Federal Newscast

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 growing national security demands. Service officials previously said the Space Force is not only prepared to absorb a significant influx of funding, it’s also in urgent need of a large funding boost. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 finalize the terms of the agreement. The Army said the two companies will be “responsible for financing, building, operating, maintaining and decommissioning the data centers on underutilized land at no upfront cost to taxpayers.” The data center at Fort Bliss is expected to be operational in 2027, while the project at Dugway Proving Ground is expected to be completed by 2029. The Army Corps of Engineers will play a key role in this project’s development.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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-term financial metrics and cap executive compensation at $5 million. Contractors that fail to comply could face penalties, including suspending contract payments and terminating contracts. Republican Senator Josh Hawley said that defense contractors “should be focused on expanding production, not padding their bottom lines.” 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 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. Under the new policy, all credentialing assistance requests will require command approval. Soldiers failing to complete their courses will be suspended from requesting credentialing assistance for a year. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 said it would cost and when it would be ready.  Guetlein also says that outside projections are “estimating a very large, complex capability.” The Defense Department instead is “changing that equation, simplifying, disaggregating it, to bring down that cost equation” that won’t exceed that $185 billion. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 IRS says it will take GAO’s recommendations into consideration. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 than 800,000 Americans who serve in the Guard and Reserve. The bill follows several recent proposals aimed at making certain military pay tax-free. Last year, a group of lawmakers introduced legislation to exempt all military bonuses from federal income tax, while another proposal is seeking to fully exempt military compensation from federal income tax. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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’ personal information at risk and potentially violated the law.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 Trump administration’s immigration enforcement agenda and other key DHS issues. Mullin has little prior experience in homeland security roles. He has championed Trump’s immigration crackdown as a member of the Senate. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 in those data gaps, and disclose any areas that are missing information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

President Trump formally transmitted Markwayne Mullin’s nomination to be Homeland Security Secretary to the Senate yesterday. Last week, Trump announced he would have Mullin, the junior Senator from Oklahoma replace Kristi Noem, who’s expected to step down as Secretary at the end of this month. But Mullin still requires confirmation and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Rand Paul has yet to announce a nomination hearing. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal employees’ retirement applications are continuing to flood the Office of Personnel Management. In February, another 31,000 retirement claims entered the agency’s systems. That puts OPM’s Retirement Services center at yet another record high of pending applications — now reaching above 65,000 cases with pensions that are yet-to-be finalized. That’s an 88% increase since OPM’s inventory last October, when retirements from the deferred resignation program first began trickling in. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A plan to limit when federal employees can cancel their union du  es if officially off the table. The Federal Labor Relations Authority is rescinding a previous proposal from 2022, which would have given federal employees only a once-per-year opportunity to cancel dues payments. Since 2020, dues-paying federal employees have had the option to cancel automatic deductions for union dues at any time.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

OpenAI and the Defense Department have adjusted the deal they made just days ago for use of the company’s artificial intelligence tools in classified environments. The changes center around prohibiting use of the Open AI’s technology for domestic surveillance, autonomous weapons systems and autonomous decision-making. These are similar to the safeguards Anthropic had insisted on that tanked its deal with the Pentagon and got it labeled as a national security risk. OpenAI also said the deal was adjusted to clarify that the Pentagon won’t use its technology at any of its intelligence agencies; that would require a separate agreement.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A new bill would prevent federal retirees who survived domestic violence from needing to share personal details with their abusers during the retirement process. Currently, retired feds must get written consent from their current or former spouse if they update their retirement benefits; which can mean exposing personal contact information to abusers. But the “Federal Retirement Safety Act” sponsored by Congressman Joe Neguse would direct the Office of Personnel Management to waive the requirement for survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence. OPM already waives the requirement for people whose spouses have died or aren’t able to be located.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal employees saw only small growth in most of their retirement accounts in February. All but one of the funds in the Thrift Savings Plan came in with positive returns for the month, but the increase was notably lower across the board. The I Fund, for example, saw the biggest increase of more than 6% in February, but that was much lower than the 12% increase it saw in January. The C Fund was the only account that came in negative, losing 0.76% as compared to January. For the year, all funds are in the black. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tens of thousands of employees have been working unpaid through the Department of Homeland Security shutdown. But thousands of others across DHS will be getting a paycheck on time. The American Federation of Government Employees is urging Congress to immediately compensate all employees affected by the DHS shutdown. The union is calling for the passage of the Shutdown Fairness Act, which would pay federal employees on time during any current or future funding lapse. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Democratic Senator Ron Wyden is blocking the Trump administration’s nominee to lead both U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency. Wyden says that Lieutenant General Joshua Rudd, who currently serves as the deputy commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, lacks the experience needed to immediately step into the dual leadership role. The lawmaker added that when it comes to U.S. cybersecurity, “there is simply no time for on-the-job learning, the threat is just too urgent for that.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

