Federal Newscast

Lawmakers are renewing an effort to offer paid family and medical leave to federal employees. A bipartisan bill would give feds 12 weeks of paid leave in the case of a serious illness for themselves or an immediate family member. Legislation passed in 2019 to give federal employees access to paid parental leave. But family and medical leave remains unpaid, which lawmakers say makes federal recruitment and retention more difficult.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Senate Democrats are urging a federal appeals court to reverse a decision upholding the firings of two immigration judges at the Department of Justice. The lawmakers warn that the previous ruling from the Merit Systems Protection Board could give the president much broader firing powers over many civil servants. The Democrats' new amicus brief follows a previous request in the same court case for a full-bench appeals court hearing. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

House appropriators are backing the Trump administration's proposed pay raise for U.S. troops in fiscal 2027 as part of a $1.7 trillion defense spending bill. Military service members could see their paychecks grow by 5% to 7%, depending on their rank. It's a higher bump than the previous raise of 3.8%. The proposed legislation would help troops stay ahead of inflation as living costs continue to crunch Americans' budgets. The House's defense appropriations subcommittee will vote on the measure on Thursday.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A House Democrat is demanding answers on the Trump administration's proposed nondisclosure agreement for the federal workforce. In a letter to the Office of Personnel Management, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill) warns that pushing feds to sign an NDA would undermine First Amendment protections and whistleblower activities. OPM has two weeks to respond to the congressman's new investigation into the legal and workplace-related impacts of the administration's proposal. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Congress is one step closer to adopting a tougher name for the Department of Defense. An amendment added to the annual defense policy bill that passed the House would formally change its title to the Department of War. The name change echoes an executive order President Donald Trump signed in September. Only Congress has the authority to legally rename a federal department. Both chambers of Congress must approve the new name for it to take effect. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

OPM is taking steps to fill positions related to tackling critical agency needs and building out AI systems across the government. In a recent memo, Director Scott Kupor says the agency has created a candidate pool of more than 3,500 qualified candidates through hiring actions including the Tech Force and CyberCorp. Those include positions in IT, project management, contracting, finance and human resources. The candidates have already been vetted as part of the cross-government hiring efforts and can be hired more quickly than the traditional path.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal employees with disabilities are suing the Justice Department for denying their reasonable accommodations requests to telework. A new class action complaint alleges that DOJ's new policy violates the Rehabilitation Act. Two DOJ employees involved in the lawsuit previously had approved telework accommodations for years, due to a disability. But after strict return-to-office requirements, their telework accommodations were later denied. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Agencies are getting a green light to temporarily lift federal telework restrictions during the FIFA World Cup. A new memo from the Office of Personnel Management says agencies operating in U.S. host cities are allowed to offer some limited telework options to employees, as needed. OPM officials say telework may be helpful in cases where cities are experiencing high traffic congestion and commuting delays.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 is looking to fully transition to electronic payments this year. President Donald Trump signed an executive order last year directing the Treasury Department to stop issuing paper checks for all federal payments. SSA says paper checks are 20 times more expensive than electronic checks and are more susceptible to fraud. SSA beneficiaries seeking an exemption to this policy can request a waiver from the Treasury Department. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

