The House has passed a $900 bill defense policy bill, which includes a 3.8% pay raise for service members. The must-pass legislation now heads to the Senate. Once it clears the chamber, the bill will go to President Trump for his signature. The bill seeks to streamline the way the Pentagon buys its capabilities. Congressional leaders said the legislation would deliver "the most significant acquisition reforms in a generation." It also fully supports Trump's priorities, including banning all diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the Defense Department and fully funding the department's border security efforts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Recent changes to the Postal Service’s network could mean slower deliveries of prescription drugs in the mail. A study from the Brookings Institution finds 6% of Americans live far away from a brick-and-mortar pharmacy, rely heavily on mail-order prescriptions and live in areas impacted by USPS consolidation. Brookings finds nearly half of all Americans face at least one of those scenarios. USPS this year has been running trucks less often between its processing plants and post offices to transport mail and packages. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The nation’s largest federal employee union is urging Congress to vote against the House rule for the 2026 defense policy bill. The American Federation of Government Employees says negotiators removed a bipartisan House provision that would have restored collective bargaining rights for hundreds of thousands of Defense Department civilian employees. The union says removing that language means the legislation fails to protect basic rights of workers who maintain ships and aircraft and support service members. AFGE is calling on lawmakers to reject the procedural rule and restore the worker protections before the National Defense Authorization Act moves forward.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

More discouraging news for the Pentagon’s prospects of obtaining a clean financial audit by the current 2028 deadline. A new evaluation by the Defense Department inspector general finds the department’s plan to remediate one of its key, longstanding material weaknesses, an inability to keep track of government property in the possession of contractors, doesn’t appear to be working. DoD intended to fix the problem largely by tracking the contractor-managed property in a software module within the Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment. But according to the IG, key DoD leaders haven’t mandated the use of that module, and the military services haven’t updated their own systems to properly interface with it.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

More moves to reorganize the Army take effect today. The new Army Western Hemisphere Command will officially come into being with its headquarters at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The new organization combines the existing U.S. Army North, U.S. Army South and Army Forces Command under one umbrella before those organizations are formally disestablished next October. The new command will also absorb the Army’s 18th Airborne Corps, Air Traffic Services Command and the 1st Army. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Office of Personnel Management is requiring all federal supervisors to enroll in a new training program on performance management. A new memo says the mandatory training will cover how to both reward and discipline employees, as well as how to create effective performance plans. All supervisors are required to complete OPM's new training by February 9, 2026. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal executives may soon see even more changes coming from the Trump administration. The Office of Personnel Management is now encouraging agencies to consider possible reassignments of Senior Executive Service members. In a new memo, OPM argues that the SES has not served as a “mobile corps” of managers, and members are instead being “entrenched” at agencies. The new memo comes after OPM also advised agencies to consider lowering their staffing allocations for senior-level positions.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Most funds in the Thrift Savings Plan saw minimal growth in November with 15 of 16 coming in higher than where they finished in October. But no fund saw an increase greater than 0.64% for the past 30 days. And only the S fund saw a month over month decline, dropping 0.45%. The I Fund remains the biggest winner for the year with a total increase of 28.54%, while four L Funds also produced returns of greater than 20% in 2025.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal agencies are trying to eliminate underutilized space in their buildings. But a watchdog report finds the Postal Service generally isn’t asking those same questions. The USPS inspector general’s office finds the agency hasn’t collected space utilization data for more than 60% of its properties. USPS operates more than 34,000 properties across the country. The IG’s office says that by not collecting this data the agency missed out on an opportunity to save nearly $15 million. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Customer satisfaction with benefits and services provided by the federal government is higher than it’s been in nearly two decades. That’s despite a tumultuous year where agencies have seen a major downsizing of the federal workforce. Scores are higher on average, but the latest scorecard from the American Customer Satisfaction Index does show a few agencies are seeing lower scores. The Office of Personnel Management and the Department of Homeland Security are among the agencies with lower customer experience scores. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Trump administration says it’s finished updating federal employee records to remove some of the negative consequences of this year’s mass firing of probationary employees. Federal agencies say the personnel records have all been updated to reflect the fact that those workers were not fired for performance reasons. That step was ordered by a federal judge, who found agencies wrongly asserted that employees’ terminations were connected to their performance. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Federal Aviation Administration is giving 776 air traffic controllers and technicians a $10,000 bonus for working during the 44-day partial government shutdown. The bonuses will be sent to those employees who maintained perfect attendance during the shutdown. Recipients will receive an automated notification this week and receive their payment no later than December 9. The FAA's decision to offer bonuses to employees follows a similar effort by TSA to reward Transportation Security Officers who also worked during the government shutdown.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

● A new survey finds that nearly every service member living in privatized military housing has experienced serious problems in their home and many of those issues go unresolved. The Change the Air Foundation recently found 97% of service members reported at least one significant problem in their military-provided home, with mold, mildew, and water damage cited most frequently. Out of 3,401 respondents, three-quarters said their family’s health had been negatively impacted by their housing conditions, and nearly half said a medical provider had confirmed the connection.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Army has selected nine installations as potential sites for microreactor power plants under its next-generation Janus nuclear power program. Meanwhile, the Defense Innovation Unit issued a solicitation for commercial advanced nuclear technologies to support the effort. The nine sites the Army identified through comprehensive analysis include Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. The Army said the final number and location for these microreactors will be determined as part of the acquisition process, but the service is committed to maximizing the number of sites.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

U.S. Cyber Command has a new chief artificial intelligence officer. Brig. Gen. Reid Novotny, who was tapped to serve in the role, said his priority will be ensuring that AI strengthens the nation’s cyber forces and improves decision-making advantage. Novotny previously served as the National Guard Bureau’s director of intelligence and cyber effects operations and most recently as the Office of the National Cyber Director’s senior military policy adviser. Novotny steps into the role amid leadership turnover and other turmoil at the military’s top cyber enterprise.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal employees will be able to contribute more to their Thrift Savings Plan accounts next year. The IRS increased the maximum annual contribution limit to $24,500, which is a $1,000 increase over 2025. Additionally, employees aged 50 or older can save more money through their catch-up contributions. And if employees are aged 60 to 63, they can save even more with a higher catch up contribution of $11,250. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A federal union is suing the Trump administration for not handing over a list of employees that agencies might be targeting to remove their job protections. The new lawsuit from the National Treasury Employees Union alleges that the Office of Personnel Management violated the Freedom of Information Act by not providing those details. The union’s legal action comes after the Trump administration earlier this year revived an effort to make large portions of the federal workforce at-will and easier to fire. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is trying to save the Navy Reserve Center system. They say THE provision in the Senate version of the fiscal 2026 defense policy bill would shutter 107 commands that provide administrative support and serve as home for approximately 48,000 Navy reservists across the country. In a letter to the House and Senate Armed Services committees, the lawmakers said if the Navy has issues with the current force structure, the service should identify those issues, present them to Congress along with their plans to fix them. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With the shutdown now officially over, the White House isn't waiting to get things back and running. The Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum instructing federal employees who had been furloughed to return to work today, and to take all necessary steps to ensure that offices open in a prompt and orderly manner. The Government Publishing Office even took to X to direct all teammates they should report to their duty stations and contact supervisors with questions.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transgender Air Force and Space Force service members are suing the Trump administration for rescinding pensions that had been previously granted by the Air Force secretary. President Trump issued an executive order in January that banned transgender people from serving in the military. In June, the Air Force approve retirement orders for the Airmen named in the lawsuit, but two months later the service reversed the course, informing Airmen, each with at least 15 years of service, that they would be separated without retirement benefits under the ban. The lawsuit argues that revoking those retirement orders violates Air Force policies and procedures. Transgender service members affected by this will lose an estimated $1 to $2 million over the course of their lifetimes, the lawsuit says. It will also strip them of lifetime access to TRICARE health coverage. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Open Season has officially begun. Enrollees in the Federal Employees Health Benefits program have between now and December 8th to make changes to their health plan options. The open enrollment period also applies for Postal Service employees, as well as those with dental and vision coverage. For plan year 2026, federal employees’ health insurance premiums are rising by an average of 12%.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Treasury Department is officially suspending Direct File, a free, online tax filing platform the IRS launched last year. The department says it’s exploring alternatives. That includes strengthening its partnership with tax preparation companies through its Free File program. Direct File expanded to 25 states during this year’s filing season and saw higher favorability scores. But Treasury says the program cost too much and didn’t see enough usage to keep scaling it up. It says the IRS spent more than $40 million on Direct File this year. That breaks down to nearly $140 for every return submitted using Direct File. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Agencies would be required to disclose when artificial intelligence replaces a federal job under a bipartisan bill in the Senate. Senators Mark Warner and Josh Hawley announced the AI-Related Job Impacts Clarity Act yesterday. The bill would require major companies and agencies to report AI-related job effects, including layoffs and job displacement, to the Labor Department. Labor would also be required to compile data on AI-related job effects and publish a report to Congress and the public. The legislation comes amid rising concerns about AI’s impact on the job market.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As Open Season approaches, one Republican is raising concerns about funding for the Federal Employees Health Benefits program. Oklahoma Senator James Lankford is questioning the Office of Personnel Management on how it plans to avoid exhausting the FEHB’s trust fund. He says it’s a concern, since there aren’t any incoming contributions to the trust fund under the government shutdown. In response to Lankford’s questions, OPM said that if needed, it would be able to let health carriers request additional funding from contingency reserves. But for the time being, OPM says all FEHB plans have sufficient funds to pay claims.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Funds in the Thrift Savings Plan continue bring back strong returns month over month. In October, all 15 funds increased over their September numbers. The C and I funds were the top earners, returning 2.34% and 2.13%, respectively in October. The G, F and L income fund were the only funds to garner returns of less than 1%. Year to date, 13 of 15 funds are returning more than 10% with the I fund coming in at just over 28%.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Colorado’s attorney general is suing the Trump administration over its decision to move U.S. Space Command headquarters from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Alabama. Attorney General Phil Weiser filed the lawsuit last week, arguing the president’s move is unconstitutional and violates federal law requiring notices and reports to Congress before relocating a major military headquarters. Weiser said President Donald Trump openly admitted the move was meant to punish Colorado for its mail-in voting system. The lawsuit also names Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Department of the Air Force and Air Force Secretary Troy Meink as plaintiffs.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Plans to keep the FBI’s new headquarters in the District of Columbia are moving ahead in Congress. Republicans on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee advanced the Trump administration’s proposal to move the FBI to the Ronald Reagan Building just blocks away from the crumbling J. Edgar Hoover Building. The Biden administration planned to relocate the FBI headquarters to Greenbelt, Maryland.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The second-longest government shutdown is projected to put a toll on the U-S economy. The Congressional Budget Office expects the shutdown will take a $7 billion hit to the economy, so far. That sum would climb to $14 billion if it drags on for another month. About 750,000 federal employees are currently furloughed and many others are working without pay. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board is reminding federal employees of their current options for loans. All loans from the Thrift Savings Plan remain in good standing during a government shutdown, even if participants don’t make payments on time. The TSP board has also received recent feedback from participants on its loan program, with some calling it a “true lifesaver.” Others say the TSP loan and withdrawal options have relieved at least some of their stress. TSP operations continue as usual during an appropriations lapse, since the TSP board is not funded by Congress.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The government shutdown is putting loans from the Small Business Administration on hold. SBA estimates that $170 million in loans have been paused each day. That adds up to more than $4.5 billion dollars over the length of the shutdown. SBA paid out more than $45 billion in loans to 85,000 small business in fiscal 2025. That’s a record high for the agency. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Department of the Air Force is opening up its unused land across five military bases to private companies to build artificial intelligence centers. A request for lease proposals posted last week follows President Donald Trump’s executive order to use federally owned land and resources to quickly build AI data centers. In addition, the Air Force said the service “cannot afford to disregard or discount the value of any asset, and must optimize the real and potential value of those assets.” Each project must be valued at more than $500 million and require at least 100 megawatts of power to qualify. Companies can lease property on Air Force bases in Tennessee, California, Arizona, New Jersey and Georgia. The government can purchase services and power from the centers but it’s not required to do so. Proposals are due by November 14.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The number of federal employees exiting the government this year continues to grow. The Partnership for Public Service has added thousands more to its running tally of how many feds have left their jobs since January. The latest estimate surpasses 211,000 employees who are either already gone, or who may exit soon. The organization says the increase comes from the layoffs agencies announced earlier this month ... although those are being temporarily blocked. There were also some updated numbers on how many Defense Department personnel have taken a deferred resignation. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The vast majority of employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs keep working during a government shutdown. But VA Secretary Doug Collins says more than 30,000 of the department’s employees have been furloughed. That’s about double what the VA outlined in its latest contingency plans. Collins says the VA will have to furlough more staff from VA’s central office next week if the shutdown continues. He’s calling on Democratic lawmakers to pass a stopgap spending bill to end the shutdown. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The current shutdown is taking a toll on air traffic controllers. In response to a recent union survey, 700 employees working in air traffic control jobs detailed stories of financial difficulties, like turning to local food banks, canceling medical treatments and seeking part-time jobs. The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, or “PASS,” says those hardships can carry over into the workday. The longer the shutdown goes, the more air traffic controllers feel their anxiety and stress levels rise. The union warns that can be a big distraction on the job. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hawaii, Alaska and New Mexico are among the states being hit hardest by the partial government shutdown. A new report by WalletHub, a personal finance company, ranked the impact of the shutdown across all 50 states and Washington D.C., across five key metrics, including each state’s share of federal jobs to federal contract dollars per capita to national park access. WalletHub found Washington, D.C. is being impacted the most with a score of 76.33 out of 100, as 25% of all jobs are related the government. Hawaii and New Mexico earned scores of 71 each, respectively. Minnesota, Indiana and Iowa are the three states at the bottom of the list, scoring 15 or below out of 100. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

House Judiciary Committee Democrats have launched a new website for federal watchdogs. That comes after the Trump administration pulled funding for the Council on Inspectors General for Integrity and Efficiency. CIGIE had provided website infrastructure services for at least 28 inspectors general offices. The Judiciary committee’s website provides report repository and hotline contact information for IG offices that relied on CIGIE’s funding. Many of the IG offices have set up temporary websites while Democrats in Congress have pressed the White House to restore CIGIE’s funding. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

