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Federal Newscast

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

government

All Episodes

00:07:01

Federal retirement application processing times trend...

Federal Newscast ·

2026/10/07

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 has also fallen to about 8,800 total pending applications. That makes September the first time in at least a year that OPM’s inventory has dipped below 10,000 claims.See Privacy Policy at

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00:07:07

DoD wasted millions helping DHS increase immigration...

Federal Newscast ·

2026/10/06

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, however, were never used, because DHS later determined that they did not meet detention standards. The Army also wasted millions of dollars on meals at Camp East Montana in Texas. Specifically, the Army did not

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00:06:17

Democrats look to make the retirement process easier...

Federal Newscast ·

2026/10/05

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 would be able to submit requests for support for up to four years, if the bill is enacted. The legislation comes after many feds faced major retirement processing delays during last year’s sweeping workforce

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00:07:06

Thrift Savings Plan fund had a bad month in September

Federal Newscast ·

2026/10/02

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. The S Fund saw the biggest month-over-month drop of 3.66%. For the year, every account but the F fund is in the black with the I Fund posting the largest year to date growth of over 16%. See Privacy Policy

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00:07:24

OMB violated Congressional Budget and Impoundment...

Federal Newscast ·

2026/09/30

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 January 2025, but it also was the first ICA decision in a year from GAO. The latest ruling relies on previous conclusions that the OMB can’t use the Impoundment Control Act process to withhold funds past their

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00:06:21

Top House Democrat puts defense contractors on notice

Federal Newscast ·

2026/09/29

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 the extraction of political or private favors. In a letter to the National Defense Industrial Association on Monday, Himes said the intelligence committee may seek documents, testimony and other information

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00:05:07

Secret Service faces questions about agency funding...

Federal Newscast ·

2026/09/28

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 was redirected from its budget. Hassan wants to know whether that has affected the Secret Service’s modernization efforts, including its ongoing hiring campaign. Her letter points to a June 2026 inspector

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00:06:40

Department of Navy rolls out new features for MyNavy...

Federal Newscast ·

2026/09/25

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 “through a more intuitive experience.” Meanwhile, MyData will provide Sailors with greater visibility into their personnel information. A new landing page has also become more intuitive and personalized

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00:05:46

Federal immigration judges at DOJ face doxxing threats

Federal Newscast ·

2026/09/24

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 it uses a privacy and data removal service to try to remove as much of the judges' personal information as possible from the internet. The IG found DOJ continues to lack a strategy for managing the risks of

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00:06:21

Marine Corps increases imminent danger and hostile...

Federal Newscast ·

2026/09/23

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 to troops serving in areas where they could be physically harmed. It's the first major combat pay bump in more than two decades. Both raises kick in October 1.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy

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00:06:26

OPM gives agencies authority to give bonuses up to...

Federal Newscast ·

2026/09/22

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 it’s removing the hurdle as a way to help agencies distinguish high levels of performance. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at

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00:06:45

House lawmakers want to give the AbilityOne program a...

Federal Newscast ·

2026/09/21

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 disabilities get hired, promoted and grow in their careers. It also would speed up the timeline to add new products and services to the list maintained by the AbilityOne Commission. The bill would be the

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00:06:40

Federal wildland firefighters to continue earning...

Federal Newscast ·

2026/09/09

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 firefighters work extensive overtime during peak wildfire season. But due to a legal loophole, they often meet a ceiling on earning overtime pay. The National Federation of Federal Employees is calling for

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00:06:28

Lawmakers want Elon Musk to explain the lack of...

Federal Newscast ·

2026/09/08

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 (D-Va.) called on Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), chairman of the committee, to hold Musk accountable for DOGE’s actions. Thompson and Walkinshaw say a recent report by the Government Accountability Office shows

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00:06:18

U.S. Postal Service finalizes election ballot mail...

Federal Newscast ·

2026/09/03

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 wish to familiarize themselves with the platform. USPS says it also will provide tools, presentations and other resources to help election officials understand the platform and make decisions about whether

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00:06:26

Defense Dept opens use of three major AI tools for...

Federal Newscast ·

2026/09/01

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. Grok is built for operational needs like market research and supply chain management. Google's Gemini was the first product launched on the Pentagon's AI hub last year. More than 1.7 million have signed up to

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00:05:35

GSA orders Trade Agreement Act changes for AbilityOne...

Federal Newscast ·

2026/08/31

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 SourceAmerica and the National Industries for the Blind, to only use products from countries that have existing trade agreements with the U.S. This means there are 78 countries, including China, Vietnam and

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00:06:26

400 federal positions will now earn salaries of up to...

Federal Newscast ·

2026/08/28

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 qualified and specialized government workers in mission-critical roles. OPM’s final rule this week aligns with President Donald Trump’s orders earlier this year to use the pay authority for up to 400 national

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00:06:36

NSA isn’t complying with federal laws on...

Federal Newscast ·

2026/08/25

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 four of the five agreements the IG did find, whistleblower protection notifications were left out entirely. The agency said it has a plan in place to fix the issue.See Privacy Policy at

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00:06:05

Lawmakers call for investigation into CISA workforce...

Federal Newscast ·

2026/08/24

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 and program cuts on CISA’s ability to fulfill its mission. The lawmakers, from the House Committee on Homeland Security and Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection, pointed to CISA’s loss

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