Federal Newscast

Five overarching goals will define agencies’ hiring strategies for the next couple of years. The Trump administration is calling for skills-based assessments, expanded outreach, transparency and digitization, pooled hiring and data-driven decisions. The Office of Personnel Management’s new strategic recruitment plan for 2026-28 comes as OPM is also pushing for increased hiring of tech talent, as well as younger employees.
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The top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is ringing alarm bells over waste, fraud and abuse at the Department of Homeland Security. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., wants DHS to provide answers to seven questions regarding how it has spent the $260 billion it received under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the Secure America Act. Peters says recent reporting and the agency's lack of cooperation with its inspector general cast doubt on DHS's management of the funding. Among other things, Peters wants to know how DHS is ensuring accountability and transparency in its spending.
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A new bill would require federal agencies to improve air quality and make upgrades to properties to reduce "heat islands." Congressman James Walkinshaw says the bill is inspired by the efforts his Virginia district made over the summer to execute "heat island" reduction plans. Agencies would need to create a plan to reduce surface temperatures and building cooling demand. The bill specifically targets federal properties and facilities across the country that are in areas that do not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone. Under the bill, agencies would need to create a plan to reduce surface temperatures and building cooling demand along with identifying opportunities that decrease temperatures.
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The State Department is opening up applications for its Lateral Entry Pilot Program, which is seeking to hire mid-career employees for the Foreign Service. The American Foreign Service Association says State has more than 2 thousand qualified people waiting to be hired. AFSA says that is how many employees who worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development and Foreign Service that State fired in 2025. The association says State should offer these officers a path back at grades that recognize their experience and prior service, without unnecessary entrance exams. AFSA also says Congress can help by passing the PATH to the Foreign Service Act and Foreign Service Test-Free Reentry Act.
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New details on workforce declines at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Government Accountability Office says HUD lost 29% of its workforce in 2025. A new report finds a majority of the departing employees left through DOGE’s deferred resignation program. In 2025, HUD hired roughly 69% fewer employees than the previous year. Since the start of this year, HUD has added only 120 employees to the workforce. HUD has not responded to GAO’s request for information about the office closures and workforce numbers the report identified.
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