Management
The president’s procurement order offers a real opportunity. Let’s not squander it
COMMENTARY | Real change in government procurement can happen, but it’s going to require learning from lessons of the past.
Trump ‘anti-fraud’ memo could allow SSA to stop paying some Americans’ earned benefits
The document’s publication comes just days after reports that DOGE operatives overruled career workers to falsely label thousands of immigrants as dead.
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Trump officials explain his plan to make government acquisition great, for once
COMMENTARY | Three senior Trump officials explain why revamping the Federal Acquisition Regulation, and the $1 trillion in government spending it governs each year, is now a top priority.
Trump orders major changes to rules covering $1T in federal spending
The Tuesday mandate — which aims to streamline the way government buys goods and services — was accompanied by a second order requiring agencies to predominantly use commercial products, rather than custom-built.
State-level DOGE work gathers speed
Oklahoma’s new government efficiency unit issued a report on what it has found to cut, while Iowa’s first-in-the-nation effort held its inaugural meeting. But experts say efficiency isn’t just about cutting spending.
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White House pitches layoffs, local office closures and program eliminations at USDA
“These are the people that are directly where the farmers are,” one official says of the planned cuts.
SBA investigating staff for talking to press, former colleagues
SBA’s general counsel warned staff Monday it was investigating employee communications with media and former colleagues in a memo. It was promptly shared with reporters.
How cyber vulnerabilities and workforce cuts threaten the crisis lifeline program
A bipartisan, bicameral measure is hoping to prevent cyber incidents from limiting access to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline after a 2022 attack on a system operator disrupted calls to the hotline.
Trump directive aims to speed up deregulation by nixing public input
Advocacy groups have already announced they would challenge the president’s effort in court.
GSA preps for layoffs at TTS
The coming reductions in force are the latest in a series of workforce cuts within the Technology Transformation Services.
Interior fires senior leaders after fight over DOGE access to key payroll system
Several officials in the department’s CIO shop who were not fired are taking the latest deferred resignation offer, meaning that the office is nearly cleared out, with only two of nine leadership roles permanently filled.
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Supreme Court lets Trump fire Democratic members of labor boards, for now
The removals of Cathy Harris from the Merit Systems Protection Board and Gwynne Wilcox from the National Labor Relations Board have been both blocked and upheld in court since President Donald Trump tried to fire them.
Interior Department to consolidate functions across the country, leading to widespread layoffs
Changes are expected to be implemented in the coming weeks.
House Republicans object to GOP budget for not cutting enough spending
The blueprint directs the Senate to cut a minimum of $4 billion, while the House instructions task several committees with cutting at least $1.5 trillion in spending.
Democrats confront Social Security Administration about disruptions to constituent SSI accounts
This is the first oversight effort of Senate Democrats’ new Social Security War Room.
NSA firings stoke fears of Trump installing a partisan loyalist to lead spy agency
“We saw it’s possible, without adequate oversight, for our spy agencies to do inappropriate things,” a former senior intelligence official said, referencing the 1970s congressional investigations that revealed many spying abuses against Americans.
Critics worry DOGE’s rush to sell excess federal buildings could hurt agency missions, squander revenue opportunities
While shrinking the federal portfolio has been a bipartisan focus, Democrats at the hearing argued the Department of Government Efficiency’s strategy has been careless.
SSA reorg plan contemplates field office closures, contradicting public statements
A March draft of the Social Security Administration's reorganization plan proposes "consolidating" field offices while shuttling customer service to AI and other automated platforms.
New legislation aims to increase access to VA sexual trauma care
Congress has paid increased attention to sexual misconduct at the military academies following revelations about mishandled cases at the Coast Guard Academy.
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Some agencies are notifying employees of their ‘Schedule F’ status
Agencies are submitting lists of employees who will lose civil service protections and some are taking a broad approach.
