The Bureau of Prisons’ attempt to “re-terminate” its collective bargaining agreement has been voided. A federal judge ruled that BOP cannot cancel its union contract while a preliminary injunction is holding that contract in place. The ruling comes in a case from the American Federation of Government Employees, which is suing over the cancellation of its agreement with BOP. Here with the latest, Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman.

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Military families with young adult children enrolled in TRICARE are about to face another increase in health insurance costs. Starting in January, monthly premiums for TRICARE Young Adult will rise to nearly $900 for the Prime option and $394 for Select, leaving some families paying more than $10,000 a year just for premiums. Federal News Network’s Rachel Cohen joins us to explain what’s driving these increases, why they’re hitting some families harder than others, and what options are available.

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When Congress returns after the election, lawmakers will face a crowded agenda and a short clock. Leadership decisions, funding deadlines, Senate confirmations and must-pass legislation will all compete for attention during the lame-duck session. We'll walk through how Congress decides what gets done and what gets pushed aside with Loren Duggan of Bloomberg Government.

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Retirees under the Federal Employees Retirement System can receive smaller cost-of-living adjustments than retirees covered by the older Civil Service Retirement System. NARFE continues to push legislation that would close that gap through the Equal COLA Act. We'll discuss that effort and other issues facing federal employees and retirees with John Hatton, staff vice president for policy and programs at the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association.

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Constituent service has long been viewed as helping people solve individual problems. Increasingly, practitioners see it as a source of insight into how government programs are actually performing. We'll talk about that shift and the launch of the Constituent Services Institute with Anne Meeker, founder and executive director of the institute.

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Coming up today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

• A lot can happen in 25 working days. Congress will have to decide what deserves attention first once lawmakers return after the election Inflation affects every retiree, but not all federal retirees receive the same cost-of-living protection
• Inflation affects every retiree, but not all federal retirees receive the same cost-of-living protection
• When citizens run into problems with government programs, congressional caseworkers are often the first to know. Those individual cases can reveal much bigger issues

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Agencies will soon get leeway to promote federal employees more quickly. That’s after the Office of Personnel Management published a final rule eliminating a longstanding “time in grade” requirement. Starting in January, employees will no longer have to serve in their current paygrade for a year before becoming eligible for a promotion. Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman discussed the changes in an exclusive interview with OPM Director Scott Kupor.

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A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pressing the Pentagon to explain how it will obtain cost and pricing data from defense contractors, including for contracts below a $10 million threshold. The lawmakers say recent changes could limit the department’s ability to negotiate fair prices. Federal News Network’s Anastasia Obis has more.

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Many contractors assume cybersecurity enforcement begins after sensitive information is compromised. A recent settlement suggests the government may be focused just as much on whether contractors accurately represent their compliance in the first place. Here to explain what that means is Michael Volkov, CEO of The Volkov Law Group.

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A court has temporarily stopped efforts to close the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. For Congressman Glenn Ivey, the dispute raises broader questions about congressional priorities, agency actions, and preserving the expertise government depends on to carry out its mission. He joins me now.

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For many federal employees, the biggest retirement decision isn't when to retire. It's what to do with the money they've accumulated in the Thrift Savings Plan. To walk through the tradeoffs between staying in the TSP and moving to an IRA, I'm joined by certified financial planner Thiago Glieger of RMG Advisors.

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