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DHS taps Antoine McCord for top tech post

McCord is a former Marine and is excited about the use of AI in the agency, people familiar say.

People

Energy appoints Twitter, Google and DOGE alum as new CIO

Ross Graber most recently supported the nascent Department of Government Efficiency’s work at the State Department, a State Department official told Nextgov/FCW.

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Trump’s US chief technology officer pick would serve dual-role

Ethan Klein served as a tech policy advisor in the first Trump administration.

People

VA grants researchers 90-day reprieve from layoffs, but their futures remain uncertain

A department spokesperson said the temporary extensions “will ensure continuity of all research efforts while VA conducts a comprehensive assessment of ongoing research initiatives to evaluate their impact on Veteran health care.”

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Trump taps Sean Plankey to head CISA

Plankey served at the Energy Department and National Security Council during Trump’s first term. 

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Lawsuit outlines how DOGE pushed for access to Social Security systems and data

Democracy Forward and unions are asking courts to block DOGE’s access to the troves of personal data held at the agency.

People

Agency guidance on ‘five accomplishments’ email still inconsistent

Bureaus inside DHS are still reviewing past submissions from staff and have instructed their workers to hold off on sending more updates.

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Energy CIO departs after short tenure

Ryan Riedel, formerly of SpaceX, served in the role for less than two months.

People

GSA continues slow drip of RIFs, nearly wiping out entire offices

More cuts are coming. Staff in the Technology Transformation Services were told Thursday that their team will be cut by 50%.

People

CIA is terminating some probationary employees

Recent U.S. intelligence has signaled that foreign adversaries are increasing efforts to recruit disgruntled federal employees in sensitive national security roles.

People

Official who safeguards whistleblowers drops lawsuit protesting his firing by Trump

An appeals court had allowed the Trump administration to remove Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger while it heard his case.

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VA plans to lay off as many as 83,000 employees this year

A leaked memo released Tuesday called for VA to slash its workforce to 2019 levels that were in place before millions of veterans became newly eligible for care.

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GOP lawmaker calls for VA to ‘guarantee’ only underperformers are targeted in workforce layoffs

Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Mich., sent a letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins asking him to review the department’s workforce reduction process and consider reinstating laid-off personnel.

People

FTC removes around a dozen staff

Employees across the Federal Trade Commission’s offices were notified of the firings on Friday.

People

NIST fires over 70 probationary employees

Terminations also occurred at the National Technical Information Service, despite the California court ruling that the government's personnel agency doesn't have the authority to order firings.

Defense

Weeks after CISO announcement, Katie Arrington moves into DOD CIO role

A defense official said that Arrington, who was previously accused of disclosing classified data, does not concurrently have the role of DOD CISO.

People

Many federal employees ordered to submit recent accomplishments for second Musk email

Government workers have been instructed not to include classified or sensitive information in their responses.

People

NOAA terminates space, climate and marine life advisory committees

Experts caution the groups play a key role in ensuring agencies use the best available science in their decision making.

People

NSF begins reinstating probationary employees

Following the federal court ruling, the Office of Personnel Management told agencies to begin the reinstatement of unlawfully terminated probationary employees.

People

Trump nominates Paul Dabbar as Commerce deputy secretary

Dabbar previously worked in the Department of Energy during the first Trump administration, and will now focus on global trade and technology for Commerce.