Defense
Army small business office pulls the plug on LinkedIn posts
The office directs followers to its website, but critics say the move cuts off a key connection to the defense industrial base.
Defense
The Army wants to reinvent how it feeds soldiers in the field
A new sources sought notice targets alternative protein technologies as a means to reduce logistics burdens and strengthen supply chain resilience.
Tech
Anthropic, Code for America pilot AI tools for SNAP eligibility support
The effort is aimed at helping eligibility staff interpret complex federal rules and manage increasing administrative demands tied to SNAP policy changes.
Oversight
The number of feds in tax debt spiked during the pandemic
Around 215,000 federal employees are behind on their tax bills, IG finds.
Management
‘This will cost lives’: Researchers slam Trump cuts to addiction programs and staffing
The Addiction Science Defense Network in a new report criticized several reforms at the Health and Human Services Department, including the elimination of a program that collected information on hospital visits across the country related to substance use trends.
Management
CBP backs off border wall construction plans in Big Bend National Park
The agency says it will use surveillance technology and infrastructure upgrades in the park after bipartisan opposition to the proposed wall project.
Tech
Pentagon will ‘never again’ rely on a single AI provider, official says
Defense Under Secretary for Research and Engineering Emil Michael said new agreements with Big Tech companies are a “counterstatement” to the ongoing Anthropic-Pentagon conflict as the agency prioritizes flexible contracts.
Workforce
A USDA cow scientist won an award for helping dairy farmers produce more milk. He’s worried about the future of government research under Trump
The Partnership for Public Service, which runs an annual awards program for federal employees, recognized fewer civil servants this year as a result of fewer agencies participating.
Workforce
Feds wary of skills-based hiring survey after 15 months of attacks
The combination of a lack of outreach around a newly deployed survey of federal workers’ skillsets with the recent flood of layoffs, purges and reorganizations has made some reluctant to participate in the bipartisan initiative.
Tech
Inside the effort to connect Congress with the feds enacting its policies
Those writing laws don’t often hear from those charged with implementing them. The POPVOX Foundation wants that to change.
Management
FEMA should employ fewer staff and offer aid to fewer individuals, Trump’s council recommends
The changes come after the president proposed an overhaul, or outright elimination, of the disaster response agency.
Pay & Benefits
A week of recognition, and a career of service
Behind the honors and milestones, federal employees carry a lasting sense of purpose that extends well beyond a single week.
Workforce
‘Highly problematic for a thousand reasons’: NIH employees criticize Trump-era requirement to scrutinize grants with words related to diversity
One staffer said that officials are employing more systematic methods to pinpoint NIH-funded research that the administration may object to, but that the additional reviews are time-consuming and lack transparency.
Management
Legislative proposal would eliminate contracting preferences for minority, women-owned businesses
The bill would codify and expand on Trump’s executive order to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in federal contracting.
Tech
Education tech chief heads to OMB as deputy federal CIO
Thomas Flagg is a longtime government executive, having worked in the Labor Department for over 11 years prior to joining the Education Department.
Pay & Benefits
Dems introduce bill to protect feds’ credit scores during shutdowns
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said he was inspired to draft the legislation after hearing from TSA workers whose inability to pay their bills during the 78-day partial government shutdown hurt their credit scores even after they began receiving back pay.
Tech
White House weighs reining in contractors’ control over how agencies use AI
Draft policy language under review would assert the government’s authority to decide how tech it buys gets used, as officials debate guardrails and vendor influence.
Oversight
More than 3-in-4 allegations of sexual assault against federal prison staff are going unresolved
Such allegations are spiking and the Justice Department is failing to implement key reforms meant to institute a zero-tolerance policy toward prison rape, GAO finds.
Tech
Agencies eye agentic AI but readiness questions linger
A new survey of federal IT leaders shows growing interest in more autonomous AI tools as pilot activity accelerates, even as governance, data and oversight gaps persist across government.
Tech