Exclusive
Cybersecurity
Democrats worry DOGE may have violated privacy, cybersecurity law in taking NLRB data
Last month, a whistleblower accused DOGE affiliates of using secretive methods to take sensitive data from the National Labor Relations Board.
People
Meet the former feds organizing against purported DOGE ‘destroyers’
We the Builders, a group of current and former federal employees, is trying to spread information and support feds under Trump 2.0.
People
A DOGE aide involved in CFPB cuts owns stock prohibited by ethics laws
Gavin Kliger, a 25-year-old DOGE employee tasked with assisting in the recent rollout of more than 1,400 RIF notices at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau owns stock in several companies overseen by the agency.
Modernization
House lawmakers diverge on DOGE but point to bipartisanship on federal tech
Many of the witnesses opted not to discuss DOGE’s high-profile, controversial work on government tech and data during a Tuesday hearing.
Ideas
Mounting cyber defense in the face of unexpected staff reductions
Strategies for dealing with cybersecurity challenges hitting agencies right now.
People
Ex-feds launch websites to help unemployed civil servants find new jobs
Many federal employees are looking for positions outside of government following reductions in force and the Trump administration’s push for workers to take separation incentives.
Cybersecurity
Top intelligence lawmaker fears China may exploit DOGE’s changes to government
Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., also called out the Trump administration on the recent firing of NSA Director Timothy Haugh, a move he viewed as “puzzling.”
Ideas
Driving efficiency while improving federal agencies’ cybersecurity postures
COMMENTARY | A lopsided labor-to-technology spending ratio is just one challenge agencies have to take on.
Policy
NSF cancels over 400 grants covering disinformation, deepfakes and STEM education
Some $328 million worth of research grants to institutions was canned amid a broader restructuring of the National Science Foundation. Disinformation research and empowerment of underprivileged people in STEM fields were prime targets.
Breaking News
People
White House extends federal hiring freeze until July for most
The Trump administration’s halt on federal civilian hiring, which was supposed to be lifted Monday, will be extended through July, per a memo released late Thursday.
Artificial Intelligence
House Dems demand DOGE ‘immediately terminate’ unauthorized AI use
Nearly 50 House lawmakers signed a letter to OMB asking for greater transparency into how the Trump administration has leveraged artificial intelligence systems.
Digital Government
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.
Digital Government
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.
People
Federal contract oversight employees contemplate resignation offer, as agency faces layoffs and mission realignment
Employees at the Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs had less than two weeks to decide whether to opt into the second round of the deferred resignation program.
Cybersecurity
User with Russian IP address tried to log into NLRB systems following DOGE access, whistleblower says
The blocked login attempts, detailed in an extensive whistleblower complaint filed to the Senate Intelligence Committee and others, may indicate foreign adversaries have begun leveraging DOGE inroads into sensitive federal systems.
Acquisition
Pentagon hits Accenture, Booz Allen and Deloitte with contract cancellations
The trio are the only named contractors in a group of cuts announced by Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth, who claims $5.1 billion of cancelled contracts with $4 billion in savings.
Acquisition
Google's government deal is the ‘first of many’ to come, DOGE says
The governmentwide software discount inked between Google and the General Services Administration prompted several competitors to reach out to the agency, according to sources familiar.
Ideas
Ending data silos: Inside the new executive order to fight waste, fraud and abuse
Federal agencies must improve data access and break down barriers to collaboration.
Exclusive
People
Treasury eliminates offices and outsources work, with more layoffs coming
Initial cuts were focused on employees who provide U.S. Treasury bond-related retail services to investors.
Digital Government