Category: Congress

House defense bill boosts military pay, increases family separation allowance

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The House Armed Services Committee’s version of the 2026 defense policy bill, passed Tuesday night after a full day of debate, includes a 3.8% pay bump for service members, a 60% increase in the family separation allowance and excludes the basic allowance for housing from income calculations.  The committee passed its version of the annual National Defense Authorization Act less than a week after the Senate Armed Services Committee advanced its own version of the legislation. The House defense bill, just like the Senate’s version, focuses heavily on reforming the…

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More than 500 former PMFs urge revival of federal leadership program

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Hundreds of former Presidential Management Fellows are urging Congress to reinstate the now-defunct PMF program, previously one of the government’s key channels for recruiting and developing the next generation of federal leaders. In response to President Donald Trump’s elimination of the PMF program earlier this year, over 500 program alumni signed a letter sent to Congress on Friday, calling for the passage of the TALENTS Act. The bill, introduced by Sens. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) in May, would both restore and codify the PMF program, in effect…

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Trump’s NOAA nominee: Ongoing hiring freeze lift ‘challenging’ for its mission

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President Donald Trump’s pick to run the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told lawmakers that if confirmed, adequate staffing for the agency will be paramount in preparation for major budget cuts next year. Neil Jacobs, Trump’s nominee to serve as NOAA administrator, told members of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee that a governmentwide hiring freeze, recently extended to Oct. 15, has made it “challenging” for the agency to meet certain parts of its mission. Jacobs on Wednesday told lawmakers that staffing up NOAA will be a “top priority,”…

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House lawmakers eye Coast Guard secretary, personnel increases

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House lawmakers have unveiled a bipartisan Coast Guard authorization bill that seeks to address the service’s personnel shortages and aging equipment, while also creating stronger protections for service members from sexual assault and harassment. The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025, introduced this week by leaders of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, would authorize funding for the service through 2029. The bill seeks to bolster many aspects of a reform plan called “Force Design 2028,” that was formally unveiled by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in May.  The bill…

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Inside the battle for control of the Library of Congress

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Interview transcript: Terry Gerton There’s been a lot of conversation lately about the Library of Congress. And you’ve written about the current clash between the Trump administration and Congress and the library itself. Can you just give us a quick history of how the Library of Congress came to be and what its relationship normally is? Kevin Kosar The Library of Congress was born about 225 years ago. It was established by an act of Congress: Members realized that if they were going to legislate and legislate intelligently, it would…

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New Social Security commissioner faces pointed questions about staffing, privacy

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WASHINGTON (AP) — After months of job cuts, leadership turnover and other turmoil at the Social Security Administration, the agency’s newly minted commissioner faced pointed questions from lawmakers about the future of the agency and its ability to pay Americans their benefits and protect their privacy. Frank Bisignano, who was sworn in last month as President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the agency, told lawmakers he intends to improve accuracy in payments and raise morale at the agency, which has already lost 7,000 workers since billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of…

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