More resources for federal employees during the shutdown are continuing to pop up. Several credit unions are offering no-fee loans to furloughed federal employees. Local food banks are offering options for those who may need it. And feds who have been laid off this year can also get a $2,000 loan – with no fees and no interest – from the Federal Employees Education and Assistance Fund. The offerings come as hundreds of thousands of federal employees face missed paychecks for the foreseeable future. Civilian feds received a partial paycheck late last week – it will be their last payday until the shutdown ends. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Democrats are demanding that the White House follow a 2019 law to ensure back pay for furloughed employees after the government shutdown. In a letter to the Office of Management and Budget, House and Senate lawmakers wrote that the law is clear: Furloughed employees are owed back pay, just as excepted employees are. The letter comes after OMB questioned whether the law actually guaranteed pay for furloughed feds. OMB’s legal opinion, though, quickly received backlash from lawmakers, unions and other employee organizations.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Army’s Human Resources Command has developed an internal AI chatbot called “Ask HR” — the chatbot will enter beta testing once the government is funded. The bot has access to Army regulations, Military Personnel Messages and other HR data, which allows soldiers to quickly find information. The new tool is part of a broader effort to create a “digital front door” for human resources, which combines the Army’s existing call center and online services to improve the overall soldier experience. Army officials also said they are also exploring the use of generative AI to identify talent more quickly and improve officer retention. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s latest mass layoffs will make their case to a federal judge tomorrow. The administration sent RIF notices to more than 4,000 federal employees last week. Government employee unions say reduction-in-force procedures are normally prohibited during a shutdown and that the Trump administration gave unlawful orders to exempt RIF activities. The Supreme Court this summer allowed the Trump administration to proceed with earlier mass layoffs across the federal workforce.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Pentagon is making the reinstatement process smoother for service members who were booted from the military over the COVID vaccine. In a new memo, the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness said applicants seeking reinstatement now receive special-category VIP treatment. That includes notifying commanders in advance of their arrival, getting priority processing at Military Entrance Processing Stations and an assigned escort to expedite their screening. In addition, the department will proactively review personnel records and discharge characterizations for service members involuntarily separated solely due to COVID-19 vaccine refusal. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The number of federal employees filing retirement claims in September was the lowest all year. Just over 6,300 employees submitted their retirement paperwork to the Office of Personnel Management. At the same time, OPM also processed the fewest number of current claims in September, just over 7,900.  Despite the lower number of claims, OPM says it took six days longer, on average, in September than in August to process claims. The current retirement claims backlog is at 23,500, which dropped for the fourth straight month.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The number of so-called TSP millionaires is continuing to go up. As of October 1st, nearly 190,000 participants in the Thrift Savings Plan have accounts totaling over $1 million. That’s about 2.6 percent of all TSP accounts across the board. It also means roughly 19,000 more feds have crossed the million-dollar threshold in the last three months. Most TSP millionaires have spent decades investing in their accounts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Senate Democrats are charging the Department of Government Efficiency is putting federal data at risk at the Social Security Administration, the General Services Administration and the Office of Personnel Management. In a new report, Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, says staff investigations and whistleblower accounts show how DOGE personnel are working without any accountability to agency leadership, Congressional oversight or the public. For example, Peters says despite an SSA risk assessment warning of an up to a 65% chance of catastrophic breach, the data remains in systems without any verified security controls. Peters called on SSA, GSA and OPM to immediately halt DOGE operations and access to information systems given the risk of a serious data breach.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The White House is warning of the potential for spillover effects into the broader economy because of the government shutdown, now entering its second week. The White House's Council of Economic Advisers says calculations based on the number of federal employees and federal contractors not being paid imply that a month-long shutdown would reduce consumer spending by $30 billion. The CEA says approximately half of which would directly be due to federal employees and contractors not working and half would be due to spillover effects on other sectors. More broadly, CEA says delays in agency processes ranging from small business loans to export licenses approvals to awarding federal contracts also would negatively impact the U.S. economy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, federal employee unions are moving against an unprecedented actions during a government shutdownSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, the Thrift Savings Plan continues its run of month-over-month gains. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, the Trump administration is facing another lawsuit — this time, for telling agencies to conduct more reductions in force. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, with the government on the brink of a partial shutdown, one senator is pushing the Trump administration to be more transparent about what agency services will remain open should funding lapse.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, the White House is officially making AI one of its science and technology priorities. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The White House says the public will have to look at each individual agency to find out their plans for what would happen in a government shutdown. The Office of Management and Budget’s webpage which normally publishes shutdown contingency plans remained empty for months. But now, OMB says that agencies’ plans will only be available one by one, on each agency’s own website. Those contingency plans cover how many federal employees would continue working — with or without pay — during a possible shutdown. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The National Guard has surpassed its recruiting goals for fiscal 2025. The Army and Air National Guard have enlisted nearly 50,000 new members this year, bringing total Guard end strength to more than 433,000. Senior leaders attributed this year’s success to initiatives such as the Future Soldier Preparatory Course and the new “Uncommon is Calling” marketing campaign for helping attract new members. Army Col. Timothy Smith also praised recruiters across every state, three territories, and the District of Columbia for helping the Guard meet its recruitment goals.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Agencies are bracing for a potential government shutdown, with less than a week left for Congress to reach a spending agreement. But so far, agencies have not released any public plans for what would happen in a shutdown. Agencies are supposed to release contingency plans, detailing which employees would keep working, and who would be furloughed. Currently, though, the White House’s website for listing those plans is blank. The Trump administration removed previous contingency plans that agencies had compiled during a shutdown threat last year.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Army is rolling out a new incentive to keep some of its most experienced technical experts in uniform. A warrant officer retention bonus will offer a “substantial financial incentive” to officers in critical specialties who commit to additional years of service. High-demand fields like cyber operations, aviation maintenance, signal and communications and special operations are identified as priorities for the program. Lt. Col. Angie Chipman, chief of the Army retention division at the Pentagon, said, The Army is addressing its most pressing retention challenges and ensuring its ability to meet future operational demands by focusing on these fields.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There is a push in Congress to expand the use of hazard pay for federal wildland firefighters. Utah Congresswoman Celeste Maloy has introduced a bill attempting to correct what she says is a gap in the benefit. Currently, wildland firefighters receive higher pay rates, called hazard pay, when fighting active fires. But hazard pay doesn’t apply to situations where firefighters are conducting prescribed burns or doing training jumps. Maloy says firefighters face similar hazards in those additional situations — but their pay rates don’t currently match the risk.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Yesterday’s Senate vote confirming nearly 50 of the president’s nominees included some big gains for the Army — filling most of that service’s senior political leadership posts all at once. Among those confirmed was Michael Obadal as the new under secretary of the Army, the service’s number-two civilian leadership position. The en-bloc vote also included confirmations for three Army assistant secretaries: William Gillis as the assistant secretary for energy, installations and environment, Jules Hurst as the assistant secretary for manpower and reserve affairs, and Brent Ingraham as the assistant secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The departments of Interior and Agriculture say they are on track to combine their wildland firefighting forces into a single agency by January 2026. The announcement this week comes after President Trump ordered the two departments to consolidate their wildfire response efforts into a single agency: the U.S. Wildland Fire Service. An employee organization called the Grassroots Wildland Firefighters says the effort is a step in the right direction, but is urging congressional action to make lasting changes for federal firefighters.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Congress is considering exempting some federal employees from losing their union protections. The version of the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act that cleared the House would let DoD civilian workers keep their collective bargaining rights. The provision in the House’s NDAA comes in response to President Trump’s broad cancelation of collective bargaining earlier this year. The proposed exemption for DoD civilian employees, however, is not contained in the Senate’s version of the NDAA. The American Federation of Government Employees is calling on senators this week to include the same exemption in their companion bill. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A government watchdog found that the Department of Defense’s Transportation Command did not have sufficient and comprehensive data about its Global Household Goods contract, which was canceled in June. The Government Accountability Office found that TRANSCOM officials were aware of the contractor’s capability constraints, but had limited information and could not verify whether the company could handle the volume of moves. The watchdog also said the Defense Department did not gather or track comprehensive feedback from service members going through military moves, which limited contractor performance assessment. In addition, TRANSCOM did not have full information regarding costs associated with the contract transition.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nine Senate Democrats are calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement to halt its use of a mobile facial recognition application. In a letter to ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, the lawmakers ask for more details on ICE’s Mobile Fortify app. The technology reportedly allows ICE to identify individuals they encounter on the streets using multiple federal databases. The Senate lawmakers say ICE should answer questions about whether it’s using the app to surveil protestors and whether the agency is integrating commercial data into the technology. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal pay caps are contributing to ongoing recruitment and retention challenges in the Defense Department’s blue-collar workforce. A new report from the Government Accountability Office has found that multiple DoD installations are struggling to keep employees in the Federal Wage System, due to longstanding pay limitations set by Congress. GAO also pointed to evidence that the pay rates for blue-collar federal employees have deviated from pay rates in the larger labor market, making it even harder for DoD to compete with the private sector.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The House passed its version of the 2026 defense policy bill, which includes a 3.8% pay bump for service members. House Republicans pushed the bill through largely without Democratic support after adding conservative provisions and blocking debates Democrats sought on issues like expanding the use of the military inside the country. House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith, who voted against the bill, said the GOP included “countless partisan amendments” and “silenced debate of critical issues.” The annual legislation also includes sweeping acquisition reforms aimed at changing how the Pentagon does business. The Senate is expected to pass its version of the defense bill later this week. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Pentagon has published the final acquisition rule implementing the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program. The rule, released in yesterday’s Federal Register will allow Defense Department procurements to include CMMC assessment requirements. The assessments are intended to ensure defense contractors are following cybersecurity standards for protecting controlled unclassified information. The Pentagon estimates 80,000 defense contractors may be required to obtain a CMMC assessment. Officials plan to phase in the requirements over a three-year period.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal employees, on average, are waiting longer to see their retirement applications processed. New data from the Office of Personnel Management for August shows it takes an average of 70 days to process a claim from a retiring fed. But if retirement claims are coming to OPM in less than 60 days, those cases take, on average, 45 days to complete. At the same time, OPM received more than 9,400 retirement claims last month. OPM's backlog of retirement claims dropped by 2,000 to 24,300. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Energy Department is being sued over its plan to purge old Freedom of Information Act requests. The nonprofit group American Oversight filed the suit in U.S. District Court last week. It challenges DOE’s effort to require individuals to re-confirm their interest in FOIA requests. In an August notice in the Federal Register, DOE announced that those with a FOIA request submitted prior to October 1, 2024, must email the agency within 30 days to keep the request open. American Oversight argues the move violates the law and would open the door for other agencies to sidestep their obligations under FOIA. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal employees at the Department of Health and Human Services are calling for the resignation of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. A letter signed by more than 1,000 HHS workers warns that Kennedy’s actions this year have endangered the nation’s health. Most recently, Kennedy fired the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The employees say the secretary has also been spreading inaccurate health information. Earlier this year, HHS laid off thousands of employees in a reduction in force.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The House Homeland Security Committee wants to reauthorize and reform the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015. The law expires at the end of this month. On Wednesday, the committee passed a bill that would extend the law for another 10 years. It would also update the law to account for advances in artificial intelligence and require the Department of Homeland Security to improve its outreach on emerging cyber threats. The bill is advancing in the House, but its path forward in the Senate remains unclear as the law’s expiration nears.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

All 16 funds in the Thrift Savings Plan posted positive results in August. New data from the Federal Thrift Investment Retirement Board shows that the S fund had the largest month over month increase of just over 4%, while the I fund also continued its strong performance. Every fund is positive year-to-date with 11 funds posting double digit returns for 2025. The I fund continues to earn the biggest returns with a 21.5% gain for this year while all the L funds are seeing returns over 10% over the last eight months. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security are teaming up to enforce compliance with trade laws. DHS and DoJ have launched a Trade Fraud Task Force to pursue enforcement actions those who try to evade tariffs and other duties. The cross-agency group will rely on the Tariff Act of 1930, the False Claims Act, and Title 18’s trade fraud and conspiracy provisions. The task force is asking for tips from any domestic industries that are harmed by unfair trade practices and trade fraud. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

An appeals court might be reconsidering its recent decision that sided with the Trump administration in orders to terminate federal union contracts. One of the judges on that appeals court panel has called for a vote to decide whether to re-hear arguments in a lawsuit against the White House’s orders. The American Federation of Government Employees is suing the administration, arguing that Trump’s directive to end collective bargaining retaliates against unions that have exercised their First Amendment rights. Attorneys for AFGE and the Trump administration have until Sept. 15 to submit arguments on whether or not the case should be re-heard. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is warning about another China-linked cyber espionage campaign. In a joint advisory yesterday, CISA and partner agencies said Chinese state-sponsored actors are exploiting vulnerabilities in routers used by telecommunications providers and other infrastructure operators. They say the campaign’s goal is to gain long-term access to critical infrastructure networks around the world. The advisory includes several recommendations to guard against the hacking spree. The threat groups highlighted in the advisory include Salt Typhoon and other advanced persistent threat actors. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Veterans Affairs says it’s now guaranteed 29 million home loans for service members and veterans. That’s more than $4 trillion dollars in loans issued over the history of the program. More than four million service members and veterans have active home loans guaranteed by the VA. The department’s Home Loan Guaranty Program began in 1944 as part of the G.I. Bill of RightsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After a high-profile hack, Senator Ron Wyden is calling for an independent review of cybersecurity in the U.S. courts system. In a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts, Wyden says the federal Judiciary has fallen short in protecting its sensitive IT systems. He pointed to a recent intrusion of the courts’ case management system. Hackers reportedly took advantage of vulnerabilities that were brought to light five years ago after a separate hack of the case management system. Wyden says Roberts should commission a National Academy of Sciences review of the two security incidents. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

House committee Democrats are raising alarms about the Agriculture Department’s relocation and reorganization plans. In a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, lawmakers from the Education and Workforce Committee warned that USDA’s plans would lead to worsening services. They’re calling on Rollins to explain the rationale for relocating thousands of USDA employees in the D.C. area. They’re also pressing for answers on which, if any, officials or stakeholders USDA consulted with before moving forward with its plans. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Senate will vote on its version of the 2026 defense policy bill on Sept. 2. The House has not yet scheduled a floor vote on its version of the National Defense Authorization Act, though the House Committee on Rules has set an Aug. 28 deadline for lawmakers to file NDAA amendments. The Senate bill authorizes nearly $925 billion for national defense, while the House version aligns with the White House’s $883 billion request. Congress has passed the NDAA every year for the past 64 years.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A new House bill would reverse cuts at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The FEMA Critical Staffing Act would require the agency to reinstate employees fired under the Trump administration. It would also require FEMA to bring back the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program and the flood mitigation assistance program. The bill is being sponsored by several House Democrats. It comes as Congress and the Trump administration consider broader reforms to FEMA. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal employees traveling for business will not see an increase in the rates the government will pay for hotels, meals and incidentals in fiscal 2026. The General Services Administration says the per diem rates for the continental United States will stay the same for next fiscal year. GSA says the decision not to increase the rates reflects the government’s commitment to being a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars, ensuring that federal funds are utilized appropriately, cost-effectively and for core mission-related activities. The standard rate applies to most of CONUS, which for lodging is $110 dollars. There are 296 non-standard areas with individual rates that are higher than the standard rate. The meals and incidental rates range from $59 to $92.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Air Force has paused some permanent change of station moves due to personnel budget shortfalls. It’s unclear how many Airmen are affected, but the delay only applies to moves within the United States and does not impact Space Force Guardians, reservists, Guard members, and Airmen relocating overseas. Earlier this spring, the service also delayed issuing some retirement and separation orders due to similar budget constraints. In May, the Defense Department instructed the service branches to develop a plan to reduce permanent change of station “discretionary move” budgets.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Employees from the Department of Veterans Affairs are rallying across the country today in protest of the Trump administration’s changes to the VA. The agency workers, who are represented by a range of federal unions, warn that staffing reductions and erosion of collective bargaining at the VA will hurt the agency’s ability to support veterans. The rallies come after the VA canceled virtually all of its union contracts last week. VA union members are gathering in more than 10 cities today to sound the alarm and press the Trump administration to reverse course.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Veterans Affairs is setting a new record for the number of disability and pension claims processed in a single year. The VA has gone through more than two and a half million claims so far in fiscal 2025, surpassing last year’s total. The department says it’s shrunk the claims backlog by 37% since President Donald Trump took office. The backlog increased under the Biden administration when more veterans became eligible for VA benefits under the toxic-exposure PACT Act. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A federal appeals court is giving the Department of Government Efficiency access to sensitive data at several agencies. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit overturned a lower court’s ruling that barred DOGE from accessing records at the Treasury Department … the Education Department … and the Office of Personnel Management. Appeals court judges ruling in favor of DOGE cited a recent Supreme Court ruling … that allowed DOGE officials access to Social Security Administration data on millions of Americans. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Administrative Office of the United States Courts says it’s strengthening cyber protections after hackers hit the Judiciary's electronic case management system. The Judiciary says most documents are already available to the public, but that it’s putting in place more rigorous procedures to restrict access to sensitive documents under carefully controlled and monitored circumstances. Politico reported last week that a sweeping cyber intrusion may have exposed sensitive court data across multiple U.S. states. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal employees’ COVID-19 vaccination status will soon no longer appear on their personnel documents. The Trump administration is directing agencies to scrub vaccination information from federal HR files. That includes erasing any instances of employees not complying with vaccine mandates, or requesting exemptions from any mandates. The Office of Personnel Management says no information related to vaccines can be used in decisions on hiring, promotions, discipline or terminations. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

House Democrats are pushing for details on the Department of Agriculture’s major relocation plans. The lawmakers say testimony from USDA leadership last month did not clarify how well the agency had planned ahead before announcing the relocations. The agency also failed to estimate how many employees would leave their jobs as a result of the move, according to the Congress members. In a letter to USDA, the Democrats requested the agency turn over all documents and communications related to the relocation plans.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal employees submitting their retirement paperwork may have to wait longer to get their claims processed. The Office of Personnel Management reported that during July, it took the agency 59 days, on average, to process a federal employee’s retirement package from start to finish. That’s two weeks longer, on average, than it took OPM to work through cases in June. Another 8,300 federal employees sent their retirement paperwork to OPM last month. All combined, that adds up to nearly 37,000 feds who have submitted a retirement claim since April. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There’s a growing effort in Congress to enhance whistleblower protections for FBI employees. A new bill from Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, if enacted, would expand several portions of the existing whistleblower protections at the FBI. For one, the legislation would protect FBI agents who appeal adverse personnel decisions. The bill would also secure protections for agents who cooperate in whistleblower investigations. Grassley says his bill comes in response to what he described as whistleblower retaliation during the Biden administration.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Defense Department is planning on reorganizing and reducing the size of the staff that supports the Defense Technical Information Center or DTIC. The Pentagon says through a reduction-in-force effort, DTIC will cut 40 civilian positions. It expects the RIF notices to go out by August 25. Additionally, Silvana Rubino-Hallman, who is the acting administrator of DTIC, will conduct a zero-based core mission review for all contractor personnel augmenting DTIC staff and will direct contracting officers to issue any stop-work-orders as appropriate. DoD expects the RIF and reorganization to save more than $25 million per year. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal employees saw their retirements account grow across 14 of 16 funds in the Thrift Savings Plan in July. But the rate of growth for most of the funds was under 1% as compared to June. New data from TSP shows only the S and C funds increased month over month by more than 1%. Only two of the funds, F and I, ended up lower in July than in June, but again only by less than 1%. For the year, every fund is showing positive returns with the I fund leading the way with a return of almost 17%. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Veterans Affairs is getting a new permanent watchdog. The Senate confirmed senior VA advisor Cheryl Mason to serve as the next VA inspector general. President Trump fired the last VA inspector general, Michael Missal, in January along with 16 other agency IGs. Mason previously served as the first woman to chair the Board of Veterans Appeals.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In honor of National Whistleblower Day, the Office of Special Counsel is recognizing two federal employees with outstanding public servant awards. The two whistleblowers who earned this year’s award come from the Mine Safety and Health Administration. The employees had reported over 50 active mines in the Pacific that hadn’t been inspected since 2016 due to a clerical error. From the whistleblowers’ actions, it became clear the agency had incorrectly classified the mines as abandoned and inaccurately reported complete inspections. OSC’s whistleblower awards are issued each year in celebration of the first whistleblower protection law, dating back to 1778. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is getting new permanent leadership. The Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s pick Susan Monarez to serve as CDC director. She’ll be the CDC’s first director without a medical degree in more than 70 years. CDC laid off about 2,400 employees in April. But the agency reinstated about a third of them. Nearly 600 employees took voluntary incentives to leave the agency and will be off its rolls by the end of the year.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Transportation Security Administration wants to use artificial intelligence and other private sector technologies to streamline airport screening. Under a recent request for information, TSA asked for feedback on turnkey solutions that could be used at airport checkpoints. The deadline to respond is August 1. The RFI was issued through TSA’s Screening Partnership Program, which allows airports to contract for private security screening services. TSA says it’s particularly interested in tech that can reduce manual labor and improve the passenger experience.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Thrift Savings Plan closed out the month of June with just over $1 trillion dollars in assets, across 7.2 million TSP participants. Officials on the TSP board say that high number shows a strong level of trust among participants in the TSP. Board officials are also reporting high levels of satisfaction among TSP participants. For the last 12 months, more than 93% of TSP users have consistently said they’re satisfied with the TSP's offerings. Satisfaction among callers to the TSP’s customer service phone line also remain high.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A bill expanding veterans’ access to non-VA health care is making its way through Congress. The House VA Committee advanced the Veterans' ACCESS Act. The bill would make it easier for veterans covered by the VA to seek heath care in the private sector and would create an online patient self-service scheduling system. Committee Chairman Mike Bost says the bill would help veterans avoid waiting for medical appointments.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Employees at the National Science Foundation are pushing back against the Trump administration’s actions at the agency. Nearly 150 NSF employees signed a letter of dissent this week. They’re criticizing the administration’s terminations of agency workers, while also cutting appropriated funding. Altogether, the NSF employees warn that the administration’s actions amount to a “systemic dismantling” of the scientific agency. NSF’s letter mirrors similar efforts from employees at NASA, the Environmental Protection Agency and several others.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Office of Management and Budget has until Wednesday to turn the lights back on for one of its key public spending transparency websites. In March, OMB shut down its Congressionally-mandated database that tracks the apportionment of funds to individual agencies, saying it didn’t believe it should have to provide “predecisional” information. On Monday, a federal judge found that decision violated the law, and gave the Trump administration until 10 a.m. on Wednesday to restore the Public Apportionments Database.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Government Accountability Office processed more than 5,700 allegations through its fraud hotline last year. That’s according to the latest annual report on GAO’s FraudNet program. FraudNet referred more than 2,100 allegations to federal agencies or other entities for further investigation, roughly the same number of referrals as in 2023. FraudNet analysts also supported more than 50 requests from GAO teams conducting audits and investigations. That includes helping GAO identify healthcare providers who were ineligible to work for the Defense Department’s TRICARE Network. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is offering retired ICE employees as much as a $50,000 signing bonus to return to the job. The agency is recruiting both deportation officers and special agents. ICE received $8 billion under the Big Beautiful Bill to hire 10,000 new officers over the next four years. ICE says it has a Dual Compensation Waiver to hire retired annuitants on a term-limited basis. Re-employed annuitants will receive both their full basic annuity and full salary. But annuity supplements and Social Security benefits may be reduced depending on an individual’s salary. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Trump administration is creating a new classification for non-career employees. President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing Schedule G that would let agencies hire non-career employees who engage in policy-making or policy-advocating work. These employees would leave their position when the president's term is over. The EO says Schedule G will improve operations, particularly in agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs, by streamlining appointments for key policy roles. Current authorities under Schedule C or the new Schedule Policy/Career do not provide for non-career appointments to policy-making or policy-advocating roles. The White House says this leaves a gap in federal hiring categories.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hackers connected to China extensively compromised a U.S. state’s Army National Guard network starting last March. That’s according to a June intelligence memo from the Department of Homeland Security. It details the “Salt Typhoon” group’s intrusion into National Guard networks and subsequent theft of sensitive data. DHS says Salt Typhoon’s successful hack could undermine National Guard’s efforts to protect American critical infrastructure. The group has been connected to intrusions into U.S. mobile networks and the hacking of dozens of high-profile U.S. officials. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

