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The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton provides expert insights on current events in the federal community. Read more interviews to keep up with daily news and analysis that affect the federal workforce. The Federal Drive is found at FederalNewsNetwork.com and 1500 AM in the Washington D.C. region.

The Defense Department is providing little guidance on how firms are expected to comply with a series of restrictions aimed at severing ties with companies the Pentagon says support Beijing's military. A new class deviation the department recently issued significantly broadens the definition of "Chinese military company" but it's unclear how exactly it impacts defense contractors. Federal News Network’s Anastasia Obis spoke with Tracye Howard, government contracts partner at Wiley Rein LLP.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After an Inspector General review identified gaps in suicide risk screening and follow-up, the VA moved to strengthen those processes across its system. The result is higher screening rates and more reliable evaluations for veterans at risk. Joining me to break down those improvements is Acting Executive Director of the Office of Suicide Prevention at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Dr. Steven Dobscha.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton The VA is reporting record-high rates for suicide risk screening and follow-up Congress has a lot on its agenda. The harder question is whether everyone agrees on what belongs at the top of the list The federal government spends tens of billions of dollars each year on university research. Most taxpayers never see how that system actually worksSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Congress has a full plate before lawmakers leave town for August. The problem isn't a lack of important work. It's that competing priorities from the House, Senate and White House are all jockeying for the same limited attention and political capital. For a look at where those tensions stand, I'm joined by Mitchell Miller, Capitol Hill Correspondent for WTOP.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Every year, the federal government spends billions supporting research at universities across the country. That investment helps drive scientific advances, but it also depends on a complex system of funding decisions, academic institutions and researchers. For a closer look at how that system works, Federal News Network's Eric White spoke with Darren Lipomi, professor of chemical engineering at the University of Rochester and author of a new book, "Science Nonfiction: Behind the Scenes in University Research."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is looking to rebuild its workforce after cutting more than a quarter of its employees last year, according to its top officials. But CDC employees heard similar messages from leadership months ago and have yet to see much hiring. Instead, the agency is relying on temporary reassignments to address staffing gaps a strategy that is putting a toll on the workforce, according to employees. This comes as CDC is upgrading its Ebola response to its highest level of threat. Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman has more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the three weeks since the General Services Administration updated its proposed regulations for the basic safeguarding of data within large language model artificial intelligence systems, vendors and other interested parties have officially submitted only a handful of comments. But that is not because there isn’t a lack of interest or questions about the new proposed rule that GSA would apply to all schedule and governmentwide acquisition contracts under their purview. The comments likely will start pouring in after GSA holds a listening session on July 14 in Washington, D.C. For more on what GSA included in the updated draft regulations and what questions still remain, Federal News Network executive editor Jason Miller joins me now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Access to care starts with knowing where care actually exists. New findings from the HHS Inspector General show that the provider information Medicaid patients and state officials rely on is often inaccurate or incomplete. Joining me now is Laura Kordish, Regional Inspector General for Evaluation and Inspections at Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Getting the right person into the right role has long been one of the military's toughest workforce challenges. The Pentagon is testing new ways to identify individual capabilities and use them in assignment and career decisions. The approach focuses on measurable performance rather than credentials alone. Joining me to explain what's changed to support this approach is Senior Scientist and Portfolio Lead at Aptima, Julia Brown.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton In the military, mission success depends on understanding what people can actually do—and matching them to the missions that need them For pregnant Medicaid patients, finding care depends on information that's supposed to point them in the right direction, but may not Federal agencies make thousands of decisions about the workforce every day. A new OPM rule could expand how some of those decisions get madeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.