The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board reminds feds about loan options
The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board is reminding federal employees of their current options for loans. All loans from the Thrift Savings Plan remain in good standing during a government shutdown, even if participants don’t make payments on time. The TSP board has also received recent feedback from participants on its loan program, with some calling it a “true lifesaver.” Others say the TSP loan and withdrawal options have relieved at least some of their stress. TSP operations continue as usual during an appropriations lapse, since the TSP board is not funded by Congress.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Government shutdown puts SBA loans on hold
The government shutdown is putting loans from the Small Business Administration on hold. SBA estimates that $170 million in loans have been paused each day. That adds up to more than $4.5 billion dollars over the length of the shutdown. SBA paid out more than $45 billion in loans to 85,000 small business in fiscal 2025. That’s a record high for the agency. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Air Force opening up unused land for private AI centers
The Department of the Air Force is opening up its unused land across five military bases to private companies to build artificial intelligence centers. A request for lease proposals posted last week follows President Donald Trump’s executive order to use federally owned land and resources to quickly build AI data centers. In addition, the Air Force said the service “cannot afford to disregard or discount the value of any asset, and must optimize the real and potential value of those assets.” Each project must be valued at more than $500 million and require at least 100 megawatts of power to qualify. Companies can lease property on Air Force bases in Tennessee, California, Arizona, New Jersey and Georgia. The government can purchase services and power from the centers but it’s not required to do so. Proposals are due by November 14.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Number of federal employees exiting government this year continues to grow
The number of federal employees exiting the government this year continues to grow. The Partnership for Public Service has added thousands more to its running tally of how many feds have left their jobs since January. The latest estimate surpasses 211,000 employees who are either already gone, or who may exit soon. The organization says the increase comes from the layoffs agencies announced earlier this month ... although those are being temporarily blocked. There were also some updated numbers on how many Defense Department personnel have taken a deferred resignation. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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VA Secretary warns more staff to be furloughed if shutdown continues
The vast majority of employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs keep working during a government shutdown. But VA Secretary Doug Collins says more than 30,000 of the department’s employees have been furloughed. That’s about double what the VA outlined in its latest contingency plans. Collins says the VA will have to furlough more staff from VA’s central office next week if the shutdown continues. He’s calling on Democratic lawmakers to pass a stopgap spending bill to end the shutdown. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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