Management
Career agent confirmed to lead ATF despite GOP’s past push for the agency’s elimination
New Director Robert Cekada testified that the Trump administration wants to increase the number of officers at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which some Republicans have previously proposed to abolish.
Management
House votes to make IRS publish call metrics online
The bill would require the tax agency to release detailed, real time and monthly call metrics. The House also passed a technology proposal meant to move the IRS off paper.
Tech
Federal workforce trauma is creating a stumbling block for AI adoption
COMMENTARY | Following massive workforce reductions — and a $165.6 billion hit to the U.S. economy — federal managers are struggling to integrate AI as low engagement collapses across agencies.
Tech
CBP seeks AI solutions to keep pace with rising volumes of border scans
A new sources sought notice seeks artificial intelligence tools to help agents sift through tens of thousands of X-ray images at ports of entry.
Sponsor Content
From Presence to Performance: Rethinking Federal Workspaces for Mission Readiness
76% of agencies are back in-office—but only 16% track real productivity. Discover data-driven strategies to measure outcomes and improve mission performance.
Tech
White House is drafting plans to permit federal Anthropic use
The move suggests the Trump administration is easing its stance on the AI company, which faced a Pentagon supply chain risk designation and phaseout directive.
Tech
FDA to pilot real-time clinical drug trials through cloud and AI
The first-of-its-kind pilot could lead to speedier regulatory approval of medical drugs and devices and potentially reduce “20, 30, 40% of overall clinical trial time,” according to FDA Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer Jeremy Walsh.
Tech
Treasury missed security controls in giving DOGE system access, GAO finds
The finding is among the first oversight reports Congress’ watchdog has released about the controversial cost-cutting team.
Sponsor Content
Commanding the digital domain: Turning data into decision advantage resilience
DOD shifts from modernization to mission-ready data. Learn how leaders turn integration into real-time advantage across the defense enterprise. Download insights.
Management
IRS whistleblower program set for possible overhaul after bipartisan House vote
The measure would reshape how claims move through the system, how court reviews are handled and how payments are ultimately made. Over its history, the program has recovered about $7.5 billion.
FEATURED INSIGHTS
Workforce
EPA workers disciplined for dissent letter get legal aid from whistleblower groups
Lawyers for Good Government and the Government Accountability Project announced Tuesday that the two organizations would represent EPA workers who signed a 2025 “declaration of dissent” as they challenge their discipline before the Merit Systems Protection Board.
Management
McMahon distances herself from past Education layoffs, vows some rebuilding even amid elimination effort
The secretary says it is "difficult" to defend some of the cuts, adding they were underway before her arrival. She continues to support the department's elimination, however.
Management
DHS funding bill stalls as House GOP seeks changes to Senate deal
House Republicans’ push to change a Senate funding bill is slowing efforts to end the DHS shutdown and raising the risk of missed paychecks for federal workers.
TSP TICKER
FUND
G
F
C
S
I
APR 29 CLOSE
$19.8609
$20.8926
$114.5779
$107.0642
$60.5894
DAILY CHANGE
0.0024
-0.0804
-0.0453
-0.5894
-0.3389
THIS MONTH (%)
0.35
0.01
9.37
7.95
7.21
FUND
L 2070
L 2060
L 2050
L 2040
L 2030
L INCOME
APR 29 CLOSE
$13.5196
$22.8138
$43.8490
$71.1974
$60.5286
$30.0628
DAILY CHANGE
-0.0387
-0.0652
-0.1138
-0.1629
-0.1064
-0.0276
THIS MONTH (%)
8.34
8.35
6.90
6.09
4.77
2.54
FUND
APR 29
CLOSE
CLOSE
DAILY
CHANGE
CHANGE
THIS
MONTH
MONTH
G
$19.8609
0.0024
0.35
F
$20.8926
-0.0804
0.01
C
$114.5779
-0.0453
9.37
S
$107.0642
-0.5894
7.95
I
$60.5894
-0.3389
7.21
L 2070
$13.5196
-0.0387
8.34
L 2060
$22.8138
-0.0652
8.35
L 2050
$43.8490
-0.1138
6.90
L 2040
$71.1974
-0.1629
6.09
L 2030
$60.5286
-0.1064
4.77
L INCOME
$30.0628
-0.0276
2.54
Pay & Benefits
House GOP on Trump’s 2027 pay freeze: ‘That’s politics’
Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee last week beat back multiple attempts to increase federal workers’ pay next year and restore their workplace rights.
Management
Former civil servants aim to shape policy as members of Congress
Dozens of federal employees who left or were pushed out of government in 2025 are now running for office.
Oversight
Agencies doled out $186B in improper payments last year, GAO says
That fiscal year 2025 improper payment number is up by $24 billion from the previous fiscal year, even as the Trump administration says that it’s tamping down on fraud.
Workforce
From bowling repairs to zoology, Trump admin consolidates job titles affecting 5,000 feds
The impacted employees will not lose their jobs and OPM says it will help them be more agile.
Management
The ‘doers’ need a budget: Why a $100 million council fund can end federal management failures
COMMENTARY | The CFO, CIO, and CHCO councils are full of "doers" who have the knowledge to fix pervasive government failures. Congress must grant them a direct, unrestricted $100 million budget, bypassing OMB, to finally test and scale solutions across federal silos.
Breaking News
Management
Trump evacuated from White House Correspondents’ Dinner after shots fired
Security forces responded to an incident near a screening area, and authorities took one person into custody.
Management
Senate advances GOP budget blueprint to boost ICE and Border Patrol funding
The measure cleared 50-48 after a marathon amendment session and sets up a reconciliation path for immigration enforcement spending.
Tech
NIST is giving fingerprint examiners better tools for a messy job
COMMENTARY | A newly annotated fingerprint dataset combined with open-source software could help forensic examiners work more consistently, train more effectively and sort through evidence faster.
Management
Fed employee appeals system independence at stake in new Supreme Court brief
The high court has heard arguments in a similar case regarding the president’s authority to remove members of quasi-judicial agencies.
Oversight
Catch me if you can’t: How fraudsters are outpacing the government
COMMENTARY | The government must stop chasing money lost to fraud and instead focus on preventing the crime before payments go out. This requires policy changes so agencies can share information and be rewarded for stopping losses at the source.
Management
Executive order on mail ballots tests limits of Postal Service independence
Postal experts and former officials say the directive could reshape longstanding boundaries between the White House and the Postal Service and is already facing legal challenges over its authority and impact on election administration.
Workforce
USDA kicks off more employee relocations, including some that spark déjà vu
Hundreds of employees will be reassigned to Iowa, Missouri, Colorado and elsewhere.
