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. 2d ago

    “Sometimes You Should Be Late”: Alex Snider on His New Book and Slowing Down in Government

    This week on The GovNavigators Show, Robert and Adam welcome Alex Snider, a former GSA and State Department official and author of the new book Sometimes You Should Be Late, to talk about what mindfulness has to do with government management. Alex walks through his career path in the Executive branch, and explains how recovering from a bike accident and the concussion that followed sent him toward meditation, therapy, and a new relationship with time. The conversation digs into the way breath is important to helping us live in the present, how bringing mindfulness into stakeholder meetings and performance reviews changes how public servants relate to one another, and why "sometimes you should be late" isn't an excuse for flakiness but a case for slowing down enough to notice the things that matter. Plus, Alex lets us in on the realities of a first-time author’s book launch, and how it further reinforced his idea that we should let go of the things we can’t control.   Show Notes:  WSJ: Housing Bill Becomes Law Despite Trump Refusing to Sign It Federal News Network: Federal CIO Barbaccia leaving in August Federal News Network: DoT CIO Pidugu leaving Federal News Network: Interior Department CIO is out after holding job for over a year Government Executive: HUD's tech chief appears headed for Interior The Hill: DOGE officially shuts down Politico: Washington’s quantum reality check (White House quantum summit) IBM Newsroom: Oak Ridge National Lab, Cleveland Clinic, and IBM Achieve First-Known Computations of Fusion Materials on a Quantum Computer Alex Snider: Sometimes You Should Be Late (Book) Alex Snider: Slow Mindfulness (Substack) Alex Snider: slowmindfulness.com What's on the GovNavigators' Radar?  July 14th:  Federal Student Loan Management Roundtable, Center for USA Lending, Washington, DC Grants Management SIN Webinar, GSA July 15th:  Emerging Fraud Threats and the Evolving Fraud Landscape Hearing, Subcommittee on Government Operations, U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Exposing Fraud in America Hearing, Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee July 16th:  GovExec Government Efficiency Summit, JW Marriott, Washington, DC

  2. Jul 6

    Where Do My Taxes Go? Tyler Davey Can Help You Understand Your City’s Budget

    This week on The GovNavigators Show, Robert and Adam welcome Tyler Davey, CEO of ClearGov, to talk about how technology can finally make city budgets accessible to the people paying for them. The show digs into the problem with the traditional 300-to-500-page budget book, why context is the key to real citizen engagement, and how ClearGov's AI-powered chatbot and Engagement Studio turn complicated financial reports into community conversations. Tyler explains why government at the local level is what ends up impacting us the most, sharing a story of a case study where a new engagement platform encouraged input and surfaced citizen priorities. The episode also covers compliance and privacy considerations across state and local jurisdictions and why reaching the "silent majority" matters as much as responding to the loudest voices in the room. Plus, Robert and Adam share the latest updates on quantum, the Supreme Court, and FASAB.  Show Notes:  White House: Ushering in the Next Frontier of Quantum Innovation (Executive Order) White House: Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks (Executive Order) OMB: Memorandum M-26-15, Execution of the Migration to Post-Quantum Cryptography SCOTUS: Trump v. Slaughter SCOTUSblog: Supreme Court Allows Trump to Fire FTC Commissioner, Overturns Humphrey's Executor The Hill: Trump Cancels Housing Bill Signing Over Senate Inaction on SAVE Act The Hill: House Republicans Vote to Block NDAA Rule Over SAVE America Act Federal Register: Notice of Issuance of Staff Implementation Guidance 64.1 (FASAB MD&A Guidance) ClearGov: Website Businesswire: ClearGov Financial Engagement Platform Launch Announcement ClearGov: Rochester Hills, Michigan Case Study   What's on the GovNavigators' Radar?  July 8th:  GSA FY26 Small Business Contracting Opportunities and Category Management Forum, National Industries for the Blind, Alexandria, VA July 16th:  GovExec Government Efficiency Summit, JW Marriott, Washington, DC July 21-23rd:  AGA Professional Development Training (PDT) 2026, Washington, DC

  3. Jun 22

    We the Doers: Maureen Klovers and April Harding Measure Government Success

    This week on the GovNavigators Show, Robert and Adam are joined by Maureen Klovers and April Harding, co-founders of We the Doers, who tackle the big question: How do we make government more efficient and effective? They discuss their project to measure success in government based on what matters to citizens and use that framework to see what changes make a difference. Maureen and April also describe their initiative to map out the convoluted employment termination process across agencies and usher in “Fast But Fair Firing.” The episode digs into the importance of data standardization, problem definition and implementation of reforms, and why biannual budgeting might be the key to fixing Congress. Together, they figure out how to, as Robert puts it, “Stop the crazy, restore sanity.”  Show Notes:  NCHSA: Bipartisan Bicameral Housing Reform DOL: Unemployment Insurance Fraud Prevention Jen Pahlka: Recoding America Book Senate Committee on Finance: The Unemployment Insurance Modernization and Recession Readiness Act NOTUS: The Trump Administration Keeps Ghosting Its Congressional Watchdog Gary Bass (Of the Gary Bass Rule of Three): Biography We the Doers: wethedoers.org POPVOX Foundation: Departure Dialogues Project We the Doers: Workshop Report DOL: Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA)   What's on the GovNavigators' Radar?  June 22nd:  National Academy of Public Administration Celebrating the American Public Servant Gala (GovNavigators sponsor)   June 23-24th:  2026 Senior Executive Leadership Summit   June 24th:  Celonis Process Intelligence Day (GovNavigators sponsor) GovExec SAP NOW 250

