Pay & Benefits

Do You Need a Financial Adviser?

Some questions to ask yourself before you sign up with one.

Route Fifty

How a Health Department Is Working to Contain a Measles Outbreak

When a case is suspected, public health employees launch an exhaustive investigative process that one official called "real gumshoe work."

Management

Congress Approves Bill to Avoid Another Shutdown as Trump Prepares National Emergency

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday that Trump will sign the bill to keep the government open and move to redirect military funds to build a border wall simultaneously.

Nextgov

DHS ‘Doubling Down’ on Election Security Heading Into 2020

Under Congress’ budget deal, the Homeland Security Department will receive $33 million to combat foreign influence campaigns and defend election security in fiscal 2019.

Oversight

Democratic Lawmakers Demand Firing of DHS Official for Past Political Targeting

State Dept. IG was denied interview with appointee accused of intimidating career staff.

Management

House Democrats Reintroduce Bills to Expand Collective Bargaining Rights

After years of similar legislation stalling out, advocates hope for action in Democratically-controlled House.

Nextgov

Latest Spending Deal Includes Almost $20 Billion for IT Programs

The spending bills include multimillion-dollar agency projects and governmentwide funding sources for IT modernization and cybersecurity.

Management

HUD’s System for Processing Public Records Requests Died During the Shutdown

The contract for the agency’s electronic system for managing FOIA requests lapsed in early January and hasn’t been renewed. Delays are mounting.

Route Fifty

Amazon Pulls Out of Headquarters Deal in New York City

But the company won't reopen the search for a new location.

Defense

There’s a Big Obstacle to the Pentagon’s New Strategy to Speed AI to Troops

Defense officials want to accelerate the delivery of artificial-intelligence tools from the lab to the field. But it's hard to obtain the massive data streams that make AI work.

Defense

Senate Committee Grills Navy Official Over 2017 Collisions, Seeking Data to Prove Conditions Have Changed

During an Armed Services Committee hearing that referenced ProPublica’s investigation into the deadly mishaps, a senator pressed the top commander in the Pacific to give “real numbers,” “not promises and not good feelings.”

Tech

NASA Declares a Beloved Mars Mission Over

The space agency will stop trying to contact the Opportunity rover, which was sent to Mars to search for evidence of water.

Oversight

Play of the Day: Valentine's Day in Washington

Members of the Trump administration have some sweet cards for their loved ones.

Route Fifty

Republican Senator Says Infrastructure Proponents Need to Be Realistic

“We can do little reauthorizations within the current constraints, but to do something big we’d have to fess up and agree that you have to pay for things,” said U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee.

Route Fifty

The Next E-Scooter Headache: Hackers

A cybersecurity firm showed they could take control of an e-scooter someone was riding from up to 100 meters.

Nextgov

GAO Urges Congress to Start Moving on a Privacy Law

Researchers recommended lawmakers give regulators more power to write rules and punish the companies that break them.

Management

FEMA Administrator Brock Long Resigns

His departure comes as the agency faces increased scrutiny for its response during previous disasters.

Pay & Benefits

Shutdown-Avoiding Spending Package Includes 1.9 Percent Pay Raise for 2019

Measure that would keep the government open and overrule a pay freeze could be voted on as soon as Thursday.