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.

Emerging Tech

Democrats move to defend CHIPS following Trump’s calls for its removal

Following President Trump’s congressional address lambasting the landmark Biden administration bill, Democrats sounded off on Monday in its defense. 

Cybersecurity

Democrats open investigation into DOGE access to national security information

Multiple media reports have indicated DOGE has accessed classified or highly sensitive data across the government.

Digital Government

Trump DOGE order directs agencies to build tech to track government spending

The executive order directs agencies to build centralized tech systems to “record every payment” issued under grants and contracts.

People

21 legacy USDS staffers resign rather than work for DOGE

The employees cited the compromise of core government systems, significant security risks and their re-interview experiences in their rationale for leaving the team.

People

‘What did you do last week?’ Feds get mixed signals on whether to respond

Responses to the new governmentwide email system are meant to be voluntary, as OPM has advised agencies, but billionaire Elon Musk has said feds risk their employment if they choose not to respond — and some agencies are still telling feds to do so.

People

Federal workers decry recent firings in Presidents’ Day protest

“All I ask is that [the White House] follow f****** federal employment laws,” said one Consumer Financial Protection Bureau employee.

People

Dozens of employees at U.S. DOGE Service dismissed

Personnel from Elon Musk's efficiency service were the latest to be dismissed.

Emerging Tech

National Labs have seen mixed impacts from Trump spending freeze

During a House hearing, four directors of different U.S. national laboratories offered insight into how federal funding interruptions have shaped their work.

People

Democrat lawmakers question DOGE’s access to personal data

House and Senate Democrats have sent a slew of letters to federal agencies and White House officials expressing concerns about the level of access that Elon Musk’s DOGE unit has to sensitive information.

Artificial Intelligence

Vance calls for more open AI policy at Paris summit

Vice President JD Vance laid out the Trump administration’s priorities on artificial intelligence policy with an emphasis on unleashing American innovation via lighter-touch regulations.

Updated People

Federal judge blocks USAID leave notices and reinstates workers

Attorneys representing the Trump administration confirmed Friday that upwards of 2,200 employees, many of whom are stationed overseas, would have been put on administrative leave Friday night, absent the court’s intervention.

Digital Government

Senate Democrats call for DOGE to halt until details are provided

The letter to the White House chief of staff and counsel notes that some of billionaire Elon Musk’s actions via DOGE “may be illegal or unconstitutional.”

People

Musk’s DOGE efforts pose a ‘constitutional crisis,’ experts warn

Elon Musk has spent the first two weeks of the Trump administration parachuting into government offices, leaving extensive — and some say legally prohibited — changes in his wake.

Updated Digital Government

Agencies ramp up pressure on their workers to quit

New guidance continues to defend its deferred resignation program as legal, though it fails to address its apparent violation of the Anti-Deficiency Act.

People

Senior Democrat wants to know who in the Trump White House got Top Secret clearance without a complete background check

Trump issued a memo providing temporary security clearances for certain personnel, arguing delays in their vetting were "unacceptable."

Defense

Trump’s ‘Iron Dome for America’ plan would put weapons in space, at a big cost

It’s a Cold War concept for a mission whose threats and tools have long since changed.

People

Employee groups, Democrats, experts warn feds not to accept ‘deferred resignation’ offer

The lack of a legal underpinning for the purported eight-month severance package, and Elon Musk’s history of offering—and then revoking—severance payments have many federal workers wary of the measure.

People

Trump reportedly will offer buyouts to all 2 million federal workers

The White House’s plan to offer “deferred resignations” that pay departing federal employees their salary through Sept. 30 will likely run afoul of rules governing buyout payments.