Tech
New White House design team aims for ‘delightful’ websites — changing design ethos in the process
Trump’s chief design officer says that his work shouldn’t be controversial, but his team’s track record has raised questions about who their websites are for, who they leave out and whether the White House can garner trust based on sleek design alone.
Management
The Trump administration wants to recruit more Peace Corps volunteers with fewer agency personnel, puzzling Democratic lawmakers
Twenty-one members of Congress urged the Peace Corps to pause workforce layoffs and restructuring until officials can show that the agency will still be able to fulfill required activities and protect volunteers who are serving internationally.
Management
Did the USDA just forget about $400M in drought aid for farmers?
More than a year later, not a dollar has been spent — and no one knows what happened to the money.
Management
Trump promised to ‘reclaim power’ from civil servants in his 2025 speech to Congress. Here’s what has changed since
The administration has made strides on several of the federal workforce goals that the president laid out in his speech to Congress last year.
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Workforce
OPM clarifies that agencies should not violate court orders to terminate union contracts
A memo last week tasking agencies with pushing forward implementation of a pair of executive orders aimed at stripping two-thirds of the federal workforce of their collective bargaining rights briefly aroused fears that they would violate a series of court orders.
Pay & Benefits
Still digging out from the last shutdown, DHS employees brace for more delayed pay
Employees are finding ways to save on commuting and child care costs, while DHS agencies say their operations are suffering.
Tech
Targeted AI adoption can drive change, current and former officials say
Agencies “don't need the fanciest AI model on the marketplace” to enhance their customer-facing operations, according to former VA Chief Experience Officer John Boerstler.
Sponsor Content
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Management
Contract reviews continue at OMB, official says
Deputy Director for Management Eric Ueland emphasized the need for CIOs to be empowered “at the beginning of conversations” for IT contracts.
FEATURED INSIGHTS
Management
VA doesn't know how many calls it's answering or how long veterans are waiting to get through
The department's failure to track call data is putting "veterans who may need timely and critical care at risk," the inspector general finds.
Management
RFK Jr. made promises in order to become Health Secretary. He’s broken many of them
Before being confirmed to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told U.S. senators he would not cut funding for vaccine research or change the nation’s official vaccine recommendations. He did both.
Management
Federal CIO tapped for dual-hatted role at GSA
Greg Barbaccia will serve as the acting Technology Transformation Services director and senior advisor to the administrator at GSA, while its previous lead, Thomas Shedd, will remain with the agency in another role.
TSP TICKER
FUND
G
F
C
S
I
FEB 20 CLOSE
$19.7056
$21.1539
$110.7221
$104.7280
$61.5476
DAILY CHANGE
0.0023
0.0011
0.7661
-0.0472
0.5714
THIS MONTH (%)
0.23
1.10
-0.34
1.84
4.70
FUND
L 2070
L 2060
L 2050
L 2040
L 2030
L INCOME
FEB 20 CLOSE
$13.3134
$22.4652
$43.2763
$70.3080
$59.8875
$29.7742
DAILY CHANGE
0.0896
0.1511
0.2413
0.3453
0.2353
0.0583
THIS MONTH (%)
1.69
1.68
1.49
1.34
1.12
0.69
FUND
FEB 20
CLOSE
CLOSE
DAILY
CHANGE
CHANGE
THIS
MONTH
MONTH
G
$19.7056
0.0023
0.23
F
$21.1539
0.0011
1.10
C
$110.7221
0.7661
-0.34
S
$104.7280
-0.0472
1.84
I
$61.5476
0.5714
4.70
L 2070
$13.3134
0.0896
1.69
L 2060
$22.4652
0.1511
1.68
L 2050
$43.2763
0.2413
1.49
L 2040
$70.3080
0.3453
1.34
L 2030
$59.8875
0.2353
1.12
L INCOME
$29.7742
0.0583
0.69
Pay & Benefits
Federal workers delay retirement as savings gaps persist
A survey shows most workers expect to retire at 65 or later, but many haven’t calculated savings for health care or emergencies.
Workforce
Postal Service sets up mental health peer support program for its law enforcement officers
The mental health of federal law enforcement employees has been a focus of lawmakers in recent years.
Workforce
OPM finalizes Biden-era reg revamping federal hiring of college students
The Trump administration made only minor tweaks to a 2021 interim rule aimed at encouraging agencies to hire students still at school to part-time jobs and eventually convert them to permanent posts.
Management
Democrats sound alarm on Interior reorg's impact on wildfires, land management
Unauthorized shifts to staffing could leave DOI agencies underresourced for critical duties, lawmakers say.
Management
Despite court order, a critical FEMA program remains frozen
Months after a judge ordered the Trump administration to restore climate adaptation grants, FEMA insiders say the agency hasn’t budged.
Oversight
Amid immigration agent hiring surge, watchdog flags shortages on the U.S.-Canada border
Only 77% of surveillance specialist openings were filled at the end of fiscal 2024, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report.
Pay & Benefits
Air traffic controller pay raise stalled by DHS shutdown
A House appropriations bill that previously authorized a 3.8% pay raise for air traffic controllers remains on hold as Senate Democrats continue to call for immigration policy reforms.
Management
Lawmaker pitches blueprint for post-DOGE privacy overhaul
Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., wants to redo the government's main privacy law to ensure people’s information is “handled responsibly” when in government hands.
Workforce
Unions oppose a Trump labor nominee over lack of experience, hostility toward bargaining
Conservative lawyer Charlton Allen has no prior experience in labor-management relations, but said he opposed collective bargaining rights for state workers in North Carolina as a political candidate in 2012.
Oversight
Indian Affairs regional employees have more work and fewer people to do it, watchdog reports
Officials from one region said that Trump staff cuts impaired a response to a wildland fire, while others characterized disbursing Inflation Reduction Act funds as an “unfunded mandate.”
Management
Senators demand to know the IRS’ path forward following the end of Direct File
The IRS ended the online, direct-to-government filing program last fall and is doubling down on the free tax filing options it offers through tax prep companies in a partnership called Free File.
Management
OMB is hiring for a deputy federal chief information officer
“If you know how to run large systems, cut through noise, and turn strategy into execution across government scale, this is that job,” Federal CIO Gregory Barbaccia said about the search for his deputy.
