Management
Senate report accuses DOGE of risking Americans’ data by operating outside federal law
A report released by Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., said a lack of restrictions on DOGE employees’ collection of sensitive data can result “in serious cybersecurity vulnerabilities, privacy violations, and risk of corruption.”
Management
Agencies should prep for mass layoffs if shutdown occurs, White House says
OMB is requesting updated reduction-in-force plans even if a shutdown is averted.
Workforce
Labor groups warn of ‘gaping hole’ in First Amendment if court OKs Trump’s anti-union orders
The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will reexamine a prior decision allowing the White House’s effort to strip two-thirds of the federal workforce of their collective bargaining rights to go into effect.
Management
IRS announces the phased end of paper check refunds
The Trump White House set a Sept. 30 deadline for the Treasury Department to stop cutting paper checks, although the IRS said it will still be issuing a “limited number” of checks where there is no alternative option.
Exclusive
Workforce
The Interior Department is taking steps to implement layoffs
After a series of delays, DOI is preparing RIF lists as it looks to implement significant personnel cuts in the coming weeks.
Updated
News
Dallas ICE facility is the site of another shooting at a federal building
The FBI is investigating the shooting as an act of targeted violence.
Pay & Benefits
Lawmakers propose elevating POW benefit eligibility and offering a citizenship path for immigrant service members
One House bill aims to change the veterans’ health care benefits priority for former prisoners of war, while another tries again to offer an immigration path to noncitizens in the Armed Forces.
Management
Trump budget office is hiding federal spending information, ethics nonprofit alleges
Federal courts have ordered the Office of Management and Budget to publish information about how agency funding is disbursed, but Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington contends that officials are using footnotes to obfuscate disclosure.
Management
Facing a shutdown, budget negotiations are much harder because Congress has given Trump power to cut spending through ‘rescission’
Lawmakers are navigating a familiar budget crisis, but a rarely used presidential tool is shifting the balance of power and raising stakes for both parties.
Defense
Has Space Force cracked the code on faster acquisition?
Leaders say the service is “disrupting” the Valley of Death, among other innovations.
Management
Trump’s reported use of the FBI against political opponents reflects earlier controversies from the J. Edgar Hoover era
COMMENTARY | Recent developments involving the agency have sparked comparisons to earlier episodes in the agency’s history.
Management
A new ‘activist’ OPM is incrementally reforming the civil service, Part 1
COMMENTARY | The Office of Personnel Management has the opportunity to implement real civil service reforms, if it can get away from its one-size-fits-all management approach.
Pay & Benefits
Your guide to pay and benefits during a shutdown
A lapse in appropriations looked likely after Senate Democrats rejected a plan to keep federal agencies open past Sept. 30, while the House is not expected to return to Washington until next month.
Tech
OPM adds OpenAI to its employees’ computers
The government’s personnel agency is taking advantage of the General Services Administration’s OneGov deal with OpenAI.
Workforce
As shutdown looms, federal agencies have no public plans for one
How the Trump administration would handle a shutdown and who it plans to furlough remains a mystery.
Updated
Management
Census advisory committee meets despite Trump administration nixing it
A Trump executive order directed the cancellation of “unnecessary” councils that advise on agency operations.
Tech
Meta offers agencies access to its open source AI models through OneGov deal
The agreement will allow government customers to use Meta’s Llama models, which are already publicly available, with the assurance that they meet federal requirements.
Workforce
Virginia lawmaker takes over advocacy for federal workforce bills
Rep. James Walkinshaw this week formally assumed lead sponsorship for a series of bills introduced each year by his predecessor, the late Rep. Gerry, Connolly, D-Va.
Management
As Delivering for America proceeds, bipartisan lawmakers create caucus focused on improving postal operations
New Postmaster General David Steiner has previously said that he would continue his predecessor’s postal modernization plan, which members of both parties have criticized.
Updated
Management