Cheryl Mason, inspector general of the Veterans Affairs Department, speaks during a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing on Oct. 29, 2025. Mason is also the chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.

Trump’s IG pick at the VA is ‘watering down’ oversight, some employees allege

Sponsor Content

GDIT unveils revolutionary modular approach to zero trust

Zero trust is entering a new era. Discover how modular security and AI are transforming federal cyber defense and mission readiness.

Exclusive Tech

Senator warns hundreds of federal web addresses may lack key spying protection

The list includes websites for FBI tips, intelligence job applications and the Veterans Crisis Line.

Management

Enforcement ‘surge’ from DOJ, IRS uncovers $490M in suspected tax fraud   

Justice and IRS officials said this won’t be the last tax fraud enforcement surge of its kind. But it's not yet clear how much money they'll claw back from suspected fraudsters.

Workforce

Judge again orders reinstatement of Bureau of Prisons union contracts, but stops short of contempt

U.S. District Judge Jordan Oliver found that the agency’s re-termination of its collective bargaining agreements last week violated last month’s preliminary injunction but said he would not police individual contract infractions.

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Florida Prepaid’s Call Center Never Closes Thanks to Agentforce Voice

Florida Prepaid transformed customer service with AI, now handling 75% of business-hours calls and 100% after hours—without sacrificing human trust.

Workforce

VA allows union contract to expire for most employees

Individuals hired as departmental police officers, firefighters and security guards, exempted from Trump’s anti-union orders, remain covered under the expired collective bargaining agreement, albeit only for “mandatory” conditions of employment.

Management

USPS ‘ready to deliver’ ballots in midterms without mail-in voting EO restrictions 

The Postal Service's law enforcement agency is investigating suspicious letters sent to several state officials who oversee election operations. 

Tech

CMS hopes to quadruple provider suspensions over next 6 months, official says

A new exclusion authority is the Trump administration’s latest step in a technology-enabled drive to restrict fraud, waste and abuse.

VOICES
Updated Oversight

HUD’s staffing cuts hurt certain housing services, watchdog finds

Housing organizations told the Government Accountability Office that they now face more obstacles getting in touch with department employees in a timely manner.

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Tech

AI offers Secret Service unique mission enhancements, official says

Threats against the Secret Service’s full-time protectees are up over 40% since last year. The service’s CIO and CAIO Chris Kraft said AI “can help us as we investigate those threats, monitor those threats [and] bring together correlations between seemingly disparate information.”

Pay & Benefits

Federal retirees face more than a COLA change in 2027

From Medicare premiums and Social Security earnings limits to a federal pay freeze, several changes could affect retirees’ finances and the benefits available to them next year.

Defense

The next counterintelligence threat may be hiding in federal hiring

COMMENTARY | Foreign adversaries are exploiting resumes, recruiting and professional relationships to pursue sensitive information. Federal agencies need to recognize the risks without making it harder to recruit the talent they need.

Tech

OPM revamps online pay tables, spearheads AI adoption across federal workforce 

The agency's CIO Adam Starr described the pay table refresh as part of a broader plan to “make every part of the federal experience tech-first."

Management

Trump quietly hired political appointees under a new job classification, good government group reports

While Schedule G is not officially set up in regulation, the Office of Personnel Management emphasized that the position category for political appointees was established by executive order and that the agency issued implementing guidance.

Pay & Benefits

Cost-of-living adjustments for federal retirees to increase next year

Former federal workers are set to receive between 2.6% and 3.6% more from their retirement annuity next year, according to new numbers from the Social Security Administration.

Management

ICE resists automatic activation of body cameras despite oversight concerns

Federal investigators found gaps in guidance for immigration officers’ use of body-worn cameras, raising concerns about whether the agencies can ensure the devices are used as required.

Breaking News Management

A judge just put USDA’s employee relocation plans on ice

The order blocks the department from moving about 2,600 employees or closing affected offices while a legal challenge to its reorganization proceeds.

Management

Disability accommodations at Labor get extra scrutiny with annual reviews

The department plans to review existing accommodations for disabilities and pregnancy-related conditions, with employees potentially asked to provide updated medical documentation.

Management

Fraud-prevention work stalled at USDA amid staffing cuts and funding disputes

Federal officials have identified ways to curb theft of SNAP benefits, but staffing losses, funding decisions and congressional inaction have slowed efforts to protect recipients.

Oversight

Labor has mostly stopped checking whether federal contractors are following disability rules

A watchdog found that the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has no plans to restart routine audits, leaving less oversight of protections for workers with disabilities.

Management

USDA reshapes its food assistance agency, but employee relocations remain on hold 

The Food and Nutrition Service is moving ahead with its reorganization, but plans to relocate most of its employees remain on hold for now.