Oversight
Watchdog says VA isn’t keeping close enough tabs on retention bonuses
While department officials blamed an overhaul to human resources processes for the errors, the inspector general noted that auditors have previously warned about similar issues.
Management
Billy Long confirmed to lead IRS amid calls for reform and oversight
The tax collection agency has lost more than 11,000 employees, or 11% of its workforce, either through deferred resignations or mass firing of probationary workers since Jan. 20.
Management
Trump quietly proposes shuttering the only federal agency that investigates industrial chemical explosions
Hazardous chemical accidents happen in the U.S. about every other day. Who will investigate them now?
Breaking News
Workforce
Judge blocks State Department layoffs
The Trump administration has sought special dispensation to imminently cut staff at State, but employees won a—potentially short-lived—reprieve.
Updated
Management
Feds from IRS agents to refugee officers are deploying to assist ICE conduct raids
President Trump is tapping unusual parts of the government immigration enforcement, and offering unprecedented roles.
News
Former USAID official, three contractors plead guilty in $550M bribery scheme
Their decades-long conspiracy involved rigged contracts, NBA tickets, mortgage payments, securities fraud and cash.
Tech
Civic tech leaders worry DOGE is ‘tarnishing’ its tools to improve government
USDS, the White House team DOGE took over in January, was a flagship civic tech organization. Six months later, civic tech is figuring out what’s next.
Tech
Georgetown leverages ex-fed tech experts with new fellowship program
Tech policy experts and U.S. Digital Service alums will join an inaugural program that aims to advance civic technology, while offering experience and insights to public service-focused students.
Pay & Benefits
Senate strips most retirement cuts from reconciliation, but anti-civil service provisions remain
Under language released by a Senate panel Thursday night, new federal workers who decline to serve as at-will employees will pay nearly 15% of their paycheck toward their pension benefit.
Workforce
The Trump hiring plan wants to fix federal jobs, but it might just make things worse
COMMENTARY | The administration’s new approach promises faster, fairer hiring. But with old-school rules and political essay tests, it could actually make the process harder for everyone. There is another, better way.
Tech
Job cuts could throw a wrench in the IRS’s plan to modernize
Agency leaders say they want to complete the “vast majority” of its modernization efforts within the next couple of years.
Management
House GOP clears measure to claw back billions from foreign assistance and public media programs
The Senate will take up this initial effort to codify some Department of Government Efficiency cuts after it finishes work on the budget reconciliation package.
Defense
Lawmakers rip into defense secretary over flat Pentagon budget
The Pentagon is counting on one-time funds from a reconciliation bill to fund investments in shipbuilding and missile defense.
Pay & Benefits
Think you're ready to tap your TSP? Here's what you might be missing
Before touching your Thrift Savings Plan funds, make sure you understand the rules—and the risks—you might not have planned for.
Management
Forest chief says losing 5,000 employees won’t impact fire season response. Many federal firefighters disagree
USFS says it’s ready for fire season after asking separated employees to come back, but employees say the losses have been "crippling."
Management
Trump’s plan to overhaul disaster agency once hurricane season is over prompts Democratic concerns
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has already experienced staffing cuts and leadership changes ahead of an “above-normal” hurricane season.
Workforce
Employee groups challenge ‘favorite EO’ question as agencies begin rollout
Experts warn that the Trump administration’s new essay questionnaire for most federal job applicants amount to a litmus test to politicize agency hiring.
Management
AI-driven contract cuts at VA spark concern
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., the ranking member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said DOGE’s use of an AI tool resulted in the “wholesale slashing” of VA contracts.
Pay & Benefits
Estate planning through Revocable Living Trusts: A guide for retirees and government employees
Federal employees can deploy more flexibility in their retirement and estate planning, as well as potentially safeguard assets for their beneficiaries by considering the range of offerings provided by a living trust.
Management