While nearly all major federal agencies saw staffing declines in the first half of 2025, the size of those separations varied. NASA’s workforce, along with civilian staff at the Defense Department, declined by less than 5%. But the Education Department lost more than 20% of its workforce in the same timeframe. That’s all according to new data analysis from the Government Accountability Office. GAO says it will continue issuing updates on federal workforce staffing changes over time.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A new director with both military command and education experience will take over Defense Department schools beginning next month. Paul Craft, an Ohio Army National Guard officer with more than three decades of service, will replace Beth Schiavino-Narvaez, who brought extensive public education leadership experience to the role. The abrupt leadership change signals a shift in educational priorities for schools serving military families around the world. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Craft will “swiftly reorient DoDEA towards patriotic values and classical learning.” The Defense Department Education Activity serves more than 67,000 military-connected students. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The nation’s highest court is adopting new technology to prevent conflicts of interest. The Supreme Court says it is now using newly developed software to assist in identifying potential conflicts for the justices. The software will run automated recusal checks that compare information about parties and attorneys in a case with lists created by each Justice’s chamber. The Court’s Office of Information Technology worked with the Legal Office and the Clerk’s Office to design the technology. New court rules to support use of the software will take effect March 16. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Treasury Department is highlighting best practices for using artificial intelligence within the financial sector. They include an artificial intelligence lexicon and a financial services AI risk management framework. The resources were developed by the Artificial Intelligence Executive Oversight Group, a Treasury-led partnership between financial institutions and regulators. The voluntary guidelines come as financial institutions increasingly rely on A-I to support decision-making, customer engagement, and operational functions. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Six Democrats in the Senators are asking the Government Accountability Office to further investigate whether the Commerce Department broke the law when it dismantled the Minority Business Development Agency or MBDA. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ben Ray Luján and others say they are concerned that Commerce defied federal court orders when political leaders terminated the funding for at least nine MBDA business centers and sent Reduction in Force (RIF) notices to terminate the last 24 employees still working at the agency. The lawmakers already had asked GAO to look into Commerce's initial actions to shutdown MBDA over the summer. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Some senior political appointees, including the vice president, will continue to see a long-standing freeze on their salaries. The Office of Personnel Management announced that pay rates will continue to be capped for certain Executive Schedule employees. Political appointees in Schedules C and G, however, are exempted from the pay freeze. Certain higher-paid positions have continued to see their salary capped for more than a decade. For 2026, the pay ceiling sits at about $197,000.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 bringing in industry experts to help overhaul its acquisition process. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the new Business Operators for National Defense program, or BOND, has already engaged over 100 industry experts, including dozens of former CEOs, COOs and CIOs already advising senior Pentagon officials. “BOND embeds elite private sector patriots, leaders with decades of experience at world class companies such as Apple, Ford, Microsoft and Tesla, directly into our acquisition process," Hegseth said. "Think of the best of the best leaders of our best private sector companies coming and joining the War Department.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The IRS pulled the plug on its free, online tax filing platform. Members of the Senate say the agency's partnership with tax filing companies hasn’t stepped up. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Angus King (I-Maine) are asking the IRS what it’s doing to promote its Free File program with tax-preparation companies. The program saw a peak of about five million taxpayers in 2004, but has seen a decline in users since then. The number of companies participating in the program has also declined. 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 has surpassed its fiscal 2026 recruiting goal just five months into the year. The service has already exceeded its recruiting goal by 25% for recruits who have shipped to basic military training or entered the delayed entry program. Despite that progress, service officials warn the current force is too small to meet growing national security demands. Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John Bentivegna said while “achieving a force of just over 10,000 uniformed guardians in 2025 was a landmark milestone, it is insufficient for the missions we have been assigned.” Bentivegna also told lawmakers that the service needs to increase its infrastructure and double its size to “effectively fulfill our national mandate.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A federal employee union head is stepping down after leading it for more than 14 years. Lee Saunders is retiring as president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Despite the name, it also represents federal employees in the departments of Justice, Transportation, Agriculture and Veterans Affairs as well as the Library of Congress. Saunders will step down in August after the union elects a new president.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Veterans Affairs is exploring hundreds of potential uses for artificial intelligence. More than half of them would impact its health-care mission. The VA says AI-assisted colonoscopies are leading to better detection of tumors. It also says AI helps mitigate the risk of opioid overdose and suicide among patients. The department says more than 130 use cases are currently being deployed across its operations and that many more are still in development. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Senator Ron Wyden is pledging to keep his hold on the nominee to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Wyden says he will continue to object to Sean Plankey’s nomination until CISA releases a 2022 report on security flaws in the U.S. telecommunications system. Wyden previously held up Plankey’s nomination for much of last year over the same issue. 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 says it’s cutting ties with Harvard University. The Pentagon says this will be the final school year for its graduate level professional military education programs affiliated with the university. DoD’s Harvard fellowships and certificate programs will end too. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says he made the decision because of what he calls “globalist and radical ideologies” at the university. Hegseth says the department will be reviewing its relationships with other schools in the coming weeks.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

About 17 veterans died by suicide each day in 2023. That’s nearly 6,400 for the entire year. An annual report from the Department of Veterans Affairs shows overall veteran suicides are decreasing. More than half of veterans who died by suicide did not receive VA health care in the last year of their life. Suicide rates are elevated for veterans ages 18 to 34 and those experiencing homelessness, health problems or chronic pain. Veterans with thoughts of suicide can reach the Veterans Crisis Line by dialing 9-8-8 and then pressing 1. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Taxpayers for Common Sense, a fiscal watchdog group, says the Trump administration’s Golden Dome missile defense initiative could cost as much as $3.6 trillion over the next 20 years, far exceeding the White House’s projected $175 billion. The group also argues the effort faces “insurmountable” technical hurdles that could prevent it from reliably defending the United States against nuclear threats. “Even under generous technical assumptions, the viability challenges facing Golden Dome are severe,” the report warns. Plus, the initiative could accelerate the nuclear arms race and complicate efforts to secure arms control agreements that reduce the nuclear threat.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.