People
Fired GSA 18F employees appeal to have jobs reinstated
The Trump administration has endeavored to streamline the agency’s contracting and procurement processes while putting in mechanisms to shed its workforce.
People
VA-based DOGE associate gets ‘the boot’ after publicly discussing his work
Sahil Lavingia detailed in a personal blog how the reality of hunting inefficiencies at the Department of Veterans Affairs was not what he had expected.
Modernization
Labor cancels unemployment modernization grants for states
The grant dollars — which the agency has been doling out since Congress allocated funding for fraud and access work in 2021 — don’t align with department priorities anymore, Labor says.
People
New SSA chief praises DOGE for ‘making things better’
Frank Bisignano said he has no current plans to institute further reductions in force and hopes to use AI to make the historically sluggish Social Security disability determination processes move faster.
People
More than 2,100 GSA employees have accepted deferred resignations
Combined with those employees that have been impacted by reductions in force, the losses amount to nearly a quarter of what the agency’s workforce totals were last fall.
Digital Government
USDA wants to modernize farmer services, even as staffing cuts could hurt the effort
The department plans to digitize farmer-facing applications that are still on paper.
Digital Government
Legislative watchdog rebuffs DOGE efforts to install on-site team
“DOGE’s attempted intrusion into an independent, nonpartisan legislative branch agency is a direct assault on our nation’s sacred separation of powers,” said Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee.
Digital Government
SSA changes phone fraud policies after finding very little fraud
The change follows reporting by Nextgov/FCW about the policy and its contributions to a slowdown in retirement claims processing.
Exclusive
Digital Government
DOGE went looking for phone fraud at SSA — and found almost none
Since SSA installed new anti-fraud checks on claims made over the phone, only two claims out of over 110,000 were found to likely be fraudulent, according to internal documents obtained by Nextgov/FCW.
Digital Government
Republicans want Treasury to study free tax filing options — again
The reconciliation text being considered by the House Ways and Means Committee includes $15 million for the IRS to study how to give Americans free ways to file their taxes that would replace both the Free File and Direct File programs.
Digital Government
Federal retirement applications to go fully electronic next month
DOGE has touted the announcement as a win, but development and testing for the new Online Retirement Application began under the previous administration, per past budget requests.
Artificial Intelligence
Reconciliation text includes $500 million for modernization and AI at Commerce
The text also includes a prohibition on state-level enforcement of AI laws and regulations.
People
Palantir alum appointed to top tech role at HHS
Clark Minor is the new chief information officer at HHS, where he replaces a federal executive that departed last week.
People
Key data leadership roles are becoming vacant as DOGE pushes for access
Trump signed the Evidence Act in 2019, but now many of the roles associated with it are unoccupied.
Exclusive
People
Thousands of layoffs to hit Interior, National Parks imminently
Employees fear diminished capacity after RIFs are tacked on to existing mass exodus.
People
IRS reverses staffing gains made under Biden
The tax agency has shed over 20,000 employees through the deferred resignation program, and more significant cuts are still expected.
Modernization
Some Republicans question Trump’s IRS budget cuts
The administration has proposed a $2.5 billion cut to the tax agency.
People
SpaceX alum tapped as Interior CIO
Interior is the latest federal agency to undergo leadership turnover in its technology shop since Trump took office in January.
Modernization
GSA pushes full repayment for the Technology Modernization Fund
President Donald Trump first signed the fund into law in 2017.
Digital Government