Budget
Lawmakers signal support for using AI to prevent veteran suicides in FY26 VA funding bill reports
“There is a significant need to improve early suicide indicators and detection using artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies that improve operational efficiency and effectiveness throughout veteran service delivery,” according to a House Appropriations panel report.
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.
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.
Major takeaways for federal agencies on the funding deal to reopen government
Congress appears poised to end the longest-ever shutdown later this week with a bill with major implications for several key agencies.
Employees are receiving renewed furlough notices as shutdown enters second month, this time without back pay guarantees
The shutdown is heading into November, sparking new, altered furlough notices to 650,000 employees.
Exclusive
USDA transfers $13B into ‘slush fund’ for future tariff relief
The move has left the department incapable of delivering some mandatory farmer aid programs, and is raising concerns in Congress.
Senate to vote on immediately paying feds working during shutdown as funding deal remains elusive
Democrats appear to oppose the idea, while Republicans suggest a long-term stopgap bill is possible if government does not reopen soon.
Nonprofit files lawsuit to reinstate digital equity grants
The Trump administration cancelled funding under the Digital Equity Act earlier this year. A group that was in line to receive some of those funds is now suing to get them back.
More employees set to receive furlough notices as shutdown drags on
Agency plans will change significantly in the coming days and weeks if Congress fails to reopen government.
Maryland Dems float unemployment insurance for federal workers during shutdown
Congressional Democrats aim to provide benefits to federal employees forced to work during the shutdown, and other pay and benefits news you may have missed this week.
Government spirals into shutdown with Trump promising mass layoffs
A last-ditch effort to keep government funded failed Tuesday night. Agencies will begin furloughing staff on Wednesday.
Featured eBooks
Just 23% of fed workers would be furloughed if the government shuts down, under the Trump administration’s plan
Several agencies plan to keep more employees working than usual, leading to fewer workers being sent home.
Despite layoff threat, some feds see government shutdown as an opportunity to push back on Trump’s ‘lawlessness’
Federal employees and members of Congress who spoke at Monday’s press conference pointed out that agency reductions in force can proceed regardless of whether there’s a government shutdown.
Sides remain divided, White House predicts shutdown will occur on eve of funding lapse
Democratic leaders say “large differences” remain after meeting with President Trump.
Even a brief government shutdown might hamper morale, raise costs and reduce long-term efficiency in the federal workforce
With the political parties currently wide apart over the terms of even a short-term budget resolution, the government is set to shut down on Oct. 1, 2025, barring an 11th-hour deal that appears far off.
Trump budget office is hiding federal spending information, ethics nonprofit alleges
Federal courts have ordered the Office of Management and Budget to publish information about how agency funding is disbursed, but Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington contends that officials are using footnotes to obfuscate disclosure.
Facing a shutdown, budget negotiations are much harder because Congress has given Trump power to cut spending through ‘rescission’
Lawmakers are navigating a familiar budget crisis, but a rarely used presidential tool is shifting the balance of power and raising stakes for both parties.
As shutdown looms, federal agencies have no public plans for one
How the Trump administration would handle a shutdown and who it plans to furlough remains a mystery.
Updated
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.
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.
