Category: Congress

IRS needs 11,000 hires to ‘maintain’ phone support for 2026 filing season, plans on 60% cut to IT staffing

Maintain, 2026, Filing, staffing, 11000, season, needs, support, plans, phone, Hires0 comment

The IRS is preparing for major budget and staffing cuts next year, but simultaneously, congressional Republicans are trying to pass a budget reconciliation package that would create much more work for the tax agency. Former IRS leaders say they’re concerned the agency will have fewer resources to provide an acceptable level of customer service during next year’s filing season — especially if President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” makes it through Congress. The tax-and-spending cuts bill would have the IRS scrambling to prepare its IT systems and employees for…

Read More...

Trump formally asks Congress to claw back approved spending targeted by DOGE

Claw, formally, DOGE, Congress, back, spending, asks, Targeted, Trump, approved0 comment

The White House on Tuesday officially asked Congress to claw back $ 9.4 billion in already approved spending, taking funding away from programs targeted by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. It’s a process known as “rescission,” which requires President Donald Trump to get approval from Congress to return money that had previously been appropriated. Trump’s aides say the funding cuts target programs that promote liberal ideologies. The request, if it passes the House and Senate, would formally enshrine many of the spending cuts and freezes sought by DOGE. It…

Read More...

Results of the first review initiates battle over budget rules

rules, Results, initiates, first, Over, budget, Review, battle0 comment

During the confirmation hearings of the Office of Management and Budget director and deputy director for budget earlier this year, lawmakers pressed Russ Vought and Dan Bishop about whether they would comply with the Impoundment Control Act. The budget rules of the road require Congressional approval if OMB decides not to spend money appropriated in law. While both Vought and Bishop promised to comply with the law, a new decision by the Government Accountability Office casts further doubt on whether OMB will follow the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. GAO…

Read More...

Congress softens the blow: Here’s how it affects you

Congress, Here's, Affects, Blow, softens0 comment

Federal employees and retirees are facing the most significant proposed changes to their benefits in decades. A series of sweeping proposals targeting the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and associated benefits could reshape the financial future of millions of federal workers. From pension recalibrations to healthcare voucher reforms, and even the potential elimination of core benefits for future hires, the once-stable landscape of federal retirement is facing seismic shifts. While it’s easy to feel both frustrated, angry and overwhelmed, it’s crucial to assess the actual implications. In this article, I’ll…

Read More...

House-passed reconciliation bill includes more changes to proposed federal benefits cuts

cuts, federal, changes, benefits, Bill, proposed, Includes, reconciliation, HousePassed, more0 comment

House lawmakers narrowly passed the GOP’s budget reconciliation bill early Thursday morning in a vote of 215-214, after making one last revision to a series of proposals cutting federal benefits and civil service protections. Four of the six provisions on federal benefits cuts that originated from Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee remain in the House-passed version of the bill, which now heads to the Senate for consideration. But notably, the proposed change to a “high-5” annuity calculation is no longer on the table. The provision was…

Read More...

Senate Democrats seek to restore, strengthen PMF program with new legislation

Democrats, Senate, seek, Program, restore, Legislation, strengthen0 comment

Two Senate Democrats hope to reinstate the recently eliminated Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) program and permanently secure the nearly 50-year-old effort for recruiting and retaining federal talent. The Training Aspiring Leaders Emerging Now to Serve, or TALENTS Act, which Sens. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced Thursday, would reestablish the PMF program. The bill comes in response to President Donald Trump eliminating the PMF program by executive order in February. Under the TALENTS Act, the PMF program would not only be restored, but also codified in federal regulations, effectively…

Read More...