The GovNavigators Show

Adam

Welcome, everyone, to the The GovNavigators Show - a government focused show that won’t make you seasick. We hope to enlighten and enliven your week with news and insightful, entertaining guests all on the topic of government management.Check out more at www.govnavigators.com 

  1. 31 Aug

    Advancing Audit with Christina Ho

    Christina Ho knows some people would describe audit as “painful,” so what if there was a way to make it “faster, better, and cheaper?”  In this episode, Robert and Adam sit down with Christina Ho, former PCAOB Board Member and Chief Assurance Officer at Oath to discuss her new project using AI to improve the auditing process by testing 100% of transactions. Plus, learn about her vision for a “whole new category” of independent verification, and how the current view of audit as a compliance exercise is not producing the value it is intended to.  Thanks to our sponsors at Allocore!  Show Notes:  Allocore.com Variety: Dolly Parton, Queen of Country Music, Dies at 80 The Washington Post: Red Tape Newsletter Piece Treasury: Treasury Announces the Quantum-Readiness Task Force DOJ: Department of Justice Announces Launch of National Fraud Detection Center to Combat Fraud Against Taxpayer-Funded Programs FedScoop: Draft OMB memo mandates agency use of Login.gov on government websites Federal CDO Council: DCAT-US v3.0 Schema Implementation Guide WSJ: Former Audit Regulator Helps Set Up Accounting Firm Targeting 80% Automation PCAOB: Christina Ho Oath Verified: oathverified.com HHS: HHS Cracks Down on Years of Unchecked Audit Findings OMB: M-25-30 OMB: Accelerating Federal Use of AI through Innovation, Governance, and Public Trust OMB: Driving Efficient Acquisition of Artificial Intelligence in Government  What’s on the GovNavigators’ radar?  August 31st   The House is back in session September 9th   GovNavigators and Senior Executives Association Policy Wonk Happy Hour, The Exchange, Washington D.C., 5-7 PM September 14th   The Senate is back in session September 15th   The Data Foundation’s govDATAx, George Washington University

  2. 17 Aug

    John Bernard Takes America’s Pulse: Building a Direct Line Between Citizens and Their Elected Officials

    Special thanks to Allocore for supporting this episode.  Ensuring politicians remain accountable to those who vote for them is no easy feat, but our guest this episode may have the solution. On this episode of the GovNavigators Show, Robert and Adam try not to have too much fun talking with John Bernard, Founder, President, and CEO of America’s Pulse, as he takes us through his project to measure state performance and connect citizens’ priorities directly to their elected officials. Plus, learn how America’s Pulse is building a direct-input democracy that extends beyond elections, and how you can use it to make your voice heard.  Show Notes  Allocore.com Washington Post: Divers recover a bottle of Guinness from a 162-year-old shipwreck OMB: TikTok Memo M-26-17 White House: Expanding Capabilities to Combat Transnational Cyber-Enabled Crime Nextgov/FCW: Palantir calls on GSA to withdraw draft AI acquisition rule Washington Technology: Palantir’s no-bid pipeline just got bigger Treasury: FinCEN Permanently Ends Beneficial Ownership Reporting Requirements for Millions of Small Business Owners Amazon: Government That Works: The Results Revolution in the States Amazon: Business at the Speed of Now  America’s Pulse: Americaspulse.org Harvard University: The 3.5% rule What’s on the GovNavigators’ radar?   August 20th   AWS and Carahsoft Missions Made Possible: A FedTech Innovation Summit, Arlington, VA August 24th   A Hole in One with ACT-IAC, Leesburg, VA August 26th-27th   AFCEA and INSA’s 2026 Intelligence and National Security Summit, Bethesda, MD August 27th   The MeriTalk Mission Room on Agentic AI and the New Federal Workflow, Washington, D.C. August 27th   Potomac Officers Club 2026 Navy Summit, Falls Church, VA