June saw the third largest number of federal employees retire in calendar year 2025. More than 13,400 feds submitted their paperwork. At the same time, the average number of days to process retirement paperwork dropped to 45, the lowest number since February and the second lowest in the last 18 months. OPM’s backlog of retirement claims stands just over 26 thousand, the highest level since October 2023. In all, 70,351 employees retired in the first six months of 2025 as compared to 56,756 employees who left federal service during the first six months of 2024. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The head of the effort to fix the security clearance process is retiring. David Cattler, the director of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, is retiring after more than 35 years of federal service. Cattler will step down from his role on September 30th. He has been director of DCSA for almost 18 months. Before he retires, Cattler will complete a major reorganization of the agency, which will help further reduce the backlog of security clearances. As of May, DCSA says it has decreased the backlog by 17% in 2025 alone. Along with DCSA, Cattler served in various leadership roles in the intelligence community, including on the National Security Council, with the Defense Intelligence Agency and on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The agency says a successor has not yet be named. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The number of so-called TSP millionaires is on the rise. As of June, more than 171,000 participants in the Thrift Savings Plan have accounts totaling over $1 million. That’s a little over 2% of all TSP accounts across the board. It also means roughly 24,000 more feds have crossed the million-dollar threshold in the last three months. Most TSP millionaires have spent decades investing in their accounts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Office of Personnel Management has detailed the federal workplace changes that should already be in effect, in response to President Trump’s orders on “gender ideology” from January. Agencies were required to cancel any diversity-related training programs and disband employee resource groups that focused on gender inclusion. Federal employees also had to remove pronouns from their email signatures. The White House says the requirements are meant to combat what it calls “gender ideology extremism.” But advocates of diversity, equity and inclusion say the new policies are harmful to transgender and non-binary employees. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Former federal employees have a new opportunity to study the Trump administration’s impacts on the civil service. The non-profit Democracy Forward has launched a new civil service fellowship program. Throughout the program’s inaugural year, fellows will be tasked with researching the impacts of the Trump administration’s cuts. It's currently seeking applicants with experience working in the federal government.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Public sector retirees impacted by the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset should see their benefits fully updated by November. The majority of affected beneficiaries already began receiving their increased monthly benefit amounts in April. But the Social Security Administration says it’s still working through some of the more complex cases. The Social Security Fairness Act, signed into law in early January, eliminated both the WEP and GPO. The two longstanding Social Security provisions had been reducing or eliminating benefits for many public sector annuitants.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Agencies will have to wait until another three months before they can start hiring employees again. The Trump administration has extended its governmentwide hiring freeze until mid-October. The freeze had previously been expected to lift next week. The hiring freeze doesn’t apply to military members, or civilian positions dealing with immigration enforcement, national security or public safety. It’s the White House’s second extension of the freeze since President Trump's order on his first day in office. By the time the freeze lifts, agencies will have been barred from hiring for nine months.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The FBI is being urged to step up its efforts to protect government officials from mobile cyber threats. In a new letter to the bureau, Senator Ron Wyden says its current spyware guidance isn’t enough to protect against advanced cyber tools. He pointed to how spyware has been found on the phones of dozens of government employees.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal employees retirement savings grew at a healthy rate last month. New data from the Thrift Savings Plan shows all 15 funds saw higher rates of return in June as compared to May. Investors in the C and S funds were among biggest winners, seeing over a 5% rate of return for June. All the Lifecycle funds also posted a higher returns last month with the L 2055, L 2060 and L 2065 all seeing returns over 4.6%. Year to date, the big winner is the I Fund with a return rate of over 18%.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Senate Republicans want to limit the size of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. A new bill led by Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton would cap ODNI at 650 full-time staff. ODNI started out the year with roughly 1,800 employees. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard says she has already reduced ODNI’s staff by roughly 25% since then. Cotton’s legislation would deepen the cuts by eliminating several ODNI organizations including the National Counterintelligence and Security Center and the National Intelligence University. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Small Business Administration is launching an investigation into the 8(a) business development program seeking to root out possible fraud. SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler ordered the full-scale audit after a Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation uncovered a years-long fraud and bribery scheme involving a former federal contracting officer and two 8(a) contractors. SBA's Office of General Contracting and Business Development will lead the audit, starting with reviewing high-dollar ad limited competition contracts. The review will go back 15 years and work with other agencies, which awarded 8(a) contracts. The Justice Department found recently $550 million in contracts were fraudulently steered through bribery and abuse of a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) contracting officer, including to one 8(a) contractor who was officially flagged by USAID as lacking “honesty or integrity."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Senate is moving closer to finalizing the GOP’s reconciliation bill. And a few provisions affecting federal employees remain on the table. One proposal that was partially struck down would have made new federal hires choose between at-will employment and a 10% increase in retirement contributions. But even after a decision from the Senate parliamentarian, the provision could still include a 5% across-the-board retirement contribution increase. The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association is urging lawmakers to remove the remaining federal workforce proposals, which it says will negatively impact employees. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A bipartisan bill to revise the rules for federal workers’ compensation cases unanimously advanced out of a House committee this week. The legislation would revise the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act to allow physician assistants and nurse practitioners to treat feds in workers’ compensation cases. A previous version of the bill passed the House in 2022, but did not clear the Senate. Co-sponsors of the bill say they’re hopeful it will pass both chambers this Congress. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Army is turning to the private sector to bolster its tech talent. The service has launched a new website to recruit “top-tier, uniquely skilled” technology professionals into the Army Reserve. The effort follows the creation of Detachment 201, a new program where four senior executives from tech giants like Palantir, Meta and OpenAI were commissioned into the Reserve to help the service integrate and scale commercial technology. According to the website, these Detachment 201 officers will “contribute to accelerating Army modernization, evaluating technology adoption and advising on scalable solutions to enhance tactical innovation and lethality.” The website includes a form that tech professionals can fill out to express interest in Army Detachment 201. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Justice Department has arrested a Defense Department employee for removing classified documents from a Missile Defense Agency office in Huntsville, Alabama. Ewa Ciszak made her initial appearance in federal court Monday. Beginning in February, the FBI says Ciszack began taking classified documents from MDA facilities without authorization. A June 18 search warrant turned up multiple secret-level documents at her personal residence and in her vehicle and backpack. Ciszak had been employed at MDA since January 2023. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A top lawmaker is pressing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to immediately reverse his decision to gut the Pentagon’s independent weapons testing office. In a letter to Hegseth, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren is demanding documentation justifying the cuts, the office’s current oversight list, and how DoD is adhering to the statutory requirement for the office to be independent and whether the office will continue its cyber assessment program, In May, Hegseth instructed the director of operational test and evaluation office to “immediately eliminate any non-statutory” functions of the office, slashing the office’s staff by 74% and its budget by nearly 80%. Warren said cutting this deep into the office can violate the law. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Democratic committee leaders are disputing the Trump administration’s plans to shuffle components of the Education Department into the Labor Department. A group of four senators say moving career and technical education programs between agencies is not within the President’s authority. The lawmakers reiterated that it’s up to Congress to decide whether federal agencies should be rearranged or dismantled. They’re demanding that the administration leave Education’s programs as-is, since Congress has not approved the transition.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Both House and Senate lawmakers are looking to eliminate the IRS’ free online tax filing platform. The Senate Finance Committee is proposing to axe Direct File as part of its contribution to the budget reconciliation bill. The House passed its version of the so-called Big Beautiful Bill last month which would also eliminate the Direct File program. Direct File had nearly 300,000 users during this year’s tax filing season and saw higher favorability scores compared to last year’s pilot. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Congressional Democrats are sounding the alarm over reports that a federal contractor is helping the Trump administration build a “mega-database” of sensitive government records. Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are leading their colleagues in a letter to the company Palantir. The New York Times reports the company is building a single, searchable database of taxpayer records across multiple agencies. The lawmakers are asking for a full list of Palantir’s federal contracts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Postal Service strikes a deal with another one of its unions. Members of the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association approved a tentative contract that lasts through 2027. About 67% of voting members approved the tentative agreement. Next up, the American Postal Workers Union which votes whether to approve its contract or not next month. Members of another union, the National Association of Letter Carriers voted against a tentative agreement with USPS in January. A third-party arbitrator eventually struck a deal with both parties.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Interior Department and the Forest Service are facing a deadline to consolidate their wildland fire programs. President Trump signed an executive order last week giving the agencies 90 days to combine their two offices into one. The White House says it will make wildland fire prevention and response efforts more efficient. But some federal wildland firefighters question the need for consolidating the programs when a larger response is already needed. The Forest Service lost about 1,400 qualified wildland firefighters over the last several months amid the Trump administration’s workforce cuts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Participants in the Thrift Savings Plan will soon see a few changes to the TSP’s Lifecycle, or “L,” Funds. Starting June 30th, the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board will add an “L 2075” Fund. That's meant for any current or future federal employees who plan to retire during or after the year 2073. The TSP board will also be rolling over the current “L 2025” Fund into its broader Income Fund. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Civilian agencies have spent nearly 23% less during the first eight months of 2025 as compared to the same time period in 2024. The Department of DOGE Services says that means non-defense spending has been reduced by almost $25 billion. Overall non-defense agencies have obligated over $85 billion in 2025 down from $110 billion at this point last year. Some of the spending reduction comes from the cancellation of contracts, which DOGE says agencies have terminated more than 11,000.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Agriculture Department has cancelled hundreds of contracts under the Trump administration … including one that helped households locate food assistance programs. The nonprofit Hunger Free America says it ran an “information clearinghouse” of food assistance programs for USDA for more than a decade. But it claims in a lawsuit that USDA terminated the contract last month. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Postal Service is falling into pattern raising stamp prices each January and July. But its regulator is considering limits to those price increases. A proposed rule from the Postal Regulatory Commission would cap UPSP to only raising prices once per year. The regulator gave USPS the freedom to set mail prices higher than the rate of inflation in 2020 when the agency was at risk of running out of cash. USPS is planning to set the price of a first-class Forever stamp to 78 cents next month. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A separation health assessment administered to more than 50,000 service members found that about 67 percent of troops screened positive for at least one mental health condition. Post-traumatic stress disorder and depression were among the most common issues identified. A government watchdog found that over 50 percent of service members declined referrals to the DoD’s inTransition program that provides mental health resources during transition periods. DoD officials told the Government Accountability Office that many factors may contribute to the high rate of positive screenings among separating service members, including that many intend to file disability claims.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

More federal employees filed retirement papers with OPM in May than in the last three months. OPM says it received more than 15,000 claims last month, driving the backlog up over 21,000. The processing time for these retirement claims remain consistent at 49 days on average in May and 52 days on average for the entire 2025. The increase in applications comes as OPM is requiring agencies to send retirement paperwork only in digital formats by July 15. OPM launched two new tools this week to improve the retirement services process. One is a new platform for agency HR and payroll providers and another to modernize the Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF) platform.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Commerce Department dropped health insurance coverage for some recently fired employees sooner than promised, according to the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Reform Committee. Acting Ranking Member Stephen Lynch says Commerce fired about 800 probationary employees under the Trump administration, and that some of them lost health coverage on April 8, days before they were officially fired. Commerce employees were briefly reinstated under a federal judge’s order. But an appeals court allowed the firings to remain in effect. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

President Donald Trump’s permanent pick to run the IRS is one step closer to taking office. The Senate Finance Committee advanced the nomination of former Missouri Congressman Billy Long. Democrats on the committee raised concerns that Long promoted tribal tax credits that don’t exist, according to the Treasury Department and IRS. Long told lawmakers that if confirmed he’d help the IRS modernize its legacy IT systems. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Every fund but one in the Thrift Savings Plan saw positive returns last month. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The White House is not requesting an increase in pay for federal employees in fiscal 2026. President Donald Trump released more details of his budget request for next year late Friday afternoon. The appendix section of the budget proposals also includes provisions to continue the pay freeze for certain career Senior Executive Service members and political appointees. In all, the new budget document details more specific discretionary spending requests for each agency. Unlike the "skinny" budget released in early May, the administration did include funding requests for OPM, Education and independent agencies like CFBP.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 19 agency inspectors general fired by President Donald Trump had a collective impact of saving the government more than $50 billion in fiscal 2024. New data from Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, shows the IGs played a key role in investigations and audits that uncovered significant fraud and abuse. Peters highlighted two examples: The Energy Department's IG who halted an illegal semiconductor export scheme, which led to the cancellation of $100 million in grants and the DoD IG who uncovered fraudulent financial practices targeting Gold Star families, leading to a 12-year prison sentence and a $1.4 million penalty. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Democratic lawmakers are criticizing the Trump administration’s recent push to pay political appointees more money. In a letter to the Office of Personnel Management, Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committee called OPM’s recent encouragement on the issue an “egregious abuse” of taxpayer dollars. OPM recently recommended that agencies pay their political appointees the maximum salary possible, nearly $200,000. Based on current federal salary caps, Schedule C political appointees can be paid nearly $200,000 per year. They don’t always receive the top amount, but OPM recently recommended that agencies pay their political appointees the maximum salary possible. The Democrats are now pressing OPM for more information on the responsibilities and costs of current Schedule C appointees.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Defense Department is taking a closer look at how it supports military families who choose to homeschool their children. In a recent memo, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness to conduct a departmentwide review of the current support available to homeschooling military families, including the feasibility of providing resources for those students. A recent study from Johns Hopkins University found that around 12% of military families chose to homeschool their children in 2024 — that’s double the rate of civilian families.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Probationary employees who were fired from the Department of Homeland Security have been granted class certification on an appeal case with the Merit Systems Protection Board. The DHS employees allege that the agency violated the law when it terminated them earlier this year. They argue that the mass firings at DHS were really an unlawfully conducted reduction in force (RIF). Gilbert Employment Law, which is representing the DHS employees in the MSPB case, called the class certification “heartening news.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Defense Manpower Data Center has expanded its online ID card issuance system to include overseas dependents of service members. Since its launch in 2023, the program has eliminated more than 300,000 in-person visits by allowing service members to request their ID cards online. DMDC now wants to improve the system by allowing users to upload updated photos directly into the system. It is exploring ways to extend services to locations without access to military postal services.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Veterans Affairs is giving organizations more resources to prevent veteran suicide. VA is issuing more than $50 million in grants to community-based organizations that provide suicide prevention or emergency clinical services to veterans at risk of suicide. Groups have until the end of September to apply for these grants. Veterans who are experiencing suicidal thoughts can reach the Veterans Crisis Line by dialing 988 and then pressing 1. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Correctional officers at the Federal Bureau of Prisons are using a different approach to urge congressional action. A new billboard campaign led by the American Federation of Government Employees is calling on Congress members to reject President Trump’s effort to strip collective bargaining rights. Many bipartisan lawmakers have supported federal correctional officers for a long time. But the union said it’s disappointed that lawmakers now appear to be turning their backs on the frontline federal workers. AFGE has rented out a number of billboards across the country urging Congress to reject Trump’s executive order canceling union contracts, efforts that would cut benefits for federal correctional officers.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The collective bargaining rights for hundreds of thousands of federal employees remain in limbo after an appeals judge ruled in favor of the Trump administration. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March ending collective bargaining rights for national security employees. The order expanded who is considered a national security employee to more than three dozen agencies. The appeals court ruled 2-to-1 on technical grounds, finding that the unions don’t have the legal right to sue because the Trump administration has said it won’t end any collective bargaining agreements while the case is being litigated.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A top House Democrat wants an investigation into the Department of Government Efficiency’s access to IRS systems. Oversight and Government Reform Committee Ranking Member Gerry Connolly requested the investigation in a May 15th letter to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. He raised concerns about DOGE plans to centralize IRS data. Connolly also highlighted potential issues with the IRS’ data-sharing agreements with the Department of Homeland Security. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