May was a good month for every fund in the Thrift Savings Plan. New data from the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board shows all 16 accounts returned positive month over month results. The C Fund saw the most with 5.26% while five of the L funds also enjoyed 5% returns. For the year, the "I” fund remains the big winner, growing by more than 16%. Overall, 11 funds are producing returns of more than 10% for 2026. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Agencies will soon be able to pay as much as $400,000 a year to certain employees with skillsets in the national security sector. President Donald Trump told the Office of Personnel Management on Friday to establish new regulations to pay experts in specific fields related to supply chain resilience, secure access to critical minerals and advanced technologies and advance priority investment programs essential to our national defense and economic security. The memo says this increase in the top line pay for these positions is necessary to advance the rapid recruitment of the exceptionally skilled investment, engineering, financial and legal professionals needed to expand the nation's capacity.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Some Thrift Savings Plan participants are taking advantage of a new option for Roth in-plan conversions. The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board reports that roughly 30,000 TSP participants have converted some of their contributions since the feature launched earlier this year. In a survey, about 93% of TSP participants who used the new conversion option say the process was “easy.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Democrats are demanding that the Department of Agriculture secure new childcare options for federal employees. In April, USDA's current childcare service provider announced it would not renew its contract, closing two childcare centers in the D.C. region in July. But Democrats say USDA has not communicated any plans to offer an alternative to the employees who rely on those centers.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Amid soaring gas prices, a union is urging the Trump administration to allow telework flexibilities for federal employees. The National Treasury Employees Union says a full in-office mandate, coupled with high gas prices, is creating financial burdens for many employees. In a letter to the Office of Personnel Management, NTEU argues that feds should be approved to telework at least until gas prices go back down to normal. The vast majority of federal employees have been working fully in person since 2025, under orders from the White House.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 senators is trying to make shutdowns more painful for the members of Congress whose votes cause them. Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) introduced the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act, requiring lawmakers to remain in Washington D.C. until spending bills are passed. It would also institute automatic 14-day continuing resolutions if spending bills aren't approved. The legislation was first introduced in 2019 and a companion bill has been introduced in the House. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The House Appropriations Committee wants to reduce EPA's budget for fiscal 2027 by $1.8 billion or 20%. At the same time as part of the Interior, Environment and related agencies spending bill, lawmakers are increasing funding for the Interior Department by almost $700 million. The funding bill also supports President Trump's effort to unify Interior firefighting entities and cuts funding for climate programs. Additionally, the bill would reduce funding for the Smithsonian Institution, the National Gallery of Art and the National Endowment for the Humanities.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Office of Special Counsel may be getting a new leader. President Donald Trump has nominated Charles Baldis as special counsel for the OSC. If the Senate confirms him, Baldis will be the first permanent leader at the agency in more than a year. Trump fired Hampton Dellinger, the OSC's previous special counsel and a Biden appointee, in 2025.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs passed a reconciliation bill to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection for fiscal year 2026. The bill includes $9.5 billion for CBP recruitment and nearly $7.5 billion for ICE recruitment for fiscal 2026. It also includes about $3.5 billion for other CBP operations funding through fiscal 2029, including procurement and implementation of artificial intelligence and machine learning for mission support. The bill passed with a vote of 8 to 5. The reconciliation bill comes after Congress shut down the Department of Homeland Security for a record-breaking 76 days earlier this year.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Postal Service could offer more government services by partnering with state, local and tribal governments, but the service hasn't established a formal strategy to take advantage of this. The USPS inspector general says in a new white paper that USPS hasn't explored these opportunities even though the Postal Reform Act of 2022 gave it the authority to partner with non-federal governments to expand service offerings. The OIG suggests expanding service offerings using the USPS's already substantial infrastructure, including implementing identity verification for aid programs, DMV and IRS kiosks for assistance and fingerprinting for professional licenses. Post offices could even use their roofs to install internet equipment in disconnected communities and use data sensors on delivery trucks to collect data on road and air quality. The OIG says USPS can look to other countries, like Australia and France, that have successfully developed similar initiatives.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tax delinquency rates among federal employees and retirees have been increasing since 2021. That's according to a new report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration that finds about 50,000 federal employees failed to file a tax return for multiple years, including 122 employees who have not submitted one for eight or more years. TIGTA says the suspension of some collection programs during the COVID-19 pandemic is partly to blame for this increased delinquency. The program that collects this information, the Federal Employment/Retirement Delinquency Initiative, saw a staff reduction of 50% last year. TIGTA didn't include recommendations in its report, but says it has referred cases to IRS Criminal Investigations. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Senators have unanimously agreed to a resolution that would withhold their paychecks during future government shutdowns. The bipartisan resolution comes amid increasingly longer and more frequent shutdowns. Historically, lawmakers continue getting paid during a funding lapse, while many federal employees have to endure the financial strain of missed paychecks. The Senate resolution will take effect after the general election on November 3rd. It does not apply to the House. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

