Management
Experts fear global media agency’s gutting will strip key tools against foreign propaganda
U.S. Agency for Global Media programs serve a critical function in the face of U.S. adversaries’ efforts to wage information warfare against American allies and regions of critical interest, an influence operations analyst said.
Exclusive
Defense
Pentagon is placing probationary employees on leave in advance of mass firings
The terminations are expected within weeks under plans to fire nearly one-tenth of DOD’s 55,000 “probies.”
Management
Official who safeguards whistleblowers drops lawsuit protesting his firing by Trump
An appeals court had allowed the Trump administration to remove Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger while it heard his case.
Management
Official who fought to reinstate fired probationary feds can be removed during legal fight, court says
A federal judge had ruled that President Donald Trump’s firing of Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger was unlawful, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit determined that he could be removed while they weigh the case.
Oversight
Multiple groups file lawsuits to get DOGE records
Plaintiffs argue the Musk-led initiative is an agency whose records can be requested for release, while the Trump administration says they’re protected presidential records.
Transition
Trump DOGE order directs agencies to build tech to track government spending
The executive order directs agencies to build centralized tech systems to “record every payment” issued under grants and contracts.
Workforce
House Dems press administration on telework for military spouses
Although the Trump administration has issued guidance purportedly exempting the spouses of military service members from the president’s return-to-office mandate, lawmakers say some federal workers have heard differently.
Breaking News
Defense
Bloodbath: Joint Chiefs chair, CNO, Air Force vice chief, three top JAGs to be replaced
Trump, Hegseth announce plans to oust several of the military’s top officers amid larger DEI purge.
Workforce
Dozens of employees at the U.S. DOGE Service dismissed
Personnel from Elon Musk's efficiency service were the latest to be dismissed.
Transition
Federal workers decry recent firings in Presidents’ Day protest
“All I ask is that [the White House] follow f****** federal employment laws,” said one Consumer Financial Protection Bureau employee.
Workforce
National Labs have seen mixed impacts from Trump spending freeze
During a House hearing, four directors of different U.S. national laboratories offered insight into how federal funding interruptions have shaped their work.
Workforce
Judge extends order blocking USAID leave notices and evacuations
The U.S. Agency for International Development must put on hold plans to place thousands of its employees on paid administrative leave for one more week, as a federal judge weighs whether to issue a preliminary injunction in the case.
Updated
Workforce
Trump apparently fires FLRA chairwoman
Susan Tsui Grundmann’s term at the agency that oversees federal sector labor disputes was not set to end until July.
Transition
Senate Democrats call for DOGE to halt until details are provided
The letter to the White House chief of staff and counsel notes that some of billionaire Elon Musk’s actions via DOGE “may be illegal or unconstitutional.”
Updated
Workforce
Federal judge blocks USAID leave notices and reinstates workers
Attorneys representing the Trump administration confirmed Friday that upwards of 2,200 employees, many of whom are stationed overseas, would have been put on administrative leave Friday night, absent the court’s intervention.
Transition
Musk’s DOGE efforts pose a ‘constitutional crisis,’ experts warn
Elon Musk has spent the first two weeks of the Trump administration parachuting into government offices, leaving extensive — and some say legally prohibited — changes in his wake.
Updated
Workforce
USAID begins sending administrative leave notices ahead of expected shutdown
The agency also reportedly has ordered overseas missions to shut down by the end of the week.
Updated
Workforce
Agencies ramp up pressure on their workers to quit
New guidance continues to defend the Trump administration's "deferred resignation" program as legal, though it fails to address its apparent violation of the Anti-Deficiency Act.
Transition
‘Offensive bullshit’: Dem lawmakers call out Trump admin for ‘illegal’ action at USAID
Democratic lawmakers called out “unconstitutional” actions by billionaire Elon Musk and vowed to fight the Trump administration’s attempt to gut the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Workforce