Lawmakers seek to revise pay, benefits for some federal employees under shutdown

As Congress still appears far from reaching a spending agreement to end the partial government shutdown, hundreds of thousands of federal employees are expecting to miss their first full paychecks this Friday. Many excepted and furloughed federal employees received partial paychecks around Oct. 10, for the pay period that ended Oct. 4 — although they were only paid for workdays through Sept. 30. But while the shutdown drags on, some members of Congress are looking at other options to try to secure pay and benefits for certain employees impacted by…

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

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…

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Top House Democrats seek DOGE details, questioning if it operates ‘outside the bounds’ of US law

WASHINGTON (AP) — Top Democrats on the House Judiciary and House Oversight committees have filed a lengthy Freedom of Information Act request questioning whether the Trump administration’s DOGE Service is operating “outside the bounds of federal law,” The Associated Press has learned. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Rep. Gerald Connolly of Virginia are seeking detailed information about the authority of the Department of Government Efficiency Service, including billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk and some 40 other people, to carry out firings of federal workers and dismantling of federal agencies.…

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Bob Good Narrowly Loses Va. Primary Bid to Trump-Backed Challenger, Will Seek Recount

Rep. Bob Good has lost his GOP primary bid in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District against state Sen. John McGuire, a fellow Republican who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, two weeks after the polls closed on June 18, The Associated Press reported. The Virginia Board of Elections certified the election results on Tuesday, with McGuire winning by roughly 375 votes, 0.6% margin, according to the AP. Good said he would ask for a recount. “In a race with nearly 63,000 votes that is separated by a 0.6% margin, Republican voters across…

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GOP senators seek IG review to see if SBA office space remains underutilized

Republicans on the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee are calling for a watchdog review of the Small Business Administration’s office space use, over concerns its offices remain underutilized. In a letter to SBA’s inspector general, committee ranking member Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) led committee members Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and John Kennedy (R-La.) in asking the watchdog office for a report on SBA’s current office space utilization. “We request your office assess the SBA’s office space utilization as part of your role in providing independent, objective, and timely oversight of the…

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