Management
All remaining DOGE staff are in political positions, despite concerns of ‘burrowing in’
No DOGE personnel have converted to permanent, career roles.
Oversight
Trump illegally froze 1,800 NIH medical research grants, Congress’ watchdog says
The Government Accountability Office said the cancellation of $8 billion in NIH grants was a violation of the Impoundment Control Act and the Constitution.
Pay & Benefits
As Social Security turns 90, lessons from the past can guide its future
From hurricane preparedness to policy reform, history shows how learning from past challenges can shape a stronger Social Security system moving forward.
Tech
OpenAI to give federal agencies ChatGPT access at $1 per year
The General Services Administration signs this new OneGov pact to help agencies adopt advanced artificial intelligence tools as part of the Trump administration’s push for AI leadership.
Workforce
VA terminates most of its union contracts, appearing to disregard OPM guidance
The move runs against the Trump administration’s claims to federal jurists that agencies would wait until the conclusion of litigation challenging the president’s executive order seeking to outlaw collective bargaining at most federal agencies on national security grounds.
Management
‘The neutrality of the agency has been eliminated’: Stats-based feds decry BLS chief’s firing
Employees express concern Trump's firing of the commissioner, which followed a weak jobs report, will lead to future interference with their work.
Management
Why FEMA is essential in disasters, and how losing independent agency status hurt its ability to function
Decades of disaster response history help explain how changes to FEMA’s structure have affected its ability to manage emergencies.
Workforce
Trump administration cuts age limits for ICE agent recruits
The Homeland Security Department is using a recent funding infusion to hire more Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents with the goal of deporting more migrants.
Pay & Benefits
Why it might be time to look beyond U.S. stocks: A guide for federal retirees
The Thrift Savings Plan offers federal employees the ability to diversify their investments to international markets through the I Fund, which may soon be a popular strategy option.
Management
Thomas Shedd departs as Labor CIO
The longtime Tesla engineer appears to still be working at the General Services Administration, according to two employees, even as he leaves his post at the Labor Department.
Tech
GSA adds global AI providers to the schedule
ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini are now available to agencies through a single source for buying artificial intelligence capabilities.
Defense
Pentagon asks to move $150M to speed up Air Force One by 2 years
The move is part of DOD’s $5.4 billion omnibus reprogramming request.
Management
After Senate moves bipartisan spending bills, Dem leaders request sit down on shutdown-aversion plan
The Senate is moving fiscal 2026 funding measures with ease but there is still no overall strategy in Congress.
Management
What should we do with the ODNI? One plank owner’s thoughts
COMMENTARY | The Office of the Director of National Intelligence began as an effort to streamline intelligence-sharing in the wake of 9/11, but current reform efforts raise questions about its future role.
Workforce
FBI agents would get increased whistleblower protections under bipartisan bill
The measure’s sponsor, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has previously slammed the FBI over its enforcement of existing whistleblower protections.
Defense
Defense tech office cuts staff down to 40
The cuts to the Defense Technical Information Center are intended to refocus it on “its core statutory mission” according to a Pentagon spokesperson.
Workforce
A second appeals court has allowed Trump’s anti-union EO to go into effect
A three-judge panel on the Ninth Circuit Court rejected claims that President Trump’s barring collective bargaining for two-thirds of the federal workforce was retaliatory in nature, finding that the administration would have done so regardless of labor groups’ various legal challenges.
Workforce
Deep staff cuts at a little-known federal agency pose trouble for droves of local health programs
The Health Resources and Services Administration has lost approximately a quarter of its staff between February and June, challenging its ability to provide grant funding to public health programs across the nation.
Management
VA to end abortion services in cases of rape and incest
The department had only provided a few hundred abortions since the Biden administration authorized them in 2022, VA says.
Exclusive
Management