutdown less than a week away, calls for Congress to pass a spending bill
    Mar 10 2025
    With a government shutdown less than a week away, a leading Republican Senator is calling for Congress to pass a spending bill. Maine Senator Susan Collins, the chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, says government shutdowns are inherently a failure to govern effectively and have negative consequences all across government. House Republican lawmakers unveiled their year-long continuing resolution on Friday. The bill freezes overall funding at fiscal 2024 levels but does include cuts to certain agency programs and increases to others, such as the FAA and fully funds the largest junior enlisted pay raise. It also doesn't include any language related to DOGE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    7 mins
  • White House looks to hold litigants financially responsible for filing lawsuits against the government

    White House looks to hold litigants financially responsible for filing lawsuits against the government
    Mar 9 2025
    Federal employee unions and other organizations filing lawsuits against the Trump administration may have to put money in escrow to cover the potential costs and damages of the lawsuit. President Trump's new memo tells agencies to use the Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(c) to ask the federal courts to hold litigants accountable for their lawsuits. The scope of the directive covers all lawsuits filed against the federal government seeking an injunction where agencies can show expected monetary damages or costs from the requested preliminary relief, unless extraordinary circumstances justify an exception. Failure of the organization that filed the lawsuit to provide the money could result in the denial or dissolution of the requested injunctive relief. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    7 mins
  • Veterans Affairs planning to eliminate 72,000 positions

    Veterans Affairs planning to eliminate 72,000 positions
    Mar 6 2025
    The Department of Veterans Affairs is planning major cuts to its workforce later this year. VA Secretary Doug Collins says the department is looking at a 15% cut to return the agency to 2019 staffing levels. That would meaning eliminating about 72,000 positions. Collins says VA will shrink the workforce without any cuts to veterans’ health care or benefits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    7 mins
  • DoD says DOGE identified $80 million in wasteful spending

    DoD says DOGE identified $80 million in wasteful spending
    Mar 6 2025
    The Defense Department says Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has so far identified about 80 million dollars in what it considers wasteful spending. Press Secretary Sean Parnell said DOGE has found one point nine million dollars for diversity, equity and inclusion training in the Air Force; six million dollars to the University of Montana to “strengthen American democracy by bridging divides;” and three point five million dollars at the Defense Human Resources Activity for support to DEI groups. DOGE saving the Defense Department 80 million dollars represent less than one percent of the Pentagon’s total budget. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    7 mins