Defense

What military sexual-assault victims think of the new way cases are prosecuted

President Biden signed an executive order last month that removes legal decision-making authority from commanders for most serious crimes.

Workforce

Republicans push for hiring freeze at the Education Department

The department has yet to recover from the significant workforce losses is sustained under President Trump.

Pay & Benefits

Split in U.S. House GOP raises potential for government shutdown this fall

The stalemate stems from disagreement about how much the government should spend and whether bills should be filled with far-right policy objectives.

Tech

House panel probes China-linked email hacks

The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating how the State and Commerce departments responded to a cyberattack that successfully gained access to unclassified government email accounts of top-level officials.

Oversight

House GOP demands info on Biden’s implementation of vaccine mandate for feds

A subcommittee is probing several agencies to look for "wrongdoing by government officials" during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Defense

Biden to reverse Trump decision to move Space Command to Alabama

The decision to keep the command at its current home in Colorado will surely enrage Alabama politicians.

Oversight

Is Congress on a witch hunt? 5 ways to judge whether oversight hearings are legitimate or politicized

Both Democrats and Republicans have consistently maintained that holding institutions accountable via rigorous oversight is among the most important functions of the legislature, but investigative work can be influenced by partisan considerations.

Management

House spending bill for the VA renews fight over abortion access, transgender care

Legislation would bar Biden administration from closing Guantánamo Bay detention facility in Cuba.

Oversight

Biden border policies ripped by House GOP as threats to impeach the Homeland Security secretary ramp up

House Republicans hold multiple hearings about immigration at Southern border as part of broader strategy to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas.

Oversight

‘We should not fear a government shutdown’: Far-right House members slam spending bills

Freedom Caucus members are urging more support from Speaker McCarthy and GOP leaders.

Oversight

Preparation for pandemics and natural disasters updated in bill passed by Senate panel

Legislation would increase accountability, transparency in how federal government helps state, local governments prepare for and respond to public health emergencies.

Management

The Senate is on a bipartisan glidepath toward avoiding a shutdown, Schumer says

The way forward is still complicated by the House, which is pushing partisan spending bills along party lines.

Pay & Benefits

A Senate panel has advanced legislation to avert wildland firefighter ‘pay cliff’

Meanwhile, the Office of Personnel Management has released a draft set of qualifications for its upcoming new job series for wildland fire management.

Workforce

Proposed funding cuts could prevent IRS, Justice and other agencies from meeting their missions, employee groups say

Controversial plans to deeply slash spending at OPM, IRS and the Justice Department have drawn the ire of the federal employees who work at or rely on those agencies. They say the cuts would harm mission delivery.

Defense

Intel leaders, White House argue for keeping digital spy powers

Agencies have less than six months to convince a divided Congress to re-up an expiring warrantless surveillance authority.

Workforce

Sen. Kaine revives effort to ban Schedule F through the defense policy bill

This marks the second straight year that the Virginia Democrat has sought to attach a measure requiring congressional approval for new federal job classifications to the National Defense Authorization Act.

Pay & Benefits

Bipartisan wildland firefighter ‘pay cliff’ fix introduced in Senate

Without congressional action by September, the federal government’s wildland firefighters will see their paychecks shrink as temporary pay increases expire.