People
State Department lays off 1,350 employees
The department says the cuts, part of a reorganization that will see 3,000 total personnel reductions, will slash redundancy and walk back growth over the last 25 years.
Ideas
The execution gap in government AI: why integration holds the key
COMMENTARY | As government agencies move to adopt AI tools, one challenge is quietly derailing their progress: the inability to successfully integrate emerging capabilities with legacy systems.
Defense
Pentagon to become rare earth mining company's largest stockholder
The Defense Department will buy a 15% stake in MP Materials and fund the construction of a magnet-making facility, all with an eye toward breaking the U.S.' reliance on China for rare earths.
Digital Government
Social Security signals potential benefit disruptions this fall for those still getting paper checks
Over half a million people still get their Social Security benefits via paper checks. They’ll need a waiver by the end of September to continue to do so, SSA says.
People
Judge says she’s not done with RIF case just yet
After Supreme Court lifts injunction, lower court moves to examine legality of individual agency layoff plans
People
DHS intelligence office halts staff cuts after stakeholder backlash
Pushback from law enforcement associations and Jewish orgs came after Nextgov/FCW first reported plans to shed most staff within a core DHS intelligence unit.
Acquisition
FAR overhaul targets risk-averse acquisition culture
Larry Allen, the General Services Administrator's chief acquisition officer, says regulatory changes must be paired with leadership support for innovation.
Policy
Fraud-fighting oversight committee gets a life extension in Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’
The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee was set to sunset in September, but now has life through 2034.
Artificial Intelligence
Anthropic’s Claude for Enterprise expands deployment at Lawrence Livermore
Lawrence Livermore National Lab will be able to use Claude to wrangle large datasets, generate scientific hypotheses and more.
Breaking News
People
Federal agencies can resume mass layoffs, Supreme Court rules
Many agencies across government are expected to swiftly implement workforce cuts.
Digital Government
Inside efforts to capture federal data after ‘the big takedown’
America’s Data Index aims to serve as a “weather forecast” on the state of government data.
Breaking News
People
VA backs down on mass layoffs, will cut 30K through attrition only
Following significant pushback, VA is reversing course on its plan for widespread RIFs while still promising some staffing reductions.
Artificial Intelligence
AI moratorium could return despite removal from ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’
Senators passed an amendment removing the provision that would have prevented states regulating the tech for 10 years. But some experts warn that a repeat effort is likely and could be successful.
Cybersecurity
DOD gets millions for cyber capabilities under GOP reconciliation package
The law’s vast cuts to Medicaid, however, are putting rural healthcare groups on high alert.
Acquisition
GSA announces new Oracle OneGov agreement
Oracle’s cloud and software license offerings will be available to federal agencies at a discounted rate.
Policy
Reconciliation bill includes measure to help civilian intel analysts cover moving costs
The policy aims to ease the financial burden on non-military intelligence workers by aligning their moving expense tax benefits with those already afforded to military personnel.
Digital Government
Trump’s 'big, beautiful bill' directs Treasury to find a replacement for Direct File
The IRS debuted Direct File — which enabled taxpayers to file online with the agency for free — as a pilot in 2024 and it received largely positive reviews from those that used it.
Artificial Intelligence
New MIT study suggests that too much AI use could increase cognitive decline
Participants who exclusively used the AI to help write essays showed weaker brain connectivity, lower memory retention and a fading sense of ownership over their work.
Ideas
How the federal government can tackle its on-prem sensitive data dilemma
COMMENTARY | The new cyber battleground isn’t just in the cloud — it’s also in legacy on-prem servers teeming with forgotten data that are ripe for exploitation.
People