  3. 3 Aug

    Lauren Lombardo Recodes America

    This week on the GovNavigators Show, Robert and Adam welcome Lauren Lombardo, Policy Director for Recoding America, to discuss her work driving collaborative and coordinated government management policy reform. Lauren walks us through how working on campaigns at 13 years old sparked an early interest in public service, and describes her professional path working as a data scientist in the private sector before pivoting to use her technology background as a staffer in Congress. She dives into her work with the Recoding America fund, building connections with think tanks and individuals passionate about government management reform, developing the narrative surrounding these issues, and administering grants to organizations doing policy development and advocacy work in the government management sphere. Plus, learn why Lauren believes problems attributed to technology in government often stem much deeper, and why bipartisanism is necessary for real policy change.   Show Notes  Allocore: allocore.com  New York Times: Accept Your Fate. Don’t Wear Shorts to the Office.   Congress.gov: House C.R.  The Hill: House passes reconciliation framework for Pentagon boost, voting restrictions  House Armed Services Committee: FY27 NDAA Resources  GSA: OneGov CORUS partnership  FedScoop: VA won’t require existing FedRAMP certification for cloud contracts  VA: FedRAMP memo  Nextgov/FCW: After Hugging Face breach, FedRAMP chief tells slow-to-patch vendors to stay out of government  Recoding America Fund: recodingamerica.org  HSGAC: Testimony of Anthony Fauci  C-SPAN: Dr. Anthony Fauci Testifies on Origins of COVID-19 Pandemic  The Washington Post: Rand Paul threatens to hold Fauci in contempt after he declines to answer questions    What’s on the GovNavigators’ Radar?  August 4th  TheXchange August Workshop on NASA's SEWP VI, Reston, VA August 5th   HSGAC Business Meeting, Washington, D.C. August 5th-6th   The 14th Annual Border Security and Intelligence Summit, Washington, D.C.

  4. 27 Jul

    The “Extreme Mortman” is Back! Howard Mortman Shares What’s New With C-SPAN

    This week on the GovNavigators Show, Robert and Adam welcome back Howard Mortman, Director of Communications at C-SPAN. Howard reveals what’s new with the network, the trends he’s been seeing, and how public affairs broadcasting has been changing. The episode dives into the role C-SPAN footage plays in spurring political conversation on social media, and the network’s new show aiming to bring tough policy questions and civil discourse that feeds solutions on air. Robert, Adam, and Howard also discuss C-SPAN programming, including America 250 festivities and a special initiative to send reporters to the field to augment 2026 campaign coverage. Plus, new developments on Howard’s podcast, Extreme Mortman, including an exciting name change, behind the scenes information on process, and the episodes he’s looking forward to the most.  Show Notes  House Appropriations: Continuing Resolution Press Release  Time Magazine: House Passes $1.15 Trillion Defense Spending Bill  House Armed Services Committee: FY27 NDAA Resources  HHS: Press Release on Deferring California and Minnesota Medicaid Payments  Reuters: US pauses $1 billion in Medicaid payments to California, Minnesota  C-SPAN: C-SPAN Website  C-SPAN: America 250  C-SPAN: Campaign 2026  The Hill: C-SPAN inks deal with YouTube TV, Hulu  C-SPAN: Ceasefire  C-SPAN: Extreme Mortman  What’s on the GovNavigators’ radar?  July 28th:  Digital Government Institute 14th Annual 930Gov Conference, Washington, D.C. July 30th:  ATARC NextGen Cyber Operations: AI in Action Summit, Reston, VA Potomac Officers Club 2026 Air and Space Summit, McLean, VA

  5. 20 Jul

    Improving Performance with Dana Fowler

    This week on the GovNavigators Show, Robert and Adam welcome Dana Fowler, member of the GovNavigators Network, to walk us through her career path and offer insights on government performance reform. Dana details her interesting start in the federal government as “basically a deckhand on a fishing boat,” before moving onto the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the CDC, the Performance Improvement Council within GSA, and the Department of the Interior, in a performance management field she never expected to be a part of. The show raises the importance of leveraging data for decision-making, measuring the right things for the right reasons, and the value of an outside perspective. Plus, Dana gives us a peek into her new projects that work on government reform from the outside, using the knowledge she’s collected as a “practitioner” within.  Show Notes:  House Budget Committee: Press Release on Reconciliation 3.0  The Hill: Key House committee advances framework for reconciliation 3.0  Congress.gov: Budget Impoundment and Control Act of 1974  The Washington Post: Wildfire smoke in DC  FedRAMP: FedRAMP 20x  DOW: Department of War Suspends CMMC Phase II Requirements  Federal News Network: Pentagon suspends CMMC phase two requirements  NOTUS: The Social Security Chief Keeps Sending Staff His Daughter’s Pretzels  Performance.gov: GPRA  IBM: IBM Center for the Business of Government  We the Doers: We the Doers website  House Oversight: Emerging Fraud Threats and the Evolving Fraud Landscape hearing  IMDB: Movie reference  What’s on the GovNavigators’ radar?  July 21-23rd:  AGA Professional Development Training (PDT) 2026, Washington, DC July 21st:  ACT-IAC Supply Chain Innovation Forum, Reston, VA July 23rd:  GovForward’s 8th Annual Carahsoft Summit on FedRAMP, Washington, DC

About

Welcome, everyone, to the The GovNavigators Show - a government focused show that won’t make you seasick. We hope to enlighten and enliven your week with news and insightful, entertaining guests all on the topic of government management.Check out more at www.govnavigators.com 

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