Budget
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.
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.
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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.
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House GOP unveils 7-week stopgap funding bill, Dems say it makes shutdown more likely
Congressional Democrats are not backing down from their funding bill demands even as Republicans move forward with a plan to avert a shutdown.
Protestors denounce cuts to NASA’s staff, budget and union rights
Several speakers at the protest also urged Congress to pass a continuing resolution that prevents the Trump administration from impounding agency funding.
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HUD asked grantees to apply for soon-to-be-expired funding 3 separate times. Democrats want a watchdog review.
President Donald Trump recently replaced the acting head of the Housing and Urban Development Department’s inspector general office, which would look into the matter.
Trump Education Department to divert grants from colleges serving students of color
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the department would withhold $350 million in minority-serving institution grants from 800 colleges and universities, saying the grants "discriminate by restricting eligibility to institutions that meet government-mandated racial quotas."
Democrats rally behind hardball strategy to upcoming shutdown fight
House and Senate Democratic leaders say they are united in making policy demands as part of upcoming spending talks.
Democrats want to know how the Forest Service is funding its deferred resignation program
The Forest Service chief told one Senate committee that the funding came from annual appropriations and another that the agency was dipping into money provided in two Biden-era laws.
Government pacing toward increased IT contract spending despite DOGE cuts
A new administration and new priorities haven’t slowed the federal government’s spend on IT.
Legislation to end government shutdowns returns to Capitol Hill
Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, and Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., have brought back a bill aimed at ending the costly budget impasses, a proposal that’s historically had little success in Congress.
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Some funding frozen by Trump could soon expire due to new fiscal year, Democrats warn
Congress will need to reach a bipartisan consensus by Sept. 30 to avoid a government shutdown.