To reduce leased space costs by 30 percent within the next 18 months, the Defense Department is closely tracking building occupancy to find underutilized spaces. It is also moving more personnel to existing military installations to reduce the number of people working in rented office buildings. Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment Robert Thompson said the effort is critical to “eliminating waste and duplication” while “maximizing the value of the department’s real estate portfolio.” The Defense Department is reducing its leased space costs as it implements a government-wide return-to-office policy requiring thousands of employees to resume in-person work. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Customs and Border Protection is looking to expand its use of facial recognition. In a new request for information, CBP says it’s seeking solutions for capturing facial images of occupants in vehicles. The technology would be used at ports of entry to compare biometrics in CBP’s Traveler Verification Service. CBP and other Homeland Security agencies have been expanding their use of facial recognition to expedite traveler screening in recent years. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Health and Human Services is reinstating some employees after firing thousands last month. HHS is bringing back about 100 employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The agency researches and makes recommendations to prevent work-related injury, illness, disability, and death. Most of the reinstated employees work in Morgantown, West Virginia. HHS fired about 10,000 employees in April and another 10,000 took voluntary incentives to leave the agency. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Labor Department is making major cuts to a watchdog office that ensures federal contractors aren’t discriminating against their employees. The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs laid off about 90% of its staff last week, leaving only about 50 employees nationwide. OFCCP was created in 1965 to protect American workers from race and gender discrimination by federal contractors. Employees who got RIF notices will separate from the agency on June 6.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is considering updates to a key cybersecurity law. The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 20-15 expires this September. The intelligence committee last week received briefings from multiple agencies on how the law has worked out so far. The statute incentivizes private industry to share cyber threat data with the government. But Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford says the law needs to be updated to account for a decade of evolving technology and cyber threats. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Democrats are attempting to secure full collective bargaining rights for federal health care employees. A new bill from Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth would allow nurses, clinicians and other professionals at the Veterans Health Administration to negotiate with management over their workforce concerns. The bill has been introduced in the past. But this time around, Duckworth says the bill is especially important given the Trump administration's efforts to broadly cancel collective bargaining across agencies.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lawmakers are calling on the Trump administration to prioritize funding for more recruiting at the Coast Guard. Last year, the Coast Guard exceeded its recruiting goals for the first time since 2017. But the service is still 3,000 members short of its targeted enlisted goal. Lawmakers say the 2026 budget should seek to fill those gaps and return the Coast Guard to its full operational capacity. The Trump administration is seeking increases for the Department of Homeland Security in 2026 . . . but it has yet to release specific details on its proposed Coast Guard budget. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A federal court is putting a hold on the Trump administration’s plans to eliminate three small agencies. A judge at the U-S District Court in Rhode Island issued a preliminary injunction … putting a temporary hold on cuts to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service which helps resolve collective bargaining disputes and the Institute of Museum and Library Services the primary source of federal support for U.S. libraries and museums. The judge’s ruling also blocks further cuts to the Minority Business Development Agency.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Just over 7,800 federal employees retired last month, the lowest amount so far in 2025. The Office of Personnel Management says more than 33,500 federal employees retired in first quarter of 2025 compared to 29,700 hundred during the first three months of 2024. OPM's retirement backlog dropped to 16,700 hundred, almost 4,000 less than March. On average, OPM is processing retirement claims in 54 days, but those applications that took less than 60 days for the agency to get OPM the paperwork were processed in 33 days on average.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Defense Secretary Hegseth has launched the development of a new National Defense Strategy — a major policy document that sets the Pentagon’s strategic goals and priorities. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, who played a key role in crafting the 2018 National Defense Strategy during Trump’s first term, will lead the new NDS effort. Hegseth said, “The NDS is the single most important document to ensure the Department is operating in accordance with the President’s and my intent." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The international stock index I fund was the big winner among Thrift Savings Plan funds in April. Its monthly return was 4.16%. That also leaves it as the highest year-to-date, at an even 9%. The government securities G fund and fixed income investment F fund both also showed positive returns last month, at 0.35% and 0.39 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, the common stock index C fund and small cap stock index S fund - both tied to major stock indexes - stayed in the red in April, and have negative year-to-date returns. All lifecycle fund returns were positive.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal firefighters within the Defense Department continue to struggle with significant workforce shortages. The DoD has been operating below the minimum required staffing level for firefighters since 2019. That’s according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. GAO says the staffing gaps partially stem from worse pay and work schedules than those offered by local fire departments. To address the issue, GAO says DoD should analyze the factors affecting staffing challenges, and make a department-wide workforce plan.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Agencies received a record 1.5 million Freedom of Information Act requests in fiscal 2024. That’s according to the Justice Department Office of Information Policy’s latest summary of federal FOIA data. Agencies nearly kept pace by processing one-point-four-nine million FOIA requests last year. Still, the governmentwide FOIA backlog increased to 267,000 cases by the end of fiscal 2024.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

President Donald Trump has appointed new members to a group that will recommend reforms to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Trump on Monday formally appointed 20 members to the FEMA Advisory Council. They include Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Robert Fenton, Junior, the regional administrator for FEMA Region 9.  The council is co-led by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. It has yet to meet more than three months after Trump set it up. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has dismissed all members of the Defense Department’s advisory boards. Joe Kasper, Hegseth's former chief of staff, launched a review of all advisory committees in March, required them to justify their existence. Kasper instructed the committees to explain how their advice “benefited the DoD, the Federal Government, and the United States,” and how it aligns with President Donald Trump’s goals and Hegseth’s priority of “restoring the warrior ethos.” This is not the first purge of advisory boards at the Pentagon in February 2021, then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin fired all members of the advisory boards as part of a “zero-based review” of their operations.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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The Coast Guard has digitized 40% of its paper health records as of February. In a new update on the initiative, the Coast Guard said the goal is to completely digitize all paper health records by the third quarter of fiscal 2027. The service began the effort to digitize 45,000 paper health records in November 2022. Digitized records can be viewed on the MHS Genesis portal and are also accessible to the Department of Veterans Affairs for benefits delivery. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Postal Service strikes a labor deal with another one of its unions. USPS reached a tentative agreement with the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, which represents more than 130,000 rural letter carriers. NRLCA members must vote to ratify the contract before it’s approved. Letter carriers represented by the National Association of Letter Carriers voted against a tentative contract earlier this year. It took a third-party arbitrator to reach a final labor agreement between USPS and NALC.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A group of bipartisan senators is asking President Donald Trump to reconsider his broadcancelation of federal collective bargaining agreements. In a letter sent to the President on Thursday, four senators say they are concerned that his recent executive order will impede efforts to make the government more efficient. Trump eliminated most agencies’ union contracts last month, citing national security concerns.  But the lawmakers say collective bargaining has a largely positive effect on the federal workforce, as it improves productivity and efficiency. The two Republicans and two Democrats are urging Trump to reverse course on his decision.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Agencies who handle the federal permitting process for roads, bridges and other infrastructureprograms are on the hook to modernize the technology that runs these systems and share data more easily. President Donald Trump's latest executive order says the Council on Environmental Quality has 45 days to develop a Permitting Technology Action Plan that will include initial technology and data standards.  The action plan also will provide a roadmap for creating a unified interagency permitting and environmental review data system. Agencies then will have 90 days to implement the data and technology standards and minimum functional requirements for the new interagency system. CEQ also will  lead an interagency Permitting Innovation Center that will design and test prototype tools that could be implemented as part of thePermitting Technology Action Plan.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The PACT Act has reportedly made determining when veterans' benefits payments should be issued more difficult. The Department of Veterans Affairs inspector general says about a quarter of all PACT Act related claims it reviewed over a year were issued incorrect effective dates, resulting in nearly $7 million in improper payments. The IG says a lack of training is mainly to blame and recommended creating a job aid for claims processors. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is starting its search to fill two leadership roles. The VA is looking for candidates that President Donald Trump can nominate as the next undersecretary for health and undersecretary for benefits. VA’s Deputy Secretary Paul Lawrence will oversee the search. Both roles face major projects, from rolling out a new Electronic Health Record, to processing a record volume of disability claims. The under secretary for health will oversee accelerated plans to roll out a new Electronic Health Record. The under secretary forbenefits will ensure the VA can continue processing a record volume of disability claims. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lawmakers are calling on the National Archives to  investigate the use of unauthorizedcommunications platforms by top government officials. Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security Committee say the reported use of Signal and Gmail by national security officials creates major cybersecurity risks. They also point out that it could violate federal record laws. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz reportedly has used both Signal and Gmail for sensitive discussions.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

President Donald Trump seeks to ease the foreign arms sales process for U.S. defensecompanies. Trump signed an executive order aimed at reducing rules and regulations governing military equipment sales to other countries. Both industry and foreign nations have long complained about the process that has been plagued by bureaucratic delays and lengthy approval procedures. Trump instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to identify top-priority ally nations and the most strategically important weaponsand systems for faster delivery to those countries. The executive order also directs Hegseth, Rubio and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to submit a plan that makes exportability a requirement earlier in the acquisition cycle and consolidates the sales approval process.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Just over 7,800 federal employees retired in March, almost 2,000 less than who left inFebruary. The Office of Personnel Management says the claims backlog also dropped to about 16,500, which is the lowest its been in 2025. The time to process retirement claims also ticked back up to average about 50 days in March. But OPM says the average time to process a claim for all of 2025 dropped one day to 54 days. More than 33,500 federal employees haveretired so far in 2025, that is about 3,800 more than the number who left in the first three months of 2024.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The acting head of the IRS is stepping down in the aftermath of a new data sharing agreement between the agency and Customs and Border Protection. Multiple sources tell the Associated Press that Melanie Krause resigned because of the new development on Tuesday. The agreement will allow ICE to submit names and addresses of immigrants inside the U.S. illegally to the IRS for cross-verification against tax records. Krause has served as acting commissioner since February. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The US DOGE Service's claims that it is saving more than 140 billion dollars by cancelling contracts is overstated. New analysis from the American Enterprise Institute finds the savings are much closer to about 10 billion dollars. Nat Malkus, the deputy director of Education Policy Studies at AEI, reviewed the contract data DOGE posted to highlight the amount of money agencies obligated versus how much they actually spent came out to be much smaller than what DOGE claimed the total value of the contracts were worth. Additionally, AEI says until the White House asks Congress for and lawmakers approve a rescission of funding, they money stays on the books and savings aren't real. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Despite reducing its workforce by thousands of employees, the General Services Administration is ready to hire new employees once again. The Federal Acquisition Service put out job postings for contract specialists and supervisory contract specialists. The contract specialists would be at the GS-12 and 13 pay scales, while the supervisory positions would be at the GS 14-15 levels. All positions are available in several locations, including Washington, DC, San Francisco and 10 other locations around the country. GSA didn't say how many people it was looking to hire. Some estimate it could be up to a thousand new employees as the Trump administration aims to centralize contracting for common goods and services at GSA.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

DoD's acting Inspector General Steven Stebbins will review Defense Secretary’s Pete Hegseth’s use of the commercial messaging app Signal to discuss operational details of airstrikes in Yemen. Stebbins said the review will “determine the extent to which the defense secretary and other DoD personnel complied with DoD policies and procedures for the use of a commercial messaging application for official business.”  The evaluation will also investigate thecompliance with classification and records retention requirements. Stebbins’ memo comes after two top Senate lawmakers requested a probe into the incident that has stunned Washington. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A federal union’s lawsuit against the Trump administration’s deferred resignation program is resurfacing. That’s after at least seven agencies have renewed their “fork in the road” offers to federal employees, ahead of reductions in force. In response, the American Federation ofGovernment Employees has amended its initial complaint. The union argues that the deferred resignation offer is unlawful, and that the administration needs to issue regulations for the program before proceeding. A federal judge previously blocked AFGE’s initial complaint, sayingthat the union first needed to go to the Federal Labor Relations Authority over the matter.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Thrift Savings Plan stumbles in March. The only funds to post positive returns were the G, F and I funds. The government securities G fund posted the highest returns for the month, at zero-point-three-seven percent. The small cap stock index investment S fund posted the lowest return, at negative seven-point-nine-three percent. The Lifecycle funds all posted negative returns as well. Year to date, however, every fund in the TSP but the S fund is seeing positive returns.  The I Fund and F Fund are among the biggest winners so far this year with return rates of over 4.6% and 2.7%, respectively. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Junior enlisted troops will see a pay bump this month as the Defense Department introduces a targeted pay hike this month aimed at improving service members’ quality of life. Congressapproved a significant pay raise for active-duty service members ranks E-1 through E-4 which is set to go into effect. Service members already received a 4.5% pay raise in January, but junior enlisted service members should see an additional 10% pay increase in their mid-month paychecks. This historic pay increase for junior enlisted troops is part of Congress’ efforts to improve military recruitment and retention. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, federal unions have been quick to push back against President Trump’s move canceling many collective bargaining agreements. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, the Trump administration's contracting freeze has caused several contractors to go out of business.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, House Democrats are looking into whether Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem uses the Signal app for official business.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, GOP lawmakers are looking to expand the president’s authority for fast-tracking agency reorganizations. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today's episode of the Federal Newscast, the Government Accountability Office will open an investigation into the impact of the Trump administration’s firing of probationary employees on the health and safety of the American people. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In a letter to President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a group of lawmakers is urging the Defense Department to 'immediately reverse policies' that they say attempt to erase records of troops' historic accomplishments. The four lawmakers signedonto the letter are veterans who serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee. The lawmakers said content about record-breaking combat flight hours by female aviators, medal recipients within segregated combat units during the World Wars and historical contributions of Native American servicemembers is being removed indiscriminately. Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said Thursday that “history is not DEI,” and that when content is “mistakenly or maliciously” removed, the department continues to work quickly to restore it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Defense Department says “in rare cases” it has “deliberately or mistakenly” removed certain content as part of its efforts to erase diversity, equity and inclusion pages from itswebsite after a webpage dedicated to Jackie Robinson's service was suddenly gone. Robinson’s webpage, along with content about the Navajo Code Talkers, the Tuskegee airmen, and the Marines at Iwo Jima, was initially removed as part of the department-wide purge of DEI content ordered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Robinson’s page, titled ‘Sports Heroes Who Served: Baseball Great Jackie Robinson Was a World War Two Soldier,’ has been restored after public outcry without any content changes. Pentagon Press Secretary John Ullyot saidthe department is “pleased by the rapid compliance” with the defense secretary’s directive to remove DEI content from all platforms. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Labor rallies are popping up across the country this week to call attention to the Trump administration’s recent upheavals of the federal workforce. In Atlanta, Georgia, employees fromthe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are pushing back against the Trump administration’s recent actions. Transportation Security Administration workers in San Diego, California, are calling for the revival of the agency’s recently terminated union contract. And in Akron, Ohio, employees from the Department of Veterans Affairs are protesting recent terminations, which they say will harm the VA’s ability to deliver services. The American Federation of Government Employees, which is leading many of the rallies, says it will continue to push back against the Trump administration’s massive cuts to the federal workforce.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal contractors no longer have to pay a minimum wage of almost $18 per hour for employees under certain types of contracts. President Donald Trump rescinded the executive order from April 2021 establishing higher hourly pay for hundreds of thousands of blue collar workers. The Biden administration raised the minimum wage for specific covered government contracts like those for concessions or those for services on federal lands to $17.75 an hour starting on January 1st. Trump's rescission means contractors can pay blue collar employees a minimum of just under$13 an hour.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Social Security Administration continues to try to set the record straight about the accuracy of its Death Master File. After repeated false claims by the White House and DOGE that SSA is paying tens of thousands of people who are more than 100 years old, the agency says less than one-third of one percent of all deaths are erroneously reported and need to be corrected. SSA says it's confidence its Master Death file is highly accurate. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a departmentwide review of military standards, including physical fitness, body composition and grooming. A memo released on Wednesdaydirects the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness to review how the standards have changed since January 2015. Hegseth pledged to conduct this review during his confirmation hearing. The defense secretary said the review will “illuminate how the department has maintained the level of standards required over the recent past.” The Defense Department opened up combat roles to women in December 2015, a decision that Hegseth has previouslyopposed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Trump administration tells agencies to ignore collective bargaining agreements that interfere with the ability to conduct reductions in force, or RIFs. A new memo from the Office of Personnel Management argues that contracts with federal unions cannot supersede an agency’s ability to lay off its employees. The OPM memo says agency management has the right to determine its number of employees, and make headcount adjustments as needed. The guidance comes just ahead of agencies’ expected RIF plans, which are due to the White House by this Friday.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

