Author Archive

Jennifer Shutt

Defense

When does federal service really end? DOD case challenges retirees’ speech rights

A Pentagon effort to discipline retired Navy officer and Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., over public comments is raising broader questions about whether military retirees remain subject to federal authority, and what that could mean for speech rights, retirement benefits and post-service obligations.

Management

‘Shirtless in a hot tub with Kid Rock’: Dems question RFK Jr. on HHS priorities and budget decisions

Lawmakers pressed HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on proposed spending reductions and agency priorities, criticizing both policy decisions and his public messaging as they questioned the department’s direction under the Trump budget.

Management

Republicans weigh reconciliation for DHS funding as shutdown strains agencies

Amid an extended funding standoff affecting parts of the Department of Homeland Security, GOP leaders are considering whether the budget reconciliation process could provide a path to advance funding and immigration priorities without Democratic votes.

Management

GOP plan would fund immigration enforcement for 3 years as DHS shutdown drags on

Senate Republicans are preparing a reconciliation push that would fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol for three years, a move that could help end the Homeland Security Department shutdown but it faces opposition from Democrats and uncertainty in the House.

Management

Trump moves to pay TSA agents as shutdown talks stall in Congress

Emergency order would cover airport screeners who have gone without full pay since mid-February but not other DHS employees, as lawmakers remain deadlocked on funding.

Management

Top Dems in Congress list ICE constraints they want in funding bill

Proposed restrictions on the agency include requiring wearing body camera, the removal of masks and limitations on certain locations where people can be detained.

Management

Senate Dems demand immigration agents unmask, wear body cameras and carry IDs as shutdown looms

The lawmakers say the measures are needed to increase transparency and accountability within Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.

Management

Major meeting on FEMA overhaul recommendation suddenly shelved

The scheduled gathering of the FEMA review council was supposed to include "a public vote on the draft final report" outlining recommendations about the future of the federal agency, but was abruptly canceled Thursday.

Management

Trump says he is voiding Biden executive actions signed with autopen

In a social media post, the president declared any Biden-era orders, pardons or laws authorized with an autopen “terminated,” leaving legal authority unclear and federal agencies uncertain about whether any directives are actually affected.

Updated News

2 National Guard members from West Virginia wounded in 'targeted' shooting in D.C.

Officials say both guardsmen are in critical condition and a suspect is in custody. President Trump says the attacker will “pay a very steep price.”

Updated Pay & Benefits

Marjorie Taylor Greene retirement launches speculation about congressional pensions

For former members of Congress, pension and health care benefits can depend on your tenure.

Defense

Pentagon investigates Sen. Mark Kelly after he appears in video blasted by Trump

The Defense Department’s inquiry has intensified tensions between the administration and Democratic lawmakers while spotlighting the limits of military law over members of Congress.

Management

Latest FEMA acting administrator steps down, with no permanent chief tapped by Trump

Current agency chief of staff Karen Evans will become the Trump administration's third acting head of the emergency management agency on Dec. 1.

Management

As health costs spike, a sour and divided Congress escapes one shutdown to face another

Few of the divides that fueled the 43-day shutdown have been resolved, and a fractured Congress is on the clock to find a budgetary solution.

Management

Stopgap spending bill clears Senate, heads to House for vote

The measure aims to reopen the government after the longest shutdown in U.S. history, with lawmakers in the House expected to vote in the coming days.

Pay & Benefits

Pay for Trump and Congress continues in shutdown, unless they ask it be held

Some congressional members of both parties have asked that their paychecks be withheld until the current government shutdown can be resolved.

Workforce

With funding for courts in question, Congress stuck in shutdown gridlock for day 16

The Senate ensured that the government shutdown would last into next week when it failed to pass a stopgap government spending bill for a 10th time on Thursday.

Updated Management

Chance of a government shutdown rises as the Senate fails to advance spending bill

With both parties rejecting each other’s short-term funding proposals, Congress is heading into a weeklong recess with no deal in place and a government shutdown looking increasingly likely.

Management

US rolls toward a 'terrible' government shutdown, no exit ramp in sight

As lawmakers dig in, federal employees face mounting uncertainty over pay, operations and the ripple effects of another prolonged funding lapse.

Oversight

GAO: Trump violated law for sixth time in withholding FEMA funds

A new Government Accountability Office report says the Trump administration delayed funding for federal programs that provide food, shelter, and temporary housing, raising questions about compliance with federal law and the timing of aid.