Management
NSF director resigns
Sethuraman Panchanathan confirmed his resignation to NSF employees and the public in two separate statements.
The concern over enforcing the Federal Clery Act without the U.S. Department of Education
COMMENTARY | Dismantling the Department of Education is a multi-faceted challenge with potentially dire consequences for public safety in our universities.
Ousted independent agency leaders detail how they’re fighting their firings
President Donald Trump has sought to exert more influence over independent agencies, which are supposed to be led by members of both parties and have some degree of separation from the White House.
Updated
State to slash 15% of domestic staff, eliminate 132 offices
Layoffs expected by July 1, though embassy and overseas closures are not yet part of the plan
There’s no more DEI at DOD, watchdog finds
But most of the roles were eliminated last year by an act of Congress.
Rubio denies that Trump will politicize the Foreign Service and slash embassies
State Department says a draft executive order, which would have created new loyalty requirements for career staff and eliminated many offices, is fake. A reorganization of the department is still expected shortly.
Smarter, Faster, Lighter: A roadmap for agile evidence building
COMMENTARY | With DOGE initiatives fundamentally changing the state of federal policy evaluation, it could be time to embrace more evidence-based approaches to assess agency actions.
Trump administration wants new headquarters for the Housing and Urban Development Department
The headquarters announcement comes days after the president repealed decades-old executive orders in an effort to reshape where agencies decide to establish their office locations.
The president’s procurement order offers a real opportunity. Let’s not squander it
COMMENTARY | Real change in government procurement can happen, but it’s going to require learning from lessons of the past.
Trump ‘anti-fraud’ memo could allow SSA to stop paying some Americans’ earned benefits
The document’s publication comes just days after reports that DOGE operatives overruled career workers to falsely label thousands of immigrants as dead.
Exclusive
Trump officials explain his plan to make government acquisition great, for once
COMMENTARY | Three senior Trump officials explain why revamping the Federal Acquisition Regulation, and the $1 trillion in government spending it governs each year, is now a top priority.
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Trump orders major changes to rules covering $1T in federal spending
The Tuesday mandate — which aims to streamline the way government buys goods and services — was accompanied by a second order requiring agencies to predominantly use commercial products, rather than custom-built.
State-level DOGE work gathers speed
Oklahoma’s new government efficiency unit issued a report on what it has found to cut, while Iowa’s first-in-the-nation effort held its inaugural meeting. But experts say efficiency isn’t just about cutting spending.
Exclusive
White House pitches layoffs, local office closures and program eliminations at USDA
“These are the people that are directly where the farmers are,” one official says of the planned cuts.
SBA investigating staff for talking to press, former colleagues
SBA’s general counsel warned staff Monday it was investigating employee communications with media and former colleagues in a memo. It was promptly shared with reporters.
How cyber vulnerabilities and workforce cuts threaten the crisis lifeline program
A bipartisan, bicameral measure is hoping to prevent cyber incidents from limiting access to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline after a 2022 attack on a system operator disrupted calls to the hotline.
Trump directive aims to speed up deregulation by nixing public input
Advocacy groups have already announced they would challenge the president’s effort in court.
GSA preps for layoffs at TTS
The coming reductions in force are the latest in a series of workforce cuts within the Technology Transformation Services.
Interior fires senior leaders after fight over DOGE access to key payroll system
Several officials in the department’s CIO shop who were not fired are taking the latest deferred resignation offer, meaning that the office is nearly cleared out, with only two of nine leadership roles permanently filled.
Supreme Court lets Trump fire Democratic members of labor boards, for now
The removals of Cathy Harris from the Merit Systems Protection Board and Gwynne Wilcox from the National Labor Relations Board have been both blocked and upheld in court since President Donald Trump tried to fire them.