President Donald Trump nominated Eric Ueland to be the top federal management official. Ueland, who is currently the acting chief of staff for OMB, would be the deputy director for management at OMB if confirmed by the Senate.  He would replace Jason Miller, who was DDM for all four years of the Biden administration. Ueland is a former Senate staff member, having worked for majority leader Senator William Frist (R-Tenn.) and then as staff director for the upper chamber’s budget committee. Along with Ueland, Trump nominated Ethan Klein to be an associate director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, which is another namefor the federal chief technology officer. He was an emerging technology policy adviser during the first Trump administration where he focused on autonomous and unmanned systems. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Department of Homeland Security is bringing back at least one of its federal advisory committees. In a public notice this week, DHS announced it is renewing the Homeland Security Advisory Committee. The reconstituted panel will have 35 members. They will serve three-year terms and provide strategic advice to the secretary of homeland security. DHS terminated several advisory panels in the early days of the Trump administration, including the CyberSafety Review Board that was investigating a major U.S. telecom hack.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With a government shutdown less than a week away, a leading Republican Senator is calling for Congress to pass a spending bill. Maine Senator Susan Collins, the chairwoman of theAppropriations Committee, says government shutdowns are inherently a failure to govern effectively and have negative consequences all across government. House Republican lawmakers unveiled their year-long continuing resolution on Friday. The bill freezes overall funding at fiscal 2024 levels but does include cuts to certain agency programs and increases to others, such as the FAA and fully funds the largest junior enlisted pay raise. It also doesn't include any language related to DOGE.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal employee unions and other organizations filing lawsuits against the Trump administration may have to put money in escrow to cover the potential costs and damages of the lawsuit. President Trump's new memo tells agencies to use the Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(c) to ask the federal courts to hold litigants accountable for their lawsuits. The scope of the directive covers all lawsuits filed against the federal government seeking an injunction where agencies can show expected monetary damages or costs from the requestedpreliminary relief, unless extraordinary circumstances justify an exception. Failure of the organization that filed the lawsuit to provide the money could result in the denial or dissolution of the requested injunctive relief.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is planning major cuts to its workforce later this year. VA Secretary Doug Collins says the department is looking at a 15% cut to return the agency to 2019 staffing levels. That would meaning eliminating about 72,000 positions. Collins says VA will shrink the workforce without any cuts to veterans’ health care or benefits.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Defense Department says Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has so far identified about 80 million dollars in what it considers wasteful spending.  Press Secretary Sean Parnell said DOGE has found one point nine million dollars for diversity, equity and inclusion training in the Air Force; six million dollars to the University of Montana to “strengthenAmerican democracy by bridging divides;” and three point five million dollars at the Defense Human Resources Activity for support to DEI groups. DOGE saving the Defense Department 80 million dollars represent less than one percent of the Pentagon’s total budget.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The National Science Foundation has just rehired about half of the employees it fired two weeks ago. The reversal comes after a federal judge ruled last week that the Trump administration's directives telling agencies to fire their probationary employees were illegal. The reinstated workers will receive backpay and will not see a break in service. While 84 employees will be going back to work, the other 86 fired workers will still be out of their jobs. NSF says that's because they were intermittent employees and not full-time staff members. The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents NSF workers, says it's looking forward to welcoming back the reinstated employees. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A new memo from the Defense Department's office of personnel and readiness directs service members diagnosed with gender dysphoria to be separated from the military. The department says transgender service members may be granted a waiver if there is a “compelling government interest in retaining the service member who directly supports warfighting.” The Defense Department said all service members impacted by this policy will be separated with an honorable characterization of service. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s top spokesperson, has instructed the military services to remove all DoD news and feature articles, photos, and videos that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion by March 5th. If the services are not able to remove all DEI content from DoD social media accounts by March 5th, they will be required to temporarily scrub all DEI news articles, photos and videos published during the four years of the Biden administration. Components using DVIDS are also required to review their DEI content, which is scheduled for removal. Thedigital content refresh memo from Sean Parnell follows President Donald Trump’s various executive orders eliminating DEI across the federal government and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s “Restoring America’s Fighting Force” memo.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Defense Department Office of Inspector General found that recruits who went through the Army’s future soldier prep course did not receive medical services, such as metabolic and cardiovascular screenings, assessments by a dietitian or medical clearance before proceeding to basic training. The inspector general found that many trainees far exceeded the Army body fat standards before starting the prep course. The future soldier prep course was designed to help recruits meet academic and physical standards before starting basic training. The news comes after the service managed to meet its recruitment goals in 2024, mainly due to the success of the prep course .See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The acting head of the IRS is stepping down and retiring from the federal government. IRS Chief Operating Officer Melanie Krause will take over as the new acting IRS commissioner. Krause joined the IRS in 2021 and started as its chief data and analytics officer.  She’ll take over for Doug O’Donnell, a career employee with 38 years of service who will retire this Friday. The IRS recently fired about 6,500 probationary employees. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It came a little late – but the Office of Personnel Management issued guidance last night telling agencies how they should handle this weekend’s mysterious email telling employees to summarize their accomplishments over the past week. The memo, published just a few hours before the midnight deadline, says responses should be sent to both OPM and agency leadership. OPM says agencies should make their own decisions about what actions to take toward employees who don’t respond to the email. The guidance also makes clear that employees who didn’t have access to email yesterday shouldn’t be held to the deadline. It also completely exempts White House staff from the need to respond. Several large agencies have already told employees they don’t need to respond to the email. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A new advisory board that will consider reforms to the Federal Emergency Management Agency is starting to take shape. DHS put out the official charter for FEMA Review Council late last week. The council is slated to hold its first meeting by April 24th and deliver an initial report to the White House by late July. President Donald Trump has called for potentially eliminating FEMA and sending emergency management funds directly to states. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who has a seat on the new council, has said the administration should“get rid of FEMA the way it exists today.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A top House Democrat is pressing for information on Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration. In a letter sent to President Donald Trump Thursday, Congressman Gerry Connolly called for transparency in Musk’s involvement in federal operations. Connolly says Musk has been widely portrayed as the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency, or “DOGE.” But a White House official recently claimed that Musk is *not* an employee of the U.S. DOGE Service. Connolly’s letter pushes for answers on who *is* DOGE’s current administrator, and the nature of Musk’s relationship to the federal entity.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Postal Service and its letter carrier union are at an impasse over a new labor contract. The dispute now heads to a panel of third-party arbitrators. Members of the National Association of Letter Carriers overwhelmingly voted down a tentative agreement for a new contact earlier this month. USPS and the union failed to reach a new deal within a 15-day window. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Air Force is evaluating its Family Days policy to ensure it “aligns with the force’s ability to support warfighter readiness.” Family Days are extra days off that military commands typically grant to service members around federal holidays to create an extended weekend. A new memo from the acting assistant secretary for manpower and reserve affairs says while commanders may authorize a day off for military members on these dates, civilian employees are not granted additional leave. Airmen and Guardians expressed concerns that the service might eliminate Family Days to ensure mission readiness.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Close to 400,000 military members with health insurance through TRICARE may have been impacted by pharmacy changes over the last couple years. The Defense Health Agency has gradually reduced the number of pharmacies available through TRICARE to cut costs and save taxpayer dollars. But the Government Accountability Office said the pharmacy changes could make it take longer for beneficiaries to access prescription drugs. DHA officials, though, said the pharmacy changes were only a reduction in participants’ choices for their preferred pharmacy, and not a loss of overall access. Still, GAO is recommending that the agency more closely monitor prescription timeliness and data, and make adjustments as needed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Two Republican lawmakers want to make any governmentwide reorganization plan an up or down vote by Congress. Congressman James Comer and Senator Mike Lee's ReorganizingGovernment Act of 2025 would fast-track any plan President Donald Trump submitted to Congress. Lawmakers say the bill would help give the president the authority to streamline government operations to better serve the American people. Comer and Lee say this legislation restores a reorganization authority that was last in effect in 1984, aiming to modernizeand improve government efficiency. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

House Democrats are pressing the Defense Department about the military services pausing sexual assault prevention and response training programs. In a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the lawmakers said the decision is “not only irresponsible but also dangerous.” The lawmakers also said the law requires providing this training to incoming service members, civilian employees, first responders and staff directly supporting victims. At least some militarybranches have paused the program as the Defense Department works to comply withPresident Donald Trump’s executive order banning all diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the government.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cathy Harris is out as the chairwoman of the Merit Systems Protection Board. An MSPB spokesman confirmed the White House terminated Harris's position and named Henry Kerner as acting chairman. The White House also demoted Ray Limon from the vice chairman position. Limon, however, remains on the board, which maintains the quorum to hold hearings. Harris became MSPB chairwoman in March 2024 and joined the board in June 2022. Kerner has been on the board since June. Previously, he was the special counsel of the Office of Special Counsel for almost six years.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The deadline for the Office of Personnel Management’s “deferred resignation” offer remains on hold. But that’s not stopping lawmakers from seeking a closer look at who’s taking the deal. Congressman Steny Hoyer is leading 49 House lawmakers to ask OPM for a breakdown of feds opting in by agency location GS level and length of service. The House lawmakers say they’re concerned the offer could disproportionately hollow out agency staffing in certain states or regions. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Amid the continued debate over FEMA’s future a senior G-O-P Senator is calling for reforms that could bolster the agency’s work. Oklahoma Senator Jim Lankford says too manyagencies have responsibilities under the federal disaster framework. In a letter to the White House, Lankford said he should consider whether more disaster assistance responsibilities should be consolidated under FEMA. Trump has called for potentially eliminating FEMA and recently announced a FEMA Review Council to overhaul the agency. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

House Democrats are making a push to secure data at the Treasury Department. A group of lawmakers have introduced the Taxpayer Data Protection Act. The bill seeks to add a layer of protection against anyone seeking to access the agency's systems. The legislation would bar anyone with conflicts of interest -- or without a security clearance from getting into the Treasury Department's data. The bill comes after billionaire Elon Musk and some of his employees gained access to Treasury Department data. House Democrats say they're expecting a Senate companion bill for the Taxpayer Data Protection Act shortly. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Agencies have 45 days to identify Senior Executive Service roles that were made career-only positions during the Biden administration. A new memo from the Office of Personnel Management directs agencies to reverse the career-only status for those roles, and instead open them to potentially political appointments. For any career positions agencies think should be exempted from conversion, agencies have to explain their reasoning for why it should remain a career-only role. The White House says it’s taking the action after seeing reports of agencies redesignating positions to career-only during the previous administration. OPM’s memo is an effort toward implementing President Trump’s executive order to make feds in policy-related positions at-will workers. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Top House Democrats are pressing President Donald Trump about Elon Musk’s access to classified data. In a letter to Trump on Tuesday, the ranking members of seven House committees ask whether Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team have the security clearances needed to access sensitive data. They point to reports about the DOGE group breaking security procedures to gain access to sensitive systems at the Treasury Department, the Office of Personnel Management and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Dems want answers from the White House by February 14th. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lawmakers are raising concerns about Elon Musk’s access to the Treasury Department’s payment systems. Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden are both pressing Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for more details. In separate letters, both Warren and Wyden say the DOGE team’s access to Treasury systems poses major legal and security concerns. They also ask whether any safeguards are in place to protect sensitive data.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Any new contract with federal unions signed toward the end of the Biden administration are null and void under a new memo from the White House. In President Donald Trump's order issued Friday night, he says any last-minute, lame-duck collective bargaining agreements try to bind a new president to his predecessor's policies and that is illegal. Specifically, Trump is referring to the contract the Social Security Administration signed with the American Federal of Government Employees, which guaranteed employees telework and remote work for five years. AFGE says approved union contracts are enforceable by law, and the president does not have the authority to make unilateral changes to those agreements.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lawmakers are making a bipartisan effort to secure better retirement benefits for federalfirefighters. Virginia Democrat Gerry Connolly and Pennsylvania Republican Brian Fitzpatrick have introduced the Federal Firefighters Families First Act. If enacted, many federal firefighters would receive larger retirement benefits. The House bill aims to change the retirement calculation for federal firefighters to account for overtime hours worked. The lawmakers say the bill would align federal firefighters’ benefits with what state and local firefighters already receive.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A new task force will oversee the Defense Department's efforts to abolish all diversity, equity and inclusion offices within the department. The task force's mission is described as getting rid of “any vestiges of such offices that subvert meritocracy, perpetuate unconstitutional discrimination, and promote radical ideologies related to systemic racism and gender fluidity.” The move is part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to create “merit-based, color-blind policies.” Housed under the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, the task force will oversee the removal of DEI programs and the reform of promotion and selection policies. Hegseth said the Defense Department “will not consider sex, race, or ethnicity when considering individuals for promotion, command, or special duty.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee are pushing back on President Donald Trump’s mass firing of agency watchdogs. Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Dick Durbin say Trump didn’t follow the law when he removed 18 inspectors general last Friday. A 2022 law requires the president to give 30 days’ notice to Congress and case-specific reasons when removing an IG. The lawmakers are asking Trump to provided those detailed explanations for each IG removed and to provide a list of acting IGs.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Justice Department says it's fired more than a dozen employees who had worked on criminal investigations into President Trump before his election. A DOJ official says the career prosecutors were fired because the acting attorney general doesn't trust them to carry out Trump's agenda, and that it's part of ending, quote, "the weaponization of government." DOJ didn't identify the fired employees, and it's not yet clear whether they'll challenge their terminations under civil service protection rules. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Some federal employees may have seen a test email land in their government inboxes last week. The Office of Personnel Management is looking to open a direct line of communication tothe federal workforce. OPM is currently testing a web capability that should let the agency email all civilian feds at once from a single email address. OPM says it will continue testing the email function over the next week.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Labor Department's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs will no longer hold vendors accountable for promoting diversity, taking affirmative action and engaging inworkforce balancing based on race, color, sex, sexual preference, religion or national origin. President Donald Trump revoked these requirements earlier this week in one of several orders. Additionally, contractors must agree that they are complying with all applicable federal anti-discrimination laws and it will factor in the government’s payment decisions. The President's order also says contractors and grant recipients must certify that they do not operate any programs promoting DEI that violate any applicable federal anti-discrimination laws.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

More details are emerging about President Trump’s federal hiring freeze executive order. A memo from the Trump administration confirms that military personnel, as well as hires for many national and public security positions, are exempt from the freeze. But there are some additional exemptions as well. Agencies can still make new hires for the Postal Service, and for federal employees who are up for an internal promotion. OPM says agencies should also review any recent appointments in the Pathways Program for early-career workers on a case-by-case basis. Agencies can make further requests for exemptions to the hiring freeze by submitting paperwork to the Office of Personnel Management.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s nomination for homeland security secretary is moving forward in the Senate. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted 13 to 2 on Monday night to advance Noem’s nomination to the Senate floor. Noem will play a key role in overseeing the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement and border security policies. She has also pledged to rein in the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s work on mis- and dis-information. The director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, Benjamine Huffman is currently leading DHS as acting secretary.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

All agencies are under a 90-day hiring freeze with the exception of military personnel of the armed forces or of positions related to immigration enforcement, national security or publicsafety. The freeze will last until OMB, OPM and the new advisory board Department of Government Efficiency submit a plan to the White House to reduce the size of the government’s workforce through efficiency improvements and attrition. The freeze would lift for all agencies except for the IRS, which would remain unable to hire new employees until the Treasury Secretary, OMB and DOGE determine it's of national interest to lift the freeze. The new hiringfreeze is nearly identical to an executive action Trump took on his first day in office in 2017. The 2017 hiring freeze lasted for nearly three months. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Civilian federal employees just got a 2 percent average raise added to their pay checks. But Democrats are already looking ahead to next year’s federal pay raise. The FAIR Act would give federal employees a 4-point-3 percent pay increase beginning next January. Congressman Gerry Connolly and Senator Brian Schatz have reintroduced the bill each year for about the last decade. But beyond its introduction, the legislation has never seen action in Congress. Still, Democrats say the larger raise in the FAIR Act would help federal pay keep pace with rising costs of living. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal employees are facing a familiar bill in a long line of legislation aiming to cut telework options. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer reintroduced the SHOW UP Act this week. The bill would return federal employees to the work arrangements they had prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. In practice, it would largely scale back federal telework. The House passed the bill in the last Congress. But the Senate did not take any action on the companion legislation. During a hearing this week, Comer said there’s “no reason” feds shouldn’t goback to pre-pandemic telework levels.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A record number of Americans hold a U-S passport. The State Department says there are more than 170 million in circulation and that it issued or renewed 90 million passports during the Biden administration. Applicants saw long wait times to apply or renew their passports at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the department says it’s gotten processing times down to four-to-six weeks. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Office of Personnel Management is finalizing rules meant to bring the wages of blue collar feds more geographically in line with their General Schedule counterparts. Under the changes set to take effect in October, OPM says nearly 15-thousand workers will see higher wages. Around 500, meanwhile will get lower pay under the new wage area boundaries. Most of the affected employees work for the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As Inauguration Day approaches, federal employees in the D.C. area should plan to telework all this week, and into next week, if they’re able to. The Office of Personnel Management says preparations for Inauguration Day next Monday will create traffic disruptions and road closures in the nation’s capital. OPM is asking agencies to work in a maximum telework posture to try to ease at least some of that traffic. Federal employees who do have to go into the office should build in extra time for the expected delays. Employees will also get a federal holiday on Monday, January 20th, to observe both Inauguration Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal employees who telework at least once a week would lose locality pay under a new House bill. Under the Federal Employee Return to Work Act, teleworking employees would receive "Rest of U.S." locality pay even if they live and work in a region with a higher cost of living. Rep. Dan Newhouse introduced the bill. He and Sen. Bill Cassidy led the bill during the last session of Congress.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The new chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee is putting a hold on hundreds of millions of dollars for the State Department and the U-S Agency for International Development. Chairman Brian Mast says the agencies are rushing to spend the money on projects before the start of the Trump administration. Mast says those projects include studying climate change in the Middle East and LGBTQ awareness programs in Zimbabwe.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Political appointees who are resigning on Inauguration Day later this month have some special rules to pay attention to. A new memo from the Office of Personnel Management details how pay, benefits and leave typically work for non-career federal employees resigning at the end of an administration. Impacted appointees will mostly be ending their workdays at noon on January 20th. Because of that, OPM is telling agencies they should only receive a half day of pay. OPM added that resigning appointees should also not accrue annual and sick leave for the pay period that starts next week. That’s because they will leave their positions beforecompleting the full pay period. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The American Federation of Government Employees filed an unfair labor practice against the Bureau of Prisons for its decision to close seven facilities. AFGE says this decision impacts more than 400 union members in seven states. AFGE says the bureau made the decision to close the facilities without warning or consultation with the union , which violated the terms of its labor-management agreement. In the unfair labor practice, AFGE is asking the Federal Labor Relations Authority to halt the implementation of this reorganization and require BOP to bargain with the union.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The federal government is only paying out a small fraction of the settlement funds it set aside for victims of the 2015 Office of Personnel Management data breach. A federal courtin October 2022 finalized a $63 million settlement for those impacted by thebreach. But a recent court filing shows about the federal government paid about$4.7 million to more than 5,000 individuals who could demonstrate harm from thedata breach. The OPM breach impacted about 22 million current and formerfederal employees.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 119th Congress begins today and several key Senate committee federal workforce committees have new leaders. At the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, former chairman, Gary Peters, is the new ranking member. Over at the Armed Services Committee, Democrats tapped Jack Reed from Rhode Island to be the ranking member. Senator Richard Blumenthal takes the ranking member reins at the Veterans Affairs Committee while Senator Edward Markey is the new Democratic leader of the Small Business Committee. Senator John Thune from South Dakota is the new Majority Leader. The new chairmen of the committees are expected to be finalized in the coming days. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