  4. Jun 15

    Back in the Saddle at GSA: Larry Allen on the FAR Overhaul, AI in Acquisition, and What's Coming Next

    This week on The GovNavigators Show, Robert and Adam welcome Larry Allen, Associate Administrator for GSA's Office of Government-wide Policy, now 15 months into the role. Larry brings a big update on the historic FAR overhaul, with the first four chapters expected to be out for public comment within the next two weeks. He describes the enthusiastic engagement from the acquisition workforce and shares what it will really take to relieve the burden on contracting professionals as agencies rebuild after staffing losses. The show digs into AI's growing role in acquisition, the administration's ambitious executive order agenda, and how GSA has maintained its momentum through the transition to a permanent administrator. Larry also covers the complete overhaul of the Federal Property Management Regulations, a revamp of the Federal Travel Regulations, and drops some breaking per diem news for FY27.  Show Notes:  GSA Office of Government-wide Policy: OGP Overview  GAO: The Nation's Fiscal Health Report  Social Security Trustees: 2026 Annual Report Summary  FISA Section 702: U.S. Intelligence FISA Section 202 Overview  Financial Data Transparency Act: Final Rule Details  FAR Overhaul: RFO  DEI EO 2025: Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing  DEI EO 2026: Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors   Firm-Fixed Price Contracting EO: Promoting Efficiency, Accountability, and Performance in Federal Contracting   GSA: Edward C. Forst Sworn in as GSA Administrator  GSA: Federal Managment Regulation  GSA: Federal Travel Regulation  EO on Gold Standard Science: Restoring Gold Standard Science  House Armed Services Committee: FY27 NDAA House Version  What's on the GovNavigators' Radar?  June 16th:  VeeamOn Tour DC 2026 at Convene, Washington DC (Adam moderating) Defense One Tech Summit, Arlington, Virginia June 22nd:  National Academy of Public Administration Celebrating the American Public Servant Gala, Library of Congress (GovNavigators sponsor) June 23rd:  ACT-IAC Insights to Action for Procurement Market Dynamics (Robert co-moderating) June 24th:  Celonis Process Intelligence Day GovExec SAP NOW 250

  5. Jun 8

    As Close as We Can Get to Breaking News? SIN Launch at Grant QSMO

    This week on the GovNavigators Show, Robert and Adam are joined by Andrea Sampanis, Director of the Grants Quality Service Management Office (Grants QSMO) at HHS, and Stacie Massey, Deputy Director for Grants and Financial Reporting at the Office of Budget and Management for the state of Ohio. Andrea takes us on a deep dive into the new SIN launch for grants management services, walking us through what the new Special Item Number (SIN 518210GM) means for federal agencies and how cooperative purchasing opens it up to state, local, and tribal governments as well. Stacie brings the recipient side of the equation, sharing what it's actually like to manage $11 billion in grants across a patchwork of systems and agencies, and why this SIN changes the game. They also dig into the shift from compliance-heavy grants management to outcomes-focused oversight, the proposed Uniform Grants Regulation and what it means for the field, and why data standards are the foundation everything else is built on. Show Notes: Federal News Network: Grants QSMO Shifting Approach to Meeting Market DemandsOMB: Proposed Uniform Grants Regulation (UGR) — Comments Due July 13, 2026OPM: Policy Career (formerly Schedule F)Policy/Career Executive Order: Implementing Schedule Policy/Career in the Excepted ServiceAI Executive Order: Promoting Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation and SecurityWhat's on the GovNavigator's Radar? June 10–11th: Government Service Delivery 2026 ConferenceJune 11th: GovExec 35th Annual Government Procurement ConferenceJuly 21–23rd: AGA Professional Development Training (PDT)

  6. Jun 1

    Welcome Back, Oracle! Charles Cooper Covers the Midterm Countdown and Congressional Chaos

    This week on The GovNavigators Show, Robert and Adam welcome back Charles Cooper, Managing Director at Brumidi Group and GovNavigators' resident oracle of all things Capitol Hill. With six months until the midterms and a staggering legislative to-do list full of reconciliation, the farm bill, the surface transportation bill, 12 appropriations bills, the NDAA, FISA, and more, Charles breaks down why Congress is already fracturing along election-year fault lines. He explains why the White House and rank-and-file members are increasingly operating on different frequencies, makes his signature bold prediction on a government shutdown, and offers a candid look at what savvy clients are doing right now to position themselves for the lame duck and beyond. He also weighs in on the bipartisan fraud prevention push out of House Oversight and whether momentum can survive the politics. As always, the oracle has spoken. Show Notes: House Oversight Committee: Markup Sweeping Legislation to Stop Fraud in Federal Programs OPM: Draft Rule Eliminating Time-in-Grade Requirement OMB: Cybersecurity Incident Logging Update NDAA: House Armed Services Committee Markup What's on the GovNavigator's Radar? June 3rd:  House Oversight Committee Hearing on Medicaid Fraud June 5th:  Data Foundation 2026 Data Summit June 10-11th: Government Service Delivery 2026 Conference June 11th: GovExec 35th Annual Government Procurement Conference June 16th: VeeamOn Tour DC 2026

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
17 Ratings

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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