Workforce
Top homeland security lawmaker calls for cautious cuts to CISA
“We have to be very careful about who and what we cut, because [the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency] does have a mission to overwatch our critical infrastructure and make sure the bad guys aren’t getting in,” said Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn.
Management
NSA firings stoke fears of Trump installing a partisan loyalist to lead spy agency
“We saw it’s possible, without adequate oversight, for our spy agencies to do inappropriate things,” a former senior intelligence official said, referencing the 1970s congressional investigations that revealed many spying abuses against Americans.
Workforce
CISA to make comprehensive staff cuts in coming days, people familiar say
The nation’s premier cybersecurity agency, which sits in the Department of Homeland Security, has been in the Trump administration’s crosshairs for some time.
Transition
Trump fires head of NSA and Cyber Command
Gen. Timothy Haugh’s removal was spurred by far-right activist Laura Loomer, who, earlier Thursday, reportedly urged the president to terminate multiple National Security Council staffers.
Tech
Signalgate spurs government interest in chat-archiving services
Top staffers across the government have reached out to Whiterock Technologies about its electronic communications preservation service amid a court ruling tied to last week’s Signal chat with top administration officials that accidentally included The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg.
Defense
Judge orders agencies to preserve discussions in airstrike Signal chat
The directive targets communications in a Signal chat with top intelligence and national security officials between March 11 and March 15 that discussed strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. The Atlantic magazine’s editor-in-chief was inadvertently added to that chat.
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.
Workforce
CISA works to contact probationary employees for reinstatement after court order
Trump officials have vowed to downsize the nation’s leading cybersecurity agency. Ex-officials have said the moves would be harmful to national security.
Tech
US spy chief probing classified chat rooms to pursue leakers
Tulsi Gabbard said recent examples of unauthorized leaks involve data about Iran, Israel, U.S.-Russia relations and activities in ODNI’s counterintelligence office.
Workforce
CIA is terminating some probationary employees
Recent U.S. intelligence has signaled that foreign adversaries are increasing efforts to recruit disgruntled federal employees in sensitive national security roles.
Management
Agency guidance on ‘five accomplishments’ email still inconsistent
Bureaus inside DHS are still reviewing past submissions from staff and have instructed their workers to hold off on sending more updates.
Management
GSA lease terminations hit GAO offices doing national security work
Some of the terminated leases include buildings with spaces designed to exchange classified information on defense programs.
Workforce
168 employees fired at the National Science Foundation
“Panch has been conveniently absent throughout this whole time,” said an internal email an NSF worker sent to fellow colleagues, referring to Sethuraman Panchanathan, NSF’s director.
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.
Exclusive
Workforce
OPM fires its own probationary period staff
Employees’ physical and IT system access was deactivated at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday. On-site staff were also asked to quickly exit the Office of Personnel Management’s premises.
Management
OPM asks to dismiss email server lawsuit, citing misinterpretation of law
The agency notably released a privacy impact assessment for the dubious email server used to mass-message federal employees about a deferred resignation offer on the same day as the legal dismissal request.
Workforce
Unions sue Treasury over DOGE access to payment systems
Anonymous plaintiffs also called for a temporary restraining order Tuesday to prevent OPM from using a newly installed email system to mass-message federal employees.
Tech
US has ‘a lot of work to do’ on cyber defenses, departing cyber czar says
Outgoing National Cyber Director Harry Coker thinks his office needs more influence over the federal cyber budget but not necessarily more authority on offensive cyber operations.
Tech
Lawmakers request briefing from Treasury secretary on Chinese hack
The compromised third-party offering was a commercial remote services tool not listed in the marketplace for FedRAMP, the government’s cloud security compliance framework.
Tech