President-elect Donald Trump and D-C Mayor Muriel Bowser agree the federal government has more office space than its employees currently need. Bowser says her recent meeting with Trump centered on the federal workforce and underutilized federal buildings. The leaders of a new Department of Government Efficiency say they plan to bring federal employees back to the office five days a week. Trump says he also plans to challenge a new agreement the Social Security Administration made with one of its unions locking in current levels of telework for years to come.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Two new bills from Senator James Lankford are aimed to recovering improper payments from two large programs. The first bill, the Fraudulent COVID Funds Recovery Act, would extend the statute of limitations for all pandemic-era programs for five extra years. The new statute of limitations would let law enforcement officials go after fraudsters through 2030. The second bill, the Eliminate Fraudulent Unemployment Insurance Benefits Act, would require states to withhold payments from any claimant it deems ineligible and fraudulent. It also creates new definitions to help states appropriately classify fraudulent activity. COVID era programs and the Unemployment Insurance benefits faced higher than normal levels of fraud, federal auditors found. Lankford is expected to be the chairman of the Government Operations and Border Management Subcommittee of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is working under a new enterprise strategy to fill workforce gaps. ICE’s 2024 annual report details how the agency used direct-hire authorities to make several hundred job offers in the past year. And ICE also made 185 tentative job offers at the Department of Homeland Security’s June hiring expo. ICE says that recruiting and hiring is a major piece of a multiyear “Enterprise Transformation Initiative” kicked off in 2024. The immigration agency is expected to ramp up recruitment under the incoming Trump administration. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Junior enlisted troops will receive a historic pay raise next year after President Joe Biden signed the annual defense bill into law on Monday. Other service members will get a 4.5% raise beginning January. Junior enlisted service members ranks E-1 through E-4 will see the extra ten percent added to their paycheck beginning April. The bill also increases the income eligibility threshold for the basic needs allowance to 200% of federal poverty guidelines. Congress must still authorize a full fiscal 2025 spending bill once it’s back in session.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Thrift Savings Plan board is reminding participants about changes to contribution limits coming for 2025. Generally, TSP participants will be able to contribute a maximum of $23,500 to their accounts next year. But participants ages 50 and up can make additional catch-up contributions of $7,500. Those ages 60 to 63 can make even higher catch-up contributions of $11,250 due to the Secure 2.0 Act. As of December, there are 7.2 million accounts in the TSP, a new record high. About 155,000 of those accounts are TSP millionaires. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A new survey of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation employees finds that a majority feel safe, valued and respected in their workplace. But more than a quarter of the respondents say harassment is common in the workplace. The new survey, from the FDIC inspector general, comes as part of the ongoing investigation into long-standing workplace culture concerns. The IG received responses from more than 26 hundred employees out of more than 62 hundred who received the survey. From the results, the IG made six recommendations, including the agency needing a way to receive complaints confidentially and anonymously from FDIC employees. The FDIC management says it will implement the recommendations by June 30th.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, the Senate has cleared the path to a final vote on the Social Security Fairness Act.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, the Department of Homeland Security's new AI chatbot, DHSChat, is now available to roughly 19,000 employees.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, President-elect Donald Trump promised yesterday to dismiss any feds who don’t come to work onsite full time. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal agencies are facing a partial shutdown on December 21st at midnight if Congress doesn't pass another continuing resolution or the funding bills for fiscal 2025. Agencies began preparing for a partial government shutdown on Friday as required under Circular A-11, which initiates the process when the expiration of current funding is a week away. House Speaker Mike Johnson, however, said last week that negotiations to extend the current CR are moving forward. The White House asked Congress in November to add more than $98 billion to the next CR in additional funding to help respond to disasters.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A bipartisan bill in the House envisions a new way for the Department of Veterans Affairs to recruit doctors. The Supporting Medical Students and VA Workforce Act would create a new scholarship program in which the VA pays students to study medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Students who accept the scholarships would agree to serve as VA physicians after completing their residencies. House VA Committee Ranking Member Mark Takano and Congressman Neal Dunn are leading the bill. They say it would help the VA address a shortage of physicians in rural and underserved areas.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Department of Veterans Affairs is dealing with a multi-billion-dollar budget shortfall and awarded bonuses to career executives not eligible to receive them last year. Now the top Republicans on the House and Senate VA committees are calling on the department to hold its executives accountable for these issues during their annual reviews. House committee Chairman Mike Bost and Senate committee chairman Jerry Moran say department leaders should consider the role VA executives had in these management issues before making any performance-based compensation decisions. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The top Republican on the House Veterans Affairs Committee will keep his post in the next session of Congress. Congressman Mike Bost will continue to serve as the committee’s chairman for the next two years. Bost says he’ll focus on expanding veterans’ options to seek health care outside the VA’s medical system … and holding the VA workforce accountable to the veterans they serve. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The next leader of the Senate Judiciary Committee is backing President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to clear out top officials at the FBI. Senator Chuck Grassley is calling on FBI Director Chris Wray and his second in command … to step down from their posts. Grassley says the FBI hasn’t done enough to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct within its workforce or to protect whistleblowers from retaliation. Wray’s term doesn’t end until 2027. But President-elect Donald Trump says he plans to nominate Kash Patel to lead the FBI.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn plans to introduce a new package of bills this week, called the DOGE Acts. One bill would require agencies to report to Congress on the impacts of expanded telework and remote work for federal employees. Another bill in the package would freeze federal hiring and salaries for one year. The legislation aligns with the goals of the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency,” an external team led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy that promises to drastically cut government spending. Blackburn says her bills are aimed at holding the federal government more accountable. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Some employees at the Social Security Administration have locked in their current telework levels through 2029. The agency reached an agreement last week with one of its unions, the American Federation of Government Employees. The updated contract, which was first reported by Bloomberg, secures current hybrid work schedules for thousands of telework-eligible feds. The SSA agreement comes as leaders of the Department of Government Efficiency are alluding to plans of returning federal employees to the office full-time in the coming Trump administration.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth is asking President-elect Donald Trump to support her legislation to expand insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization for military personnel. In a letter to Trump, Duckworth is urging the President-elect to mandate the federal government and insurance companies to pay for all IVF-associated costs. Both House and Senate versions of the defense policy bill have provisions that would provide service members with the same level of IVF services coverage that federal employees and members of Congress are able to receive. Meanwhile, two House Republicans are urging Congress not to include any provisions in the 2025 defense policy bill that can expand access to in vitro fertilization. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A watchdog report finds Veterans Affairs incorrectly processed disability claims from veterans and underpaid benefits that some veterans were eligible for.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The IRS is raising the alarm on identify theft scams this holiday season. The agency says it's seeing an uptick in phishing email and texts and other scams to get taxpayers to hand over their personal information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

President-elect Trump tapped businessman John Phelan to serve as the next secretary of the Navy, saying Phelan will 'put the business of the U.S. Navy above all else."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Treasury Department says an IRS hiring freeze is possible if Congress doesn't address a $20 billion budget anomaly. The IRS already saw a $20 billion cut to its modernization fund.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Pentagon is out with its first draft of what could become the biggest government AI contract in history. Potential bidders have a little under a month to offer feedback on the draft RFP for what DoD is calling the Advancing AI Multiple Award Contract.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

SSA confirmed that President Joe Biden is expected to name Colvin, a 30-year SSA veteran and former acting commissioner for six years, to lead SSA during the transition.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

President Joe Biden is recognizing 236 federal employees across 30 agencies for their exceptional leadership and accomplishments. The Office of Personnel Management announced the winners of the 2024 Presidential Rank Awards on Thursday.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Two government contractors agree to pay a total of $4.3 million to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act and forced the Army to overpay for IT hardware. The Justice Department says Dell Technologies and Iron Bow will each pay more than $2 million to resolve a Qui Tam lawsuit. DoJ says Dell and Iron Bow allegedly conspired to collude on solicitations under the Army's AMDC-3 contract. Justice says from 2020 to 2024 Dell operated a deal registration program, whereby it gave advantageous pricing to Iron Bow to sell certain Dell computer hardware products and then also submitted their own direct bids on the same solicitations that were more costly.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

At least one member of Congress wants to do away with the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program. Alabama Republican Gary Palmer has submitted a joint resolution of disapproval to overturn the CMMC rule.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The White House-led initiative to overhaul the security clearance and personnel vetting process has entered a new phase. The Performance Accountability Council in its latest report on “Trusted Workforce 2.0 says agencies have updated all major policies related to personnel vetting. The PAC is now entering phase three of Trusted Workforce implementation. That includes expanding continuous vetting shifting to more shared services and speeding up the clearance process to get people to work faster. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

OMB Director Shalanda Young says in the coming days the White House will send Congress a comprehensive disaster package to replenish funding for agencies ranging from FEMA to SBA to EPA to the Transportation Department. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Congress already passed legislation in Veterans Affairs to fire employees accused of misconduct in 2017, but federal courts and the MSPB block the law from covering VA's workforce.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Food and Drug Administration is having trouble retaining employees who inspect drug manufacturers. The vacancy rate for these FDA investigators nearly doubled between November 2021 and June 2024. The agency tells the Government Accountability Office that travel … pay … and work-life balance are contributing factors to turnover. Investigators can spend up to 75% of their work hours on travel. The FDA paused many inspections of drug manufacturing facilities height of the COVID-19 pandemic. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The new organization isn't an official department. It is charged with working from the outside of the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The agency's Payroll and Compensation Branch tells FEMA's inspector general that it will complete all premium pay reconciliations for 2021 by January 31. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Navy Admiral Alvin Holsey officially assumes duties as the new commander of U.S. Southern Command, making history as the first Black commander of SOUTHCOM since its inception more than six decades ago.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The General Services Administration says it’s standing at the ready to give Trump’s transition team post-election resources. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The General Services Administration is gearing up for post-election presidential transition efforts. And this time around, the process will look a little different.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Congress gave nearly $3 billion to the Department of Veterans Affairs at the end of fiscal 2024.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal employees can contribute more money to their Thrift Savings Plan accounts in 2025. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is warning federal executives about a large-scaling spear phishing campaign by a foreign actor. In a new alert issued late yesterday, CISA says the adversaries are often posing as a trusted entity by sending spear-phishing emails containing malicious remote desktop protocol files. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Top lawmakers on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee are calling on a government watchdog to take a closer look at how agencies are addressing improper payments. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A new bill in the House would penalize career federal employees who don’t follow directives from a presidential administration. The so-called STRAFE Act would require agencies to report any policy resistance from federal employees to the White House. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber Safety Review Board will look into an alleged China-linked hack of U.S. telecom networks. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Defense Department’s contract obligations, payroll spending and grant awards across the country totaled 609.2 billion dollars in fiscal 2023, which is equivalent to 2.2% of the United States GDP. Approximately 59% that went to ten states, including Texas, Virginia, California, Connecticut and Florida. Top three states by defense grant spending are California, Maryland and Michigan. Top three states by defense contract spending are Texas, Virginia and California. Over $431 billion went to contracts for products and services and more than $167 billion was used for DoD personnel salaries. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, the Office of Personnel Management is forced to evacuate its headquarters due to water troubles.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, the Securities and Exchange Commission fines four companies for misleading disclosures about a major cybersecurity hack.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, the Postal Service is joining the Biden administration’s efforts to combat opioid overdoses. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, the Education Department has alerted its union that the agency plans to offer early retirements to employees.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, the Army is putting a lot of focus on fixing its housing this year. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Union officials are urging Labor Department leaders to continue negotiating over return-to-office changes. About 7,500 Labor Department employees will have to report to work in person at least half of their work hours beginning in December. That’s according to an announcement agency leadership made last week. But the National Council of Field Labor Locals, which represents the affected workers, says the announcement was made without completing bargaining obligations. The union is now calling on Congress members to get involved in the dispute and looking at options with the Federal Labor Relations Authority.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

At the same time, recovery efforts continue for Hurricane Helene, with 3,000 National Guard members from 13 states and 1,500 active-duty soldiers engaged in various missions across the region. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

USPS expects to make 7,500 temporary hires for its busy year-end peak season, 2,500 fewer than last year.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

FEMA took in more than 250,000 disaster assistance applications on Sunday alone, the most new registrations the agency has ever received in one day. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Feds impacted by the hurricane can then use the extra paid time off during the emergency, without having to dip into their own leave hours. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In a new memo to DHS staff, the department's top lawyer runs down what is and isn't allowed under the Hatch Act. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the wake of Hurricane Helene’s devastation a top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee is asking questions about the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s advanced forecasting models. New York Congressman Anthony D’Esposito, Chairman of the Emergency Management subcommittee says many communities caught in the path of Hurricane Helene weren’t aware of the potential for destructive flooding. D’Esposito is asking FEMA to provide data on its advanced forecasting models and prepositioning of resources. He’s also asking FEMA whether the agency has adjusted its rainfall modeling after Hurricane Helene. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Those calls come after the Council on Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency substantiated multiple allegations of wrongdoing by DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 2025 National Defense Authorization Act has a provision that would bump it up to 20 days of leave. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The IRS told its inspector general that its reviewing privacy disclosures from Free File partners to mitigate risks of exposing personal information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

OPM says employees who are adversely affected and seek to become emergency leave recipients must apply in writing to their agencies.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The IG says CISA made some good improvements to the Automated Indicator Sharing program in recent years.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Federal Labor Relations Authority's new training video for federal employees, unions and managers highlights types of work that are included as part of official time. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