House lawmakers are pushing to bolster the Transportation Security Administration's budget by ending the diversion of airline ticket fees. Lawmakers on the Homeland Security Committee this week introduced a bill that would require the 9/11 Passenger Security Fee to be solely dedicated toward aviation and airport security. Since 2014, roughly $15 billion in fees have been diverted to the Treasury for deficit reduction. TSA officials have said allowing the agency to use all of the fee revenue would speed up airport security technology upgrades. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has launched a department-wide review of “all aspects of the military legal system.” Hegseth directed the Pentagon's general counsel to evaluate legal programs across the services, compare them with one another and benchmark them against the Justice Department and criminal justice systems. Hegseth said the review “will result in recommendations to cut bureaucracy and make legal professionals more effective.” The announcement comes after Hegseth launched what he described as a “ruthless” review of how the military's legal offices are organized as part of his campaign to move from what he calls “tepid legality” to “maximum lethality.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Department of Veterans Affairs approved nearly $600 million in infrastructure improvements during the second quarter of this fiscal year. That's just part of the nearly $5 billion the VA is spending on non-recurring maintenance this year. The spending is going toward updating infrastructure systems in medical facilities and building upgrades for elevators, electrical systems and boiler plants. The funding is also going toward preparing VA medical facilities for the rollout of a new Electronic Health Record system.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Despite some hiring occurring across agencies, overall employment in the federal government is continuing to decline. That's according to the latest jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS reports that in April, federal employment numbers decreased by another 9,000 jobs. Since peaking in October 2024, the federal sector's numbers are now down by 11.5% or 348,000 jobs. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nearly 12,000 new retirement claims entered the Office of Personnel Management's systems last month. Coupled with OPM's processing of about 17,000 retirement applications, the agency managed to reduce its inventory by several thousand claims. April was the first time OPM's retirement backlog has dipped below 50,000 claims in more than five months. Currently, digital retirement claims are also being processed in about two-thirds the time of traditional paper applications.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal workers' compensation is getting an overhaul from the Trump administration. The Labor Department says it's expanding the Federal Employees' Compensation Act to cover more types of beneficiaries and compensation programs. That includes claimants under the Black Lung Benefits Act and the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act. Labor Department leadership says the goal is to improve drug pricing transparency, as well as promote cost savings.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's Tech Force program has made its first official hire. Yasmin Maksutova will be joining the Office of Personnel Management as an IT specialist in data management. Agencies are expected to onboard more Tech Force recruits in the coming weeks. The hiring initiative is designed to recruit temporary tech talent, with a focus on early-career employees. 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's personal property activity has launched a new website to streamline the military moving process for service members, their families and industry partners. The website provides step-by-step moving guidance and checklists for every stage of the relocation process, information on permanent change of station moves and resources for filing claims and shipping privately owned vehicles. The platform also features a centralized library of printable tools and guides. PPA.mil will supplement Military One Source, which will continue to have information about the moving process. The website replaces multiple fragmented platforms with a more user-friendly experience. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Every fund in the Thrift Savings Plan rebounded in April to not only move into the black, but most posted significant month over month increases. Half of all funds increased by at least 9%, with the C Fund seeing the biggest 30-day increase, 10.49%. So far in 2026, the I Fund continues to be the big winner, increasing 11.12%, including rising 9.1% in April. The F fund is seeing the smallest growth with a month over month increase of just 0.12% and only going up 0.16% for all of 2026.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Pentagon is seeking to expand protections for military families living in privatized housing who report unsafe or inadequate living conditions. In a legislative proposal sent to Congress earlier this month, the Defense Department called for allowing tenants to report housing issues not just to landlords or their chain of command, but also to Defense Department housing officials, inspectors general and members of Congress. Currently, tenants are not protected from retaliation by the landlord if they report housing problems to an inspector general or a member of Congress. The proposal would expand the channels through which tenants can safely report their housing issues. The Defense Department says the proposal would not require additional funding. 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's overhaul of federal employees' performance management won't apply to political appointees. A memo from the Office of Personnel Management excludes all Schedule C and Schedule G appointees from the stricter performance metrics. OPM says political appointees are already at-will workers, so decisions on whether they should be kept or removed from their jobs do not depend on formal performance evaluations.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 is seeking to expand both financial and non-monetary incentives to help the Air Force retain pilots and other in-demand Airmen. A new bill, dubbed the Retention Enhancements for Tactical Aircrew Initiative, or RETAIN Act, would require the Air Force to pay maximum aviation incentive pay, increase retention bonuses up to $100,000 and allow Airmen to transition indefinitely to non-combat aviation career paths. Meanwhile, the Fighter Aircrew Career Flexibility Act would allow service members to take a one-time break from active duty lasting four months to one year. The measure would also allow aviators to spend time in the civilian workforce and return to active duty afterward. 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 changing when soldiers can request voluntary retirement. Under the new policy, soldiers can submit voluntary retirement requests at least 12 months, and no more than 24 months, before their preferred retirement date. Army officials say the change will allow the service to better predict personnel losses, synchronize personnel movement cycles and support soldiers transitioning out of the military. Soldiers who are being considered for a new assignment or have received official orders for a permanent change of station will not be able to submit a voluntary retirement request. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Twelve companies have been selected by the Space Force to develop a space-based interceptor system for President Trump's Golden Dome missile defense initiative. Through its acquisition arm, Space Systems Command, the service awarded 20 Other Transaction Authority agreements with a potential combined award value of up to $3.2 billion. The service said the system should be integrated into the Golden Dome architecture by 2028. The announcement comes after Gen. Michael Guetlein, Golden Dome's program manager, said that space-based interceptors might not make it into the final design due to high costs. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

