Federal Newscast

Federal unions are advocating for pay raise parity between civilian and military members next year. They say not providing federal employees with a raise in 2027 would be “disastrous.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The Defense Department is expanding hiring flexibilities in an effort to reduce the persistently high unemployment rate among military spouses, which has held steady at around 22% or about five times the national average.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

During March, OPM received close to 15,000 incoming retirement applications, but processed over 22,000.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Agencies say Iranian-linked hackers are targeting critical industries like the U.S. energy and water sectors. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The Space Force budget would see a major increase under President Donald Trump’s massive $1.5 trillion defense proposal. The White House is requesting $71 billion for the newest military branch. The service received approximately $40 billion for the current fiscal year, which ends on September 30. Space Force officials have long argued that the service needs to grow in order to effectively meet gr...

Despite the decline, 472 service members died by suicide last year, continuing a yearslong trend of increasing suicide rates among active duty service members.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The Social Security Administration's rollout of new systems for scheduling appointments and managing its caseload nationwide is on hold for now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The bad month for the TSP also means 12 of 16 funds are in the red for 2026. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The Trump administration has opened applications for the next class of White House Fellows. Those selected for the fellowship program will spend a year in Washington, D.C., aiding the work of senior administration officials. Applications are open until April 22. Once candidates are selected, the paid fellowship opportunity begins this September and ends next August.  See Privacy Policy a...

The Army has selected two companies to build massive data centers at Fort Bliss in Texas and at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. The deal follows President Donald Trump’s executive order to allow private companies to use federally owned land and resources to quickly build AI data centers. While the deal is not final, the selection of the two companies will allow the arm to enter negotiations and fin...

A bipartisan group of lawmakers are seeking to codify President Donald Trump’s executive order that limits stock buybacks and executive pay for certain defense contractors. A new bill, titled Prioritizing the Warfighter in Defense Contracting Act, would prohibit large defense contractors from purchasing their own stock and paying out dividends. It would also prohibit linking executive pay to short...

In today's Federal Newscast, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has upheld the Trump administration’s decision to eliminate federal health insurance coverage of gender-affirming care. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In today's Federal Newscast, the Army is changing the requirements for cybersecurity and privacy training. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In today's Federal Newscast, Senate Democrats are expanding their investigation into how the Defense Department is using artificial intelligence.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In today's Federal Newscast, the vast majority federal agencies are facing major human capital challenges. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In today's Federal Newscast, lawmakers want to make sure the Department of Homeland Security holds onto the records from outgoing officials.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In today's Federal Newscast, a Democratic lawmaker seeks to put guardrails around the Pentagon’s use of artificial intelligence in military operations.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The Army is officially tightening rules around its popular education programs. The service is eliminating Credentialing Assistance for commissioned officers, limiting that benefit primarily to enlisted troops. Army officials previously said that officers already have access to various education opportunities, while enlisted soldiers face more challenges transitioning to civilian careers. Unde...

Attorneys argue against the judge giving Anthropic a preliminary injunction that would put the federal supply chain risk determination on hold. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The Defense Department is blowing through initial estimates of what its Golden Dome initiative would cost. General Michael ​Guetlein, Golden Dome's manager, said Tuesday the Pentagon is “at $185 billion for the objective architecture, which delivers way out into the 2035 timeframe.” This estimate is already $10 billion more and will take five years longer than what President Donald Trump...

A government watchdog says the IRS doesn’t yet have a plan to reduce its backlog of taxpayer correspondence. The Government Accountability Office says the agency’s backlog at the end of last year’s filing season remained higher than pre-pandemic levels. GAO says that without a plan the IRS risks not doing all it can to bring down the backlog; and may provide less timely service to taxpayers. The I...

A new bill seeks to exempt National Guard and Reserve drill pay from federal income taxes. The No Tax on Drill Pay Act would eliminate taxes on income earned during Inactive Duty Training, which typically includes monthly drill weekends and other readiness training throughout the year. Congressman Andy Barr, who introduced the bill, said eliminating federal taxes on drill pay would reward the more...

A top committee Democrat wants more information on DOGE’s activities at the Social Security Administration. Ranking Member Gary Peters on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is calling for a full and independent investigation of DOGE’s use of sensitive agency information. The senator’s push comes after reports that DOGE’s access to Social Security systems put Americans...

President Donald Trump’s new pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security will get his day in the Senate next week. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has scheduled Markwayne Mullin’s confirmation hearing for the morning of Wednesday, March 18th. Mullin, currently the junior senator from Oklahoma, is expected to field tough questions about his plans for overseeing the Tru...

As the Trump administration presses forward with efforts to reduce government, a watchdog has found that there is not a comprehensive list of all federal programs to start with. Despite being legally required to do so, the Office of Management and Budget has yet to publish an inventory of all current agency programs. A new report from the Government Accountability Office recommends that OMB fill i...