FTC began the process to unionize back in 2023, raising concerns about their access to telework, potential politicization of the civil service and other issues.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is using a big part of the base's airfield as a holding area for truckloads of meals, cots and generators ready to move to other areas of the southeastern U.S. once the storm passes.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Senators voted Tuesday to confirm Army Lt. Gen. Ronald Clark for a fourth star and as commander of U.S. Army Pacific. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Supreme Court banned race-conscious admissions practices for most schools but left a possible national security exception for military academies.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration flagged 1,800 contracted employees listed as active but were no longer assigned to an ongoing contract.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Office of Personnel Management’s annual data call asks agencies to take a look at any jobs that might need a higher salary than General Schedule rates to help with recruitment and retention.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ahead of the new Postal health program's launch in 2025, the Office of Personnel Management has created a landing page with more information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Congress has until the end of the month to reauthorize Overseas Comparability Pay.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A new bill, called the Right to IVF Act, rolls together four previous bills all aiming to broaden fertility coverage nationwide.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Department of the Air Force is on track to meet its recruitment goals for fiscal 2024 across all components.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The government saw less staff attrition in fiscal 2023 but some demographic groups are still showing higher rates of quitting than others.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the cuts to IRS funding would reduce its total revenue collection by nearly $66 billion dollars over the next decade.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville is holding up the promotion of Lieutenant General Ronald Clark to lead Army forces in the Pacific. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Agencies are getting an important exception to the National Archives policy of no longer accepting paper records. NARA says agencies can continue sending official personnel folders to the National Personnel Records Center through June of 20-25. And agencies will be able to deliver employee medical folders to the records center until June of 20-27. NARA stopped accepting most paper records at its facilities this past June. But Archives officials have acknowledged that agencies need more time to digitize their personnel and medical records. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lawmakers are officially filing their discharge petition today to try to move the Social Security Fairness Act to a floor vote. The bill aims to repeal the WEP and G-P-O, two provisions that reduce or eliminate Social Security for certain public servants. The discharge petition will only move forward if the document gains 218 signatures, a House majority. The Social Security Fairness Act currently has 326 cosponsors. NARFE is urging all House representatives to sign the petition to move the bill to a floor vote.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The agency is targeting two categories of tax delinquents — more than 1,600 millionaires with more than $250,000 dollars in tax debt, and 125 thousand high-income individuals, who haven’t filed a tax return since 2017.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A federal union is calling for temporary work-from-home options for staff at the Environmental Protection Agency. The push from the American Federation of Government Employees comes after reports of Legionella outbreaks at several EPA facilities across the country. The affected EPA buildings are located in D.C., Boston, Houston and Chicago. The union called it “completely unacceptable” to continue letting EPA employees into the buildings in those areas. Using situational telework would let EPA staff continue their work safely, AFGE said, until the Legionella outbreak is under control.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Governor Moore joins state and federal leaders to announce Maryland is adding IRS Direct File for 2025 filing season.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Congress' own think tank … the Congressional Research Service … is getting new leadership. Foreign policy expert Karen Donfried (DAWN-freed) will become its director … starting September 23rd. She’ll take over for an interim leader who’s held the top job for more than a year. Donfried previously served as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs … and as president of the German Marshall Fund. She also worked as a European specialist for C-R-S for 10 years. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Civilian federal employees are now almost certain to see a 2 percent federal pay raise in 2025. President Joe Biden formally announced his plans for next year’s salary hike on Friday. Nothing will be truly official until Biden signs an executive order enacting the 2025 raise. If finalized, it would be the smallest annual raise enacted during the Biden administration. The 2 percent raise for the General Schedule would break down into a 1.7 percent across-the-board increase, plus a 0.3 percent locality pay adjustment.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Don’t forget… federal employees do get some extra time off on election day this fall. A new reminder from the Office of Personnel Management details exactly how much time, and for what reason. Federal employees can take up to 4 hours of paid administrative leave to go vote on Nov. 5. On top of that, feds can take an additional 4 hours off to volunteer as a poll worker. The paid leave for feds on election day comes from an executive order that President Biden signed back in 2021. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today's Federal Newscast, USPS wins $2M contract fraud investigation settlement.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today's Federal Newscast, the number of small businesses in the mentor-protégé program skyrocketed in 2023.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, the Biden administrative is showing agencies how to keep tabs on their use of artificial intelligence.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, civilian federal employees stationed in Iraq will continue to see higher pay rates until the end of the year. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, according to a new study, Americans feel generally positive about federal agencies, but it also depends on their political party.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, there's a criminal investigation underway into what appears to have been an attempt to disrupt the Army's annual TechNet conference. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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In today's Federal Newscast, former President Donald Trump has named two officials to lead his campaign’s presidential transition teamSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast,  as an alternative to Project 2025, the Partnership has created a new vision for what it believes will be the best path toward civil service reform and modernization.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency is starting to enroll more federal employees in continuous vetting.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, after eight years, Customs and Border Protection has reached a $45 million class action settlement. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, new instances of fraud in the government’s Flexible Spending Account program, FSAFEDS, are dwindling.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, a long-awaited bill to reform the government’s hiring process has cleared the way to a possible Senate floor vote.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, a group of employees is calling for the government to address sexual misconduct in the federal workplace.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, federal wildland firefighters appear a step closer to securing a permanent pay raise.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, veterans lost more than $350 million to fraud schemes last year.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, Republicans are trying, once again, to eliminate the use of "official time" by federal employees. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, federal employees are one step closer to receiving the 2% pay raise the Biden administration proposed for fiscal 2025.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Lawmakers say more talent is needed to fill an estimated half a million open cybersecurity jobs nationwide.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A watchdog report found the IRS disciplined more than a thousand employees with confirmed tax noncompliance issues.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Office of Management and Budget said in its updated Circular A-11 guidance that the President will make a final decision, but agencies should start with 3%.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, two members of the Agriculture Department have developed new technologies that can diagnose and treat bee diseases.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, a group of federal employees continues to push for expanded fertility benefits through the government's health insurance program. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, federal contractors have new advice for using artificial intelligence in the hiring process. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, the Defense Department generally escaped the effects of Friday’s global internet problems. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, House Democrats say a top official at the Federal Communications Commission helped write a policy blueprint for a new Trump administration.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, Navy leaders get instructions on training all of their personnel on dos and don'ts during election season.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Social Security Administration says a recent policy change should make it easier to compensate beneficiaries who received underpayments. To try to get reimbursements out more quickly.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, military suicide rates continue to rise, according to recently-released data from the Defense Suicide Prevention office recently-released data.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, House appropriators are taking steps that could give federal firefighters a permanent pay raise.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today's Federal Newscast, with the Supreme Court overturning a 40-year-old precedent at the core of how federal agencies issue regulations, the top Republicans on two House committees are asking agencies how they’re affected by the decision.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, the Senate Armed Services Committee’s version of the defense policy bill would make registering for military conscription automatic for all citizens.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, the troubled Air Force program to modernize aging nuclear missiles survives despite ballooning costs.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, federal employees and citizens with disabilities will see changes to the areas in front of and around federal buildings in the coming years. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The General Services Administration's EV battery strategy will help it maximize its use of the expensive components.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is taking several steps in light of recent findings of a workplace culture that was fraught with allegations of sexual harassment and other kinds of misconduct. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, younger Thrift Savings Plan participants will soon see a new investment option in the TSP. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(6/28/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Two Defense Department projects garner Presidential Federal Sustainability Awards. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency is managing a surge in security clearance applications. And resolving False Claims Act allegations, DoJ's Civil-Cyber Fraud Initiative chalks up an $11 million win against two contractors.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(6/27/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: DISA sees an opportunity to get out from under an ever-growing mound of technical debt. A new House bill is designed to build a stronger pipeline of cyber talent. And a recent survey shows satisfaction with the Thrift Savings Plan is at an all-time high.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(6/26/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Total federal-acquisition spending might soon hit a trillion dollars. The White House plans to conduct a hiring surge to fill open federal cyber jobs. And we don't know if DeRusha was in a hurry, but this former federal CISO has quickly landed at Google Cloud.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(6/25/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The 2024 Sammies People’s Choice Award enters the final round of voting from the public. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has picked a new Pentagon chief of staff. And a House bill locks, loads, and takes aim against Defense Department teleworkers.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(6/24/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Government Accountability Office is raising questions about the cybersecurity of federal background investigation systems. The U.S. Navy has eased up its punishments for failed fitness tests. And GOP Senators slam financially strapped Amtrak for paying $75 million in bonuses.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(6/21/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit has a new plan for spending nearly one billion dollars. OMB's CX guru Amira Boland is stepping down. And OPM's deadline nears for federal agencies to hand over a list of their politically appointed positions ahead of November's election.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(6/20/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: DoD has signed a $248 million deal with Duke Energy to deliver solar power to five military bases. Three more agencies are getting nearly $30 million to accelerate their IT modernization projects. And House appropriators have put a target on the back of teleworking and remote-working Defense Department employees.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(6/18/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Biden Administration is contemplating a new acquisition policy that would clear up some confusion. The National Taxpayer Advocate is not impressed with wait times suffered by ID-theft victims to get their tax refund checks. And GAO says wait times of more than a decade are way too long for DoD's major acquisition programs.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(6/17/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Army Maj. Gen. Paul Stanton has been nominated by the President to lead the Defense Information Systems Agency. The Republican-controlled House has cleared its version of the 2025 defense policy bill. And Senate Republicans have put a hold on more than 40 of the President's nominees, half of whom are nominees to the federal bench.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(6/14/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The VA is staying the course on plans to roll out a new Electronic Health Record. The White House joins a chorus of opposition to the idea of creating a separate Army drone branch. And Maryland Congressman Steny Hoyer warns of freezes, furloughs, and layoffs.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(6/13/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Federal agencies have a new tool to make acquisition research a little easier. Phone scammers go low-tech to impersonate high-tech CISA. And rumors targeting Social Security recipients, cause SSA phones to ring off the hook.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(6/12/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: A just-introduced bill would require the State Department to fill more of its leadership positions with career employees. The Defense Innovation Unit has tapped Maj. Gen. Steve Butow as its military deputy. And a Partnership for Public Service survey indicates trust in government continues to decline.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(6/11/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The IRS is reducing underutilized office space, but the IG says it's not fast enough. Federal agencies processed a record 1.1 million Freedom of Information Act requests last year. And the National Institute of Standards and Technology has a new project to help secure public benefits programs.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(6/10/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: New House legislation would prohibit DHS from buying batteries made by six Chinese companies. The Energy Department gives agencies another tool to get federal buildings to reach net zero emissions by 2045. And the number of cybersecurity incidents at federal agencies in 2023 grew by almost 10%.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(6/7/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Department of Housing and Urban Development is looking for a new technology leader. Senate Democrats are heightening their push to create better access to in-vitro fertilization treatments and medications. And the U.S. Army is looking to develop and bring nuclear energy to its installations.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(6/6/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Space Force is accepting applications from Air Force Reservists. Quan Boatman is the new director of the Interior Business Center. And an employee advocacy group is calling for better federal health care coverage of infertility treatments.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(6/5/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: House Republicans are advancing a $64 billion homeland security spending bill. House defense appropriators, take a hatchet to DEI, abortion, and climate change. And House support for the Technology Modernization Fund takes a nosedive.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(6/4/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Congressional Republicans are looking at more cuts to State Department funding. OPM has officially made it easier for agencies to hire military spouses. And Congress seems to want a military Drone Corps that Army leaders seem to oppose.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(6/3/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission names a permanent chief information officer. The intelligence community has updated its technology plans. And a 62-year-old retired four-star admiral faces three decades behind bars...on bribery charges.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(5/31/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The U.S. Army is re-imagining how it creates-and-maintains the technology that runs its command-and-control networks. The American Federation of Government Employees is still worried about the future of telework at the EPA. And the Golden State is the top dog for postal workers, in the dog-bite category.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(5/30/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Small Business Administration is coming under fire for its use of money collected in its IT working capital fund. Veterans will pay less for VA-covered mental health care over the next few years. And the claims checks from that 2015 OPM data breach are still trickling in.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(5/29/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: One of the Defense Department’s top IT acquisition executives is departing federal service next month. A new request for proposal from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is raising alarm bells among services contractors. And the National Archives and Records Administration is preparing agencies for a looming digitization deadline.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(5/28/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is back on the job after briefly relinquishing his duties over the weekend. Innovation in federal acquisition gets the spotlight in a new report from OMB. And Congress turns up the heat on what some members are calling the VA's "bonus blunders."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, the Office of Special Counsel vows White House officials will now face full consequences for any Hatch Act violations.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(5/23/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: A former White House official is taking a top job at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Patrick Space Force Base in Florida will be the permanent home for STARCOM. And pushing a Schedule F alternative plan, a working group warns of the negative impacts of the Trump-era plan.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(5/22/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Technology Modernization Fund is one step closer to getting an extension. The Army’s top cybersecurity official is moving on. And the Postal Service is hitting pause on *some* of its network modernization plans.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(5/21/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: It looks like a toxic work environment will force the FDIC chairman to resign. House Republicans are trying to roll back the SEC’s controversial cybersecurity rules. And a recent study shows feds in their 30s, are the most unhappy on the job.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(5/20/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: President Biden has nominated Maj. Gen. Thomas Hensley to lead the Air Force’s information warfare command. OPM is looking to hire a senior technology leader. And the Department of Veterans Affairs has earned a top honor for medical research.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(5/17/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: A bill has been introduced to require DHS to launch a cyber task force focused on artificial intelligence. The White House has released its blueprint for the use of social and behavioral science in policymaking. And a Virginia Congresswoman thinks the VA has some explaining to do about the millions in bonuses it paid to ineligible executives.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(5/16/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: GAO lets agencies know how they could save millions of dollars, by making better use of federal buildings. The Defense Department is gearing up to hold a virtual career fair for military spouses. And OPM just issued guidance to agencies on how to handle time off for feds experiencing domestic violence.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(5/15/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Telework bills are being marked-up in the Senate today. Feds convicted of sex crimes, might someday lose their pensions. And the Defense Department has another recruitment problem on it hands: child care workers.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(5/14/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: A draft version of the House defense policy bill would raise junior enlisted pay by 15%. The Postal Service is looking to raise prices on more than just mail. And the first chief digital and AI officer at the Defense Department is headed to the private sector.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(5/13/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Navy is offering big money to keep its pilots from flying the coop. The 2023 numbers are in about how the U.S. Digital Service impacted agencies. And two leaders on the House Homeland Security Committee want to put Microsoft on the hot seat about "cybersecurity failures."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(5/10/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The FDIC is in need of "cultural and structural change," according to a special review committee report. A watchdog report says breakdowns in leadership led the VA to pay nearly $11 million in bonuses to ineligible executives. And the Army's Chief Information Officer continues his march to revamp technology policy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, federal prosecutors are wrapping up one of the biggest counterfeit postage cases in years. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, a pair of senators is looking to get feds back to the office even more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(5/7/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Defense Department has secured funding for the Replicator initiative. Fourteen Senators want to press the pause button on facial-recognition-use at airports. And a Virginia Congressman is troubled by the lack of information on postal accidents and fatalities caused by trucking contractors.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(5/6/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Army will discontinue its temporary promotion policy for non-commissioned officers. In April, TSP posts negative returns for first time this year. And a long-serving official at Office of Management and Budget is taking on a new role at the Social Security Administration.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(5/3/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: A permanent under secretary of Defense for policy, remains elusive. OPM prepares to launch its HR career-growth website. And DISA's new five-year plan will consolidate support for the warfighter.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(5/2/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Expanded data on the federal workforce is opening the door for better planning and hiring. Republican Senators are squeezing the Education Dept for higher telework numbers. And pro-Russian hacktivists have broken into American and European critical infrastructure networks.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(5/1/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Defense Innovation Unit gets a new deputy director of commercial operations. The GSA's effort to "right size" the inventory of federal office space continues. And CISA makes major progress deploying Endpoint Detection and Response tools on agency systems.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(4/30/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee have introduced a bill to authorize new VA facilities in eight states and Puerto Rico. CISA has identified more than 150 beneficial use cases for AI in critical infrastructure. And the Navy defends itself in court over the health impact of a Honolulu fuel spill.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(4/29/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: GSA is looking for members to serve on its new Open Government Federal Advisory Committee. Senators are raising concerns about Homeland Security's practice of searching through phones at U.S. border checkpoints. And by Friday, agencies are required to name a senior career official to lead their presidential transition efforts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(4/26/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: OPM advises agencies on how they should consider a job candidate's criminal background. Staffing shortfalls will likely mean the Coast Guard will shut down about two dozen small-boat stations across the country. And Sen. Chuck Grassley is underwhelmed by DoD's oversight of the government purchase card.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(4/25/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Assistant U.S. attorneys at DOJ are calling for more flexibility and consistency in their telework options. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration helped stop a $3.5 billion fraud scheme targeting pandemic relief funds. And GSA will release a new buying guide this week to help agencies purchase generative AI capabilities.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(4/24/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Federal employees’ participation rates in the Thrift Savings Plan are gradually rising. The Census Bureau is laying the groundwork for its next population count in 2030. And seven Senate Democrats call out postal-service leaders for poor service and unsustainable pay hikes.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(4/23/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Defense Information Systems Agency reaches a new milestone in its classified cloud environment. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is finalizing a list of critical software products. And the DoD IG says Army commanders fail to adequately address all forms of harassment.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(4/22/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Defense Health Agency and the Defense Innovation Unit are asking for ideas to make DoD health care more human-centered. The Defense Department, once again, dominates the President's Cup Cybersecurity Competition. And the new Pregnant Workers Fairness Act includes a requirement for a telework option.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(4/19/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: An Illinois Congresswoman looks to put the postal service's network modernization plans on hold. The State Department joins a nationwide initiative to hire and retain more women for law enforcement positions. And a Virginia-based defense contractor pleads guilty to bribery.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(4/18/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The IRS received over 100 million individual tax returns this year. The big membership numbers for AFGE, make it the fastest growing major union in the country. And children at a New Mexico Air Force base appear to have a higher rate of a rare brain-and-spinal- cord cancer.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(4/17/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: A half million veterans give high marks to VA health care. The NSA is urging organizations to deploy increasingly ubiquitous AI systems with security in mind. And recent TSA pay raises have reportedly done wonders for staff attrition.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(4/16/24) - Lawmakers are pushing for more access to specialty services in the military’s health care system. The IRS hit its goal for the number of tax filers who used the agency's new-and-free Direct File system. And Accenture Federal Services has acquired a major contractor for the Veterans Affairs Department.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(4/15/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Military pharmacies are finally back to business as usual after a February cyber attack. A new request for information is asking for feedback on a new part of the Federal Acquisition Regulations. And OMB disbands the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force and tosses all COVID-19 orders and guidance onto the syringe-heap of history.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(4/12/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Junior enlisted service members could get a 15% pay hike as soon as next year. A Senate committee is trying to find out why the Postal Service keeps raising mail prices. And DoJ's efforts to come down hard on pandemic fraudsters, has recovered more than $3 billion.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(4/11/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: To curb costs, Army officials are considering cuts to education benefits for their soldiers. The Army's Chief Information Officer is out with another new policy. And the Department of Homeland Security is seeing a lot of interest in new job postings for artificial intelligence.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(4/10/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: An Air Force legislative proposal to transfer National Guard space units to the Space Force is sparking a backlash among state governors. NIST is seeking feedback on new recommendations for cyber incident response. And the Navy has a new strategy for science and technology.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(4/9/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The General Services Administration is looking to eliminate the use of "forever chemicals" in federal buildings. Meantime, a couple of California Congressmen want to turn empty federal buildings into housing. And Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is fed up with data breaches and has Big Tech in his crosshairs.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(4/8/24) -  For another year, agencies have likely escaped budget cuts due to sequestration. CISA is preparing to host its biggest biannual cybersecurity exercise called, “Cyber Storm.” And service members are reportedly not getting enough sleep each night to properly do their jobs.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(4/5/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: New guidance is out to improve the management of more than a trillion dollars in federal grants. The Postal Service is missing more than half its service targets for mail products on which it has a monopoly. And the congressional push continues to guarantee the death of Schedule F.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(4/4/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The State Department says recent budget cuts will lead to an overburdened workforce. The Department of Homeland Security is on the hunt for fresh cyber talent. And the Justice Department has issued a data challenge to help address the nation’s drug crisis.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(4/3/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Pentagon's first-of-its-kind Commercial Space Integration Strategy comes out this week. The Office of Personnel Management is offering a webinar to people thinking about entering the federal workforce. And a new chief diversity and inclusion officer is headed to the State Department.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(4/2/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Navy is updating its basic training phone call policy. The Census Bureau is looking to roll out a remote-work policy it drafted at the end of last year. And women-owned small businesses won a record $25.5 billion in federal contracts in fiscal 2023.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(4/1/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Defense Department has established the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy. There is a new section to the FAR and it may be the most important change in decades. And an OMB working group has added Middle Eastern or North African to federal requirements for collecting race and ethnicity data.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(3/29/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Army has opened a central office to manage the relocation of military families with special needs. A data analytics tool used to fight COVID-19 fraud might be redeployed. And agencies continue to struggle with giving too much money to citizens when doling out benefits.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(3/28/24) - Federal employees donated more than $68 million to this year’s Combined Federal Campaign. The DoD abortion policy, that Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) objected to, cost about $44,000 last year. And two lawmakers call a recent telework protest "hypocritical."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(3/27/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: TSP participants, receiving a full match, is once again on the rise. Senate lawmakers are advancing legislation that aims to bolster the security of government facilities. And in hand-to-phone combat, DoD is turning to social media to battle its recruiting crisis.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(3/26/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Following a recent ransomware attack, the Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman is calling on HHS to increase its oversight of cybersecurity in the healthcare sector. More Defense Department organizations are entering the Thunderdome. And hackers have gone phishing at the State Department, targeting paychecks and pensions.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(3/25/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Vendors likely will have to wait a little longer for the final solicitation of the SEWP VI governmentwide acquisition contract. Congress bumps up the Defense Department's funding for artificial intelligence for this year. And with an eye toward China and Russia, the Senate Intelligence Committee is asking the pentagon for advanced civil nuclear technology on U.S. bases.