Route Fifty
‘Leave it alone’: Amid BEAD review, state leaders plead for stability
While elected officials in Washington criticize the broadband program’s speed and requirements, some officials urged them to let states proceed with plans to get people connected.
Nextgov
OPM watchdog to investigate IT risks tied to DOGE’s agency access
The agency’s deputy inspector general began “an engagement to assess risks associated with new and modified information systems at OPM,” a letter to lawmakers says.
Workforce
Labor Department rehires removed probationary workers
DOL’s decision comes after fired probationary employees were ordered back to work at the Agriculture Department.
Exclusive
Workforce
NIH faces renewed DOGE directive to cut staff, putting thousands in line for RIFs
The Elon Musk-backed group is calling the shots even after President Trump’s edict that they let individual agencies take the lead.
Companies
How contractors can navigate the Trump era
David Berteau, CEO of the Professional Services Council, offers strategic advice for companies to consider as the federal landscape undergoes rapid transformation.
Defense
‘5 bullet points’ email now a weekly task for Pentagon civilians
A short explanation of recent achievements is due every Tuesday, SecDef says in additional guidance.
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.”
Workforce
Trump administration outlaws unions at TSA
The Homeland Security Department on Friday misrepresented the proportion of union officials performing representational work at the agency and claimed ousting labor organizations would make the agency “more agile.”
Workforce
GSA continues slow drip of RIFs, nearly wiping out entire offices
More cuts are coming. Staff in the Technology Transformation Services were told Thursday that their team will be halved.
Opinion
The beating heart of small business: An ominous threat grows louder
Small businesses are suffering under contract cuts driven by the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency, writes Lisa Shea Mundt of the Pulse of GovCon.
Management
Trump administration moves to politicize top HR officials following firing at IRS
Guidance from the Office of Personnel Management justified the decision by citing chief human capital officers’ role in implementing Biden-era diversity policies.
Opinion
Full faith and credit crisis: The true costs of unpaid government invoices
How the administration’s payment freeze threatens many government contractors and could disrupt the entire federal marketplace.
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.
Workforce
MSPB orders temporary reinstatement of nearly 6,000 probationary workers at USDA
These Agriculture Department employees must be allowed back to their jobs for 45 days, as the Office of Special Counsel continues to investigate the Trump administration’s purge of recently hired, promoted or transferred federal employees.
Management
GSA says it will republish a retracted list of potential federal buildings to sell
The Public Buildings Service, which handles government property, is currently experiencing sizable layoffs.
Transition
Supreme Court rejects Trump’s bid to freeze USAID payments
In a 5-4 ruling, the justices require the administration to honor existing aid and contracts obligations while the legal battle continues.
Contracts
Supreme Court rejects Trump’s bid to freeze USAID payments
In a 5-4 ruling, the justices require the administration to honor existing aid and contracts obligations while the legal battle continues.
Route Fifty
Commerce secretary announces ‘rigorous review’ of BEAD program
Howard Lutnick said it is in “dire need of a readjustment,” and pledged to take a tech-neutral approach while dismantling many of the broadband access program’s Biden-era requirements.
Pay & Benefits