House lawmakers are looking to beef up protections against fraud risks across government. A new bipartisan bill would create a standardized training program for federal employees to learn how to identify and root out fraud. Sponsors say federal employees are not currently equipped with consistent training on fraud prevention. The lawmakers say that has led to higher vulnerabilities in government programs.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Coast Guard is partially reopening the National Maritime Center. In a notice this week, the Coast Guard said NMC civilian staff have returned to work, as the Department of Homeland Security taps into emergency funds during the partial government shutdown. The NMC will process applications for merchant mariner credentials, medical certificates, and course approvals on a first-in and first-out basis. But Regional Examination Centers will continue to be closed to walk-in customers. Last week, Coast Guard leaders told Congress there's a growing backlog of 18,000 merchant mariner credentials due to the shutdown.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

House Republicans are proposing a billion-dollar cut to IRS funding next year. A fiscal 2027 spending bill introduced by members of the House Appropriations Committee would give the IRS a $10.2-billion budget next year. The Trump administration proposed more severe IRS cuts in its budget proposal, closer to a $1.5 billion cut. Funding for public-facing taxpayer services would remain untouched, but IRS enforcement would see the deepest cuts under the plan from House Republicans.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A new House bill would establish a permanent Inspector General for Fraud, Accountability and Recovery. The Fraud Prevention and Accountability Act, introduced by Texas Republican Pete Sessions last week, would ensure the permanent IG assists other inspectors general in detecting and mitigating fraud in federal awards over $50,000. The bill also would require the Treasury Secretary to make recommendations for anti-fraud resources in any future emergency relief or recovery appropriations packages. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The number of so-called “TSP millionaires” is trending downward. As of April 1, there were about 185,000 Thrift Savings Plan participants with accounts totaling over $1 million. Compared with the previous fiscal quarter, that means there are now about 10,000 fewer TSP millionaires. Latest reports show that million-dollar accounts make up about 2.5% of the nearly 7.3 million total TSP accounts.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 laid out a vision for how it plans to operate in space over the next 15 years. In two highly anticipated documents, service officials describe how they think the space environment will evolve by 2040 and the capabilities the service will need to keep pace with emerging threats. Service officials estimate the U.S. could operate around 30,000 satellites by 2040 and that artificial intelligence and autonomy will transform space operations.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A federal union is raising alarms about the Trump administration's planned reorganization of the Forest Service. The National Federation of Federal Employees warns that the agency's plan to move its headquarters to Utah and eliminate regional offices, will hurt the ability to effectively combat wildfires. The Forest Service reorganization will impact about 6,500 federal employees. Union officials say the relocations will almost certainly lead some of those employees to quit their jobs.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.