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(3/22/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Defense Innovation Unit could get a major funding boost. A powerful senator is asking the GAO to review the risks the Census Bureau faces, as it prepares for the 2030 count. And a new bill is calling for a more permanent path forward for better relationships between federal unions and management.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(3/21/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Military families continue to discourage family members from joining the military. Meanwhile, the Army is looking to retirees to fill the ranks. And a judge with the Merit Systems Protection Board is ordering the Army Corps of Engineers to send a whistleblower a "thank you letter."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(3/20/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: U.S. spy agencies are doubling down on efforts to harness open-source intelligence. A free, online tax preparation tool run by the IRS is gaining momentum. And a big employees union is warning of big dangers if the Bureau of Prisons fails to receive more funding.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(3/19/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: HHS is launching a probe into the huge cyber attack on Change Healthcare. GSA is ready to take the next step in setting up its new contract for cloud services. And the Coast Guard is improving access to mental health care for its service members.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(3/18/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Defense Department has a new director in charge of security clearances. Wildland firefighters are still fighting for a permanent pay increase. And the Supreme Court has ruled that, in many cases, public officials cannot block their critics on social media, even from their personal accounts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, the Biden administration is eyeing more investments for federal early-career hiring in fiscal 2025.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, the Secret Service is warming up plans for one of the biggest sporting events in the world.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, federal groups and unions are less than pleased with the White House's proposed 2% raise for civilian feds in 2025See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, the White House wants Congress to reverse a big cut to the IRS’ multi-year modernization fund.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Federal Newscast, agencies and federal unions just got marching orders to re-establish labor-management forums. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(3/8/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: A new-and-improved effort is underway to sell federal buildings. Agencies and vendors have until Monday to give feedback to the FedRAMP cloud security program on its draft Emerging Technology Framework. And it's not like storming a beach, but the Marines Corps becomes the first military branch in history to pass a financial audit.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(3/7/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Government Publishing Office has a new CHCO. VA efforts have accelerated to hire and market jobs to military spouses. And the Defense Department is slated to receive over $18 billion for military construction initiatives.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(3/6/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: When it comes to safety, many federal buildings can't keep up, according to the Government Accountability Office. The National Cyber Director is touting progress on the White House’s cyber efforts. And a new House bill specifies how agencies should buy, use and manage artificial intelligence.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(3/5/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Funding for IT modernization at one agency is slated to get a boost this year. CISA says hackers are still exploiting vulnerabilities in a widely used VPN service. And the VA finalizes its new abortion rule that will apply to all 50 states.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(3/4/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Commandant of the Marine Corps is still waiting to get the all-clear from his doctors, since his January heart surgery. The PLUM Book is one step closer to its hard-copy demise. And some lawmakers worked over the weekend to deliver a package of six funding bills, as the government shutdown bomb continues to tick.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(3/1/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: . President Biden names his former Labor Secretary to the Postal Service Board of Governors. The Social Security Administration is getting a new technology leader. And Congress helps DoD contractors slip the grip of new greenhouse-gas reporting regulations.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(2/29/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The White House is considering new recommendations for agencies to take action on critical infrastructure security. The FDA has outlined six goals driving its technology modernization. And the GAO says agencies need to do more training to prevent workplace sexual harassment.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(2/28/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Army is cutting about 24,000 military positions, as it restructures itself for large-scale combat operations. The Energy Department is handing out $45 million for 16 new cybersecurity projects. And the board, over at the Thrift Savings Plan, prepares for a government shutdown.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(2/27/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The White House is shining a light on a major source of cybersecurity risks. A new policy will increase drinking water system oversight across all Navy installations. And House VA Committee Chairman Mike Bost is taking a closer look at the recent sexual harassment scandal at VA.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(2/26/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The FCC moves toward establishing an “Energy Star” type labeling program for cybersecurity. Navy’s new council will focus on enhancing supply chain resilience. And Whistleblowing is a growth industry, as those exposing fraud pocket hundreds of millions of dollars.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(2/23/24) - In today's Federal Newscast:  The Justice Department has named a Princeton professor as its first chief science and technology adviser. Some new proposals for cybersecurity standards and regulations are causing industry heartburn. And an Oklahoma man faces prison time, for hacking into a federal online auction site and getting some pretty good deals.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(2/22/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: A top Defense Department intelligence official is retiring. U.S. Central Command is about to release its own data strategy. And the U.S. Special Operations Command is seeking feedback from small businesses.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(2/21/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Agriculture Department is launching a Digital Service Fellows Program. Lawmakers want the next military budget to focus on the well being of service members and their families. And one of the National Security Agency’s top cyber officials is retiring.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(2/20/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Army is looking for international innovators to share their novel technology solutions. CISA is renewing a task force to examine artificial intelligence and other critical technology issues. And the Pentagon IG questions the effectiveness of "awards fees" for DoD vendors.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(2/16/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Congresswoman Nancy Mace is taking on the GSA for making Chinese-tech purchases. The Social Security Administration is taking a new approach to try to reduce improper payments. And Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro has a few choice words for contractors.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(2/15/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Navy has updated its uniform-and-personal-appearance policy. Bloody syringes in a VA hospital laundry bin, get the attention of GAO. And the Coast Guard has a new lead technology executive.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(2/14/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: A DoD contractor pleads guilty to shafting domestic suppliers, by buying cheaper parts overseas. The Navy is using AI to optimize personnel assignments. And federal employees can now watch a video on a snow day, on how snow days are determined.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(2/13/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: U.S. Cyber Command gets federal laboratory designation. NASA names Dwight Deneal as its new director of small business programs. And veterans exposed to Agent Orange might soon find it easier to get VA health benefits. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(2/12/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Congressional Research Service is hiring a new director. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services completed 10 million cases last year, to boast a 15% backlog reduction. And a decade of no pay raises continues for the Vice President and senior political appointees.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(2/9/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: A new tutorial video is out to help feds through the retirement process. NIH has a new director of its Center for Information Technology. And Senator Ron Wyden wants the IG at Social Security to be fired.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(2/8/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Department of Homeland Security plans to go on an AI hiring spree. Lawmakers urge OPM to do more to make feds aware of paid-parental-leave options. And some phone-calling scammers attempt to steal cash through a money-laundering hoax.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(2/7/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Senate confirms Kurt Campbell as the next deputy secretary of state. The Office of Management and Budget is looking to add a chief customer experience officer to its ranks. And there’s a new face in charge at another one of the country's largest intelligence agencies.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(2/6/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Nineteen federal experts have some ideas on how to strengthen the budget process. Congress attempts to strengthen protections for the 22 million feds victimized by the decade-old OPM data breach. And there’s a new general in charge at the National Security Agency.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(2/5/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Two Democratic lawmakers are asking the GAO to assess the damage done to the military by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.). The Office of Management and Budget wants to bring the power of AI to privacy impact assessments. And the biggest leak in CIA history, gets a former employee a 40-year prison sentence.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(2/2/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The American Federation of Government Employees expresses fears about future telework cuts for Social Security employees. The U.S. European Command is seeking federal employees and government contractors to participate in its first-ever AI hackathon. And agencies have until midnight to shut down software that has been hit with dangerous cyber vulnerabilities.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(2/1/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The White House is widening the rule prohibiting employers from asking potential employees about their salary history. Cloud infrastructure providers are getting new cybersecurity requirements. And the chaos surrounding Red Sea shipping routes, has jacked up the cost to relocate federal employees.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(1/31/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The cyber threat from Chinese infiltrators continues to grow, according to an outgoing Army general. The Department of Veterans Affairs got more than 46,000 homeless veterans into permanent housing last year. And employees at Social Security headquarters are ordered to increase in-person work, starting in April.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(1/30/25) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Navy no longer requires a high school diploma to enlist. A long-time federal technology executive is retiring. And a former Acting IG has been sentenced to 18 months in prison in a software-theft conspiracy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(1/29/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to make a full recovery, according to doctors at Walter Reed Military Medical Center. The Department of Homeland Security is pushing hard to improve customer experience. And sex and work-culture scandals at the FDIC catch the attention and ire of Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa).See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(1/26/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The White House has set new expectations for how agencies should support small-business contracting. The Marine Corps is moving away from strictly using the Force Design 2030 label. And it's deadline day, as the White House awaits agency plans on how to decrease telework.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(1/25/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The undersecretary of the Air Force said the failure to pass all 12 regular appropriations will have catastrophic effects on the Defense Department. Feds, who relocate for work, may soon have better coverage of their moving expenses. And National Institutes of Health's governmentwide acquisition contract, adds to its record-breaking number of bid protests.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(1/24/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Government Accountability Office is not impressed with the data used in some important security-clearance decisions. The State Department is trying to get more mid-career professionals to join the Foreign Service. And the possibility of repealing Social Security's so-called 'evil twins" is closer than ever to the finish line.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(1/23/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Securities and Exchange Commission has figured out how its official X account was hacked. The Technology Modernization Fund program management office has new temporary leadership. And the U.S. Navy gives birth to a new pregnancy policy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(1/22/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: A District of Columbia federal judge has raised the False Claims Act fine against Gen Digital by $50 million. The Labor Department is trying to help agencies gain access to more disabled job candidates. And DoD has taken another step to make it easier for military retirees and dependents to renew their DoD-issued ID cards online.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(1/19/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: More oversight is coming to make sure agencies are using secure cloud services. NTEU leader Doreen Greenwald is expected to land at the Federal Salary Council. And the half-full and a half-empty government-shutdown-can has been kicked down the road, again.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(1/18/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Securities and Exchange Commission is planning to update its workforce strategies. A CIA technology leader is headed to the private sector. And GSA's Polaris contract is pulled back into the protest vortex.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(1/17/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: National Cyber Director Harry Coker calls for more diversity when hiring for federal cyber jobs. The Space Development Agency has made $2.5 billion worth of awards to build its tracking layer. And the VA is looking to reduce the child-birth mortality rate for women veterans.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(1/16/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Senate VA committee continues it pointed scrutiny of sexual harassment claims against the VA DEI office. The government’s top and first DEI official is headed to "the happiest place on Earth."  And speaking of happiness, feds in the DMV got a snow day today.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(1/12/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Postmaster General DeJoy rejoices over new package-business customers. The National Treasury Employees Union sounds the alarm over a potential government shutdown. And with a partial government shutdown a week away, the Senate considers a short-term continuing resolution.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(1/11/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Since June 2023, the first permanent chief human capital officer at GSA is waiting in the wings. The chief of naval operations crafts a one-page document called, "America's Warfighting Navy." And federal facilities still present physical barriers for disabled feds.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(1/10/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has a new inspector general. Holiday returns keep the Postal Service busy and raking in the cash. And more Bureau of Prisons pay incentives get the death penalty.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(1/9/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: A former federal cyber leader finds her next gig. NIST warns that American adversaries could poison AI data. And the Pentagon is ordering a 30-day review to look into the secrecy surrounding Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(1/8/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Some TSP participants can expect some information about recalculated life expectancy numbers. The VA plans new research using psychedelics to treat PTSD and depression. And billions in cuts to the IRS have just been accelerated.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(1/5/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: Rocks are falling from the ceiling at an IRS underground storage facility. A full-year Continuing Resolution could require big cuts to agency discretionary budgets. And the latest skinny on Fat Leonard.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(1/4/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Some 500 correctional officers are seeking justice at the Department of Justice. Former GSA executive Sonny Hashmi uncorks his 2024 private-sector persona for Unqork. And the White House is seeking a new CIO, a sort of SES tech exec.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(1/3/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: The military's Joint Staff finally has a Senate-confirmed chief information officer. The Postal Service reminds former employees that certain ethics rules still apply. And a key technology and cyber official is heading to GSA from OMB.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(1/2/24) - In today's Federal Newscast: Congress wants to know how many people have access to secret information. The Department of Transportation sees some big cybersecurity improvements coming in 2024. And the new year brings in new rules for GSA contracting officers.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(12/29/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: Some 6,000 vendors fail to comply with the ban on Chinese telecommunications equipment. A tiny agency has cleared it's backlog of incident reports in time for 2024. And the Marines Corps is looking for a new chief information security officer.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(12/28/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: Thousands of dollars in retention bonuses, are not retained for the new year. Federal facility safety stations get their first upgrade in 15 years. And Rocket Lab lands a half-billion-dollar government contract.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(12/27/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: Foggy Bottom has signed an agreement with the Smithsonian to assist in international expansion. New requirements in the law, require better living conditions in military barracks. And the Office of Management and Budget is proposing new pay rules for feds working above their pay grade.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(12/26/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: If you're in the government, you may or may not see more pay in 2024. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) waste shames specific government spending in his 9th Annual Festivus Report. And agencies have new guidance to promote more public engagement in federal rulemaking.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(12/22/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: The National Security Agency issues its cybersecurity year-in-review report. A new document calls on DoD to improve its processes for civilian harm reduction. And the Treasury IG says the IRS needs to do more to enforce the TikTok ban.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(12/21/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: Some federal correctional officers are set to lose pay bonuses in 10 days. The White House forms a task force to fight fraud against veterans. And on its fourth anniversary, the U.S. Space Force commander says SPACECOM has reached its full operational capability.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(12/20/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: Lt. Gen. Timothy Haugh has been nominated to be the next NSA director and commander of U.S. Cyber Command. Seven federal agencies are banding together to form the Biden Administration's "Climate Corps.” And it took three years, but the Navy finally has a new acquisition chief.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(12/19/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: Martin O'Malley turned 60 this year; Now he gets to run the Social Security Administration. The Defense Department IG is warning that systemic problems with military health care, could be leading to opioids being overprescribed. And one of the Energy Department’s major labs is creating a new hub for artificial intelligence research.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(12/18/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: Army and Air Force Exchange Service employees in Germany vote to join AFGE. A company that makes bug-repellent combat uniforms, is stung with charges from the Justice Department. And HHS has developed a suite of tools other agencies can use to improve grant management.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(12/15/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: The National Defense Authorization Act looks like it is headed for a smooth landing on the President's desk for signature. Senate Republicans say they smell a rat, in the case of the missing OPM use-of-official-time webpage. And a bipartisan bill in congress aims to increase the salary of VA radiation specialists from an annual $195K to $280K.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(12/14/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Office of Personnel Management serves up a few onboarding reminders. The 2024 National Defense Authorization Act clears its latest hurdle. And Sen. Joni Ernst wants feds fired who get convicted of a sexual assault.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(12/12/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: Harry Coker has been confirmed as the next national cyber director. The Bureau of Prisons tries to deal with a 40% shortage of correctional officers nationwide. And as plans for a news FBI headquarters putter along, the old building falls apart.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(12/12/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Small Business Administration is redefining small. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is rolling out a new cybersecurity tool for agencies. And DARPA makes plans to build a booming economy on the moon.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(12/11/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: The GAO looks to improve agency adoption of agile and iterative software development. The U.S. Space Force has officially activated its component for Europe and Africa. And GAO is projecting money for DoD's Armed Forces Retirement Homes is running out.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(12/8/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: The National Park Service offers the best customer experience in the government, according to research firm Forrester. The chief management officer is not coming back to the Defense Department. And blindsided by pay problems, certain VA medical employees might be allowed union help.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(12/7/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: DoD's Electronic Health Record problems, are still a big factor in military recruiting challenges. The GAO says the Department of Veterans Affairs is failing to detect drug felons during the hiring process. And the Senate has confirmed the new Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(12/6/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) has lifted his abortion-driven hold on military promotions. Job satisfaction at the Homeland Security Department has increased. And GAO blames staffing shortages for the failure of federal agencies to battle cyber attacks.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(12/5/23) - On today's Federal Newscast: CENTCOM's got a new chief data officer. A month after the decision was announced, Virginia lawmakers are still fighting to be the site of the new FBI headquarters. And the Internet of Things looms large in OMB's 2024 FISMA guidance.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(12/04/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: Some Senators have introduced legislation to scrap TSA's use of facial recognition at airports. The Office of Special Counsel warns federal employees about expressing partisan opinions on the war in Gaza. And Speaker Mike Johnson just received a letter saying money for Ukraine is running. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(12/1/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: GSA's Inspector General will scrutinize the decision to relocate the FBI HQ to Greenbelt, Maryland. Gen. CQ Brown spells out the dangers of a year-long CR, from his perch as Joint Chiefs Chairman. And the Merit Systems Protection Board is close to filling the final spot on its three-member panel.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(11/30/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Cyber Accreditation Body has a new leader. The Department of Veterans Affairs has surpassed its goal to permanently house veterans experiencing homelessness. And SmartPay celebrates its 25th anniversary with a facelift of its website.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(11/29/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: The State Department is setting records issuing visitor visas. Maryland's former governor is getting closer-to-confirmation to run the Social Security Administration. And Labor Department employees will be greeted by 2024 with less telework.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(11/28/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: Stamp prices will go up again. (That's five times since 2021). A new IARPA Program will try to expose perpetrators behind cyber attacks based on coding styles. And the Defense Department is seeking to update its acquisition regulations.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(11/27/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Secretaries of the Army and Air Force call the hold on the confirmation of hundreds of military officers "problematic." The GAO reports that the federal workforce is more diverse than the nationwide labor force. And improper payments crept up in 2023.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(11/22/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Navy has a new 14-page cyber strategy that was published yesterday. House lawmakers want to offer more help to military spouses who battle mobility in order to keep their jobs. And the National Archives and Records Administration is on track to eliminate the veterans records backlog by January.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(11/21/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: A new bill aims to raise the pay for blue-collar federal employees. CISA is expanding its cyber services beyond federal agencies. And if you'd like to ghost write for Santa, USPS has a deal for you.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(11/20/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: Postponing maintenance at federal buildings is costing the government $22 billion. The White House has temporarily filled a top cyber job. And a Senate committee has taken a big step to help end the hold on nearly 370 military nominations.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(11/17/23) - In today's episode of the Federal Newscast: The Defense Department is still the only federal department that's never earned a clean audit opinion. GOP lawmakers are trying to override a controversial cybersecurity regulation. And locality pay strikes again, as more than 33,000 federal employees will see additional raises in January.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(11/16/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: The IRS's new CIO makes a move with vast experience and success modernizing legacy technology. Several key Biden administration nominees are moving forward in the Senate. And the GSA sees record spending through its contracts for IT products and services.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(11/15/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: A  Fort McNair Army civilian is guilty of charging thousands of dollars on a GSA gas card. A deputy archivist ends her federal service after more than three decades. And the Pentagon has a new responsible artificial intelligence toolkit.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(11/14/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Technology Modernization Fund Board awards $3.5 million to establish an online "lost and found” registry for unclaimed retirement benefits. A DoD official arrested last month for involvement in a dogfighting ring, has been replaced. And Kemba Walden will step down as acting National Cyber Director at the end of the week.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(11/13/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: GSA is setting up a new contract to help agencies mitigate their supply chain risks. Congressional leaders want an update on how agencies are using AI tools. And as you brace for a government shutdown, how about a snow day?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(11/9/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: Bain Capital has bought consulting firm Guidehouse for $5.3 billion. There’s new leadership at one of the largest federal law enforcement employee groups. And the head of the Pentagon office responsible for investigating UFOs has identified retirement as his next step. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(11/8/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: The size of the U.S. military has dropped nearly 3%. FEMA and CISA publish a first-ever guide for emergency managers to prepare for attack. And the number of TSP millionaires jumps to nearly 100,000.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(11/7/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: The GSA is pouring $2 billion into sustainable construction projects. Data brokers are selling sensitive information like health and financial data of current and former military personnel. And Jane Rathbun is losing her "acting" title as the Navy Department's chief information officer.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(11/6/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: Polaris is facing yet another protest. A federal watchdog has found multiple cases of risky mobile apps downloaded onto ICE devices. And the CIO Council has delivered a new guide for managing cloud services.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(11/3/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: In an effort to avoid problems, a Senate bill looks to mandate the use of an AI playbook. An industry association is calling for the streamlining of software compliance requirements from the federal government. And the U.S. Senate confirms the first woman to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(11/2/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: President Biden plans to nominate a new second-in-command at the State Department. Military families could see improvements to housing, child care and school-meal access. And the Senate takes a big step to avoid a government shutdown.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(11/1/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: The SEC is suing SolarWinds and its Chief Information Security Officer for "defrauding investors." The Pentagon prepares to launch an artificial intelligence pilot program. And spending on classified intelligence activities has taken a big jump to nearly $100 billion.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(10/31/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: Gen. Eric Smith, the commandant of the Marine Corps, has suffered what appears to be a serious health episode. Agencies have received updated guidance for the type of infrastructure projects that the Buy American Act applies to. And House Republicans propose taking away billions of dollars in IRS modernization money and using it for aid to Israel.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(10/30/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Navy's principal cyber advisor is leaving government. Correctional officers at Leavenworth federal penitentiary are holding a picket line today. And the Federal Labor Relations Authority Chairman sounds a warning about furloughs.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(10/27/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: Federal employees’ demand for mental health services overseas is rising, but help for them is spread thin. HHS surpasses targets for hiring military spouses. And bid protests spiked in fiscal 2022.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(10/26/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: Thousands of non-feds would be eligible to join the Thrift Savings Plan under a new bill. Agencies must award at least 13% of all their prime contracts to Small Disadvantaged Businesses this fiscal year. And survivors of civilian federal employees, killed in the line of duty, are a step closer to receiving greater death benefits.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(10/25/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: TSP participants can now check on their loan applications at any time, as often as they would like. Dozens of companies are urging Congress to create a $1 billion hedge portfolio. And a new online tool should help streamline Freedom of Information Act requests.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(10/24/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: The EEOC swears in a new general counsel, who happens to be blind. DoJ has launched a new online tool to inform attorneys about Pro Bono opportunities. And GSA is planning a new service to make paying for travel and expenses easier across the federal government.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(10/23/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: Several GPO workers have filed a lawsuit, alleging a pervasive workplace culture of racism and sexism. The Biden administration is kicking off the first update to the national cyber incident response plan in seven years. And the IRS crackdown on wealthy tax cheats is bringing in millions of dollars.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(10/20/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: FEMA is asking the public to test features on its mobile app. Military records destroyed in a 1973 fire, leave some vets from the 1960s trying to prove service. And federal contracting dollars for women-owned small business continue to remain below 5%.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(10/19/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: Sen. Sinema (I-Ariz.) has introduced a bill that would improve death benefits for civilian feds. The SBA has come under fire for planning to ignore pandemic loans under $100,000. And the Coast Guard is looking into AI to catch illegal fishermen.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(10/18/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: The Defense Department has awarded $40 million dollars in research grants to four Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Federal employees and supervisors will get even more hybrid-work training opportunities. And, heading toward the 2030 count, the Census Bureau looks for public feedback.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.