FEMA will resume staff reductions that were paused during winter storm, managers say
Congress – Federal News Network
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OPM removes language on back pay for furloughed feds from shutdown guidance
With a partial government shutdown underway, the Office of Personnel Management has updated its shutdown guidance to remove references to the guarantee of back pay for furloughed federal employees once a funding lapse ends. OPM’s previous shutdown guidance from September 2025 stated that furloughed employees will get paid once a lapse in appropriations ends, at the earliest date possible. The September guidance also referenced the 2019 Government Employee Fair Treatment Act (GEFTA), a law meant to ensure retroactive compensation for both excepted and furloughed federal employees during government shutdowns. After…
Read More...Preparing for looming national cyber security threats in 2026 and beyond
The only constant in cyber security is change. And as we enter a new year, this is particularly true when examining the increasingly challenging global threat landscape. Cyber threats that were once isolated and opportunistic have evolved into powerful tools of national strategy, deployed by foreign governments, criminal organizations and ideological groups. Check Point Technology’s new report, “Threats to the Homeland: Cyber Operations Targeting US Government and Critical Infrastructure,” analyzes the shifting nature of cyber threats and offers measures to future-proof defenses against attacks that are only growing in scope…
Read More...VA readies massive contract for veterans’ private sector health care
The Department of Veterans Affairs is preparing to issue what’s likely to become one of the largest service contracts in government history as it restructures its arrangements, aiming for rigorous management of the department’s role as a health care payer and greater competition among health care management firms. The massive contract vehicle represents only the second time VA has signed large contracts with health plans to coordinate private sector care for veterans. The first was shortly after the MISSION Act was signed in 2018. Those contracts are now expiring, and…
Read More...Lawmakers press acting CISA director on workforce reductions
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s acting director testified that CISA is “getting back on mission,” but he provided few specifics after the agency lost nearly a third of its staff over the past year. Acting Director Madhu Gottumukkala testified in front of the House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday. Asked by Chairman Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) about reports of plans for a reorganization at CISA, Gottumukkala said there are no plans to reorganize the cyber agency. “We do have a lot of changes in the last year, but we have…
Read More...Army to update its software directive, pursue new funding category for software
The Army is updating its software directive and scrapping its existing policy on software funding that has routinely hindered software projects across the service. Michael Obadal, the service’s undersecretary, said the new software directive will be released “in the coming weeks.” The service plans to revise the document annually to keep pace with the rapidly changing environment. Meanwhile, canceling its existing policy governing how the service pays for software will allow the Army to “apply the appropriate type of money to the applicable use case.” “For many years, as many…
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