Oversight
Play of the Day: The Speaker of the House Can Just Fly Commercial To Afghanistan, Right?
The feud between Trump and Pelosi is gaining steam.
Route Fifty
Trump Administration Tries to Thwart States’ Unemployment Plan
STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Arizona’s rainy-day fund … Iowa mayor arrested for pot-growing operation … and Seattle mayor will pursue new streetcar.
Route Fifty
White House Snubs Disaster Relief Funds Proposed in House Bill
The $14 billion package lawmakers passed this week appears to be going nowhere fast—at least for now.
Route Fifty
Sky-High Affordability Gap Strains Ski Town Economies
Mountain communities across the West huddle in Vail to discuss the challenges of high costs of living, low-paying jobs and a scarcity of places to live.
Pay & Benefits
State Department Defends Unusual Recall of Furloughed Staffers, With Pay
Management, budget and legal teams approved emergency movement of funds.
Defense
Vaporizing Another Norm, Trump Goes Partisan Inside the Pentagon
The president uses a missile-defense policy rollout to bash Democrats before the military’s senior leaders.
Management
‘Tens of Thousands’ of Government Contractors Laid Off Due to Shutdown
The prolonged government shutdown is getting "pretty scary" as the number of federal employees and contractors forced out of work could impact the nation’s next jobs report.
Pay & Benefits
Federal Employees Rally to Highlight the Work They’re Not Doing During the Shutdown
From processing grants to prevent terrorist attacks to inspecting cribs for safety, workers highlight responsibilities that are falling by the wayside.
Management
'The Shutdown Is Introducing The Very Human Toll Of Missed Paydays'
Professor and author Paul Light weighs in on the current state – and future – of the government shutdown.
Management
Trump Isn’t Even Trying to Convince Voters on the Shutdown
The president and his party have grown accustomed to representing a minority of Americans—and ignoring majority opinion.
Management
House Rejects GOP Effort to Give Feds Their First Missed Paycheck But Continue the Shutdown
Republican amendment to a continuing resolution would have funded agencies until Jan. 15, thus providing the one check that has been missed so far.
Nextgov
Amazon Shareholders Move to Stop Selling Facial Recognition Tech to Government Agencies
A group of shareholders filed a resolution to halt sales until they can consider the tech’s societal impact.
Oversight
Watchdog: Government Separated 'Thousands' More Children at Border Than Reported
HHS inspector general says the exact number of children to enter the department’s custody as part of family separation policy is "unknown."
Pay & Benefits
Bill Would Give Feds Immediate Financial Relief From Shutdown Through $6,000 Loans
Legislation is a common-sense follow-up to guaranteeing furloughed feds back pay once government reopens, sponsors say.
Oversight
Nancy Pelosi’s Power Move on the State of the Union
President Trump might be able to keep the government closed indefinitely. But the new Democratic speaker can deny him use of the country’s most effective pulpit to make his case to the public.
Pay & Benefits
Shutdown Roundup: Coast Guard Goes Without Pay For the First Time Ever, Denver Helps Feds With Their Mortgages and More
The economic impact of the shutdown is increasing.
Oversight
Play of the Day: A Written State of the Union Is Trump's Nightmare
Will he put stage direction in it?
Route Fifty
Whoopi Goldberg Tells N.Y. Mayor Her Big Complaint With the City
STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Rapid DNA testing … D.C. mayor vetoes bill to decriminalize fare evasion … and rural Minnesota broadband.
Route Fifty