The ongoing White House transition is unprecedented because before Donald Trump’s (re)-election in November, Grover Cleveland’s win in 1892 was the last time a president was voted into office with a gap between terms. David Berteau, president and CEO of the Professional Services Council, and his team are fielding many questions on the transition from government contractors they represent as one of their leading trade associations. In this episode, Berteau explains to our Nick Wakeman and Ross Wilkers what contractors are asking the PSC team about and all the key indicators that matter to industry when a new administration moves in. Some priorities are poised to carry over like the CMMC cybersecurity standard, but time will tell if others continue on. The Biden administration also has priorities to work on as it moves out and Berteau goes over those as well. (We recorded this conversation before the final 2025 National Defense Authorization Act's text was released. The reading list below includes coverage of it from our GovExec colleagues.) FY2025 NDAA angles to enhance DOD’s AI and quantum sciences capabilities FY2025 NDAA targets spyware threats to U.S. diplomats, military devices Could Biden’s recent strategy to streamline government hiring be scuttled under Trump? Trump teams to deploy throughout government after reaching agreement with the Biden administration OMB releases federal tech impact report as Biden admin winds down How the federal CIO is prepping for the presidential transition ‘Shock the system’: Startups and DOGE take over Reagan forum Defense officials hopeful incoming administration keeps funding cutting-edge tech
