Tech
As feds press for state data, officials may bolster privacy protections
Legal and policy pressure could be a key tool for states looking to shield their residents’ personal data from the federal government.
Workforce
A pandemic-era NSF internship pilot may have done more than fill a temporary gap
The remote program may have helped students who could not take part in person and offers lessons for how internships could work going forward.
Management
Major takeaways for federal agencies from the latest bipartisan spending package
The new "minibus" rejects many Trump proposals, from reorganizations to program eliminations.
Management
Trump administration agrees to drop anti-DEI criteria for stalled health research grants
The Health and Human Services Department will allow the National Institutes of Health to resume considering current research grant applications while legal challenges over the Trump administration's new grant funding criteria play out in court.
Tech
BEAD changes broke the law, federal watchdog finds
The Government Accountability Office found that last summer’s tweaks to the program should be submitted to Congress for approval before they can take effect.
Workforce
ICE more than doubled its workforce in 2025
The Trump administration has reconfigured its onboarding and training process to quickly deploy agents into the field.
Tech
Trump’s cuts to the civil service undermine new tech internship push, good government group argues
The goal of the administration’s new internship program is to recruit 200 students for tech-focused internships.
Pay & Benefits
Domestic TSP funds falter to close out 2025
Most portfolios within the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program were flat last month.
Breaking News
Defense
US spy agencies contributed to operation that captured Maduro
The CIA helped locate the Venezuelan leader while others monitored electronic communications.
Management
DOGE was government contracting's biggest story of 2025 — and it's not close
COMMENTARY | Contract cancellations, exaggerated savings claims and consulting contract reviews dominated our most-read stories of the year.
Workforce
Report: Federal statistical system needs help to meet its ‘basic mission’ in the face of upheaval
Statistical agencies have lost scores of staff under the Trump administration, threatening their ability to meet their mission, according to a new report from the American Statistical Association.
Management
Research confirms it: Happy workers are more productive
COMMENTARY | If agencies want to improve their performance, worker satisfaction and engagement would be a proven strategy to add to the mix.
Management
The 5 biggest stories federal agencies and employees need to watch in 2026
Trump will look to finalize his government overhaul efforts next year.
Management
Controlling ratings inflation is a good idea...but a forced distribution isn’t
COMMENTARY | OPM's plan to corral inflated performance ratings should also be mindful not to undercut employee excellence with arbitrary limits on recognition.
Oversight
Office of Special Counsel resumes Hatch Act enforcement against former feds for violations during their service
The agency had paused filing Hatch Act complaints against such individuals pending a Merit Systems Protection Board decision on the jurisdiction of former federal employees.
Workforce
The twists and turns of Trump’s 2025 war on unions
Since returning to office, the Trump administration has engaged in a series of efforts to sideline labor representatives within the federal government.
Defense
Pentagon preps to enforce ban on companies with ‘indirect’ ties to China
Defense firms will be notified of potential links to blacklisted Chinese-military companies a year before the contracting ban goes into effect, the assistant defense secretary for industrial policy said.
Tech
Senate adjourns without confirming CISA director
Sean Plankey’s nomination faltered as lawmakers ran out the clock after a tumultuous year of workforce reductions. The cyberdefense agency enters the new year without a permanent leader as the White House finalizes a sweeping national cyber strategy.
Defense
Pentagon will cough up summaries of 3 years of safety investigations, per NDAA
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., pushed for the disclosure amid rise in military aviation mishaps.
Workforce