federal agencies

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White House Sends Democrats an 'Extraordinary Ultimatum'

OMB orders agencies to draft plans for permanent job cuts in case of shutdown

(Newser) - Federal agencies are bracing for possible mass layoffs as the White House instructs them to draft permanent firing plans ahead of a potential government shutdown, according to a memo obtained by news outlets. In it, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directs agencies to draft "reduction-in-force" (RIF)...

DOGE Gets the OK to Access Sensitive Federal Data
DOGE Scores Another Court Win
Aug 13, 2025 8:19 AM CDT

DOGE Scores Another Court Win

Judges allow review of Americans' data from Treasury, Education Departments

(Newser) - A federal appeals court has ruled that teams from the Department of Government Efficiency can tap into sensitive databases at several federal agencies, reversing a previous block on their access . The 2-1 decision Tuesday by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals permits DOGE to retrieve information from the Treasury...

Judge: Trump Needs Congress' OK to Slash Federal Agencies

Temporary restraining order mandates much of the downsizing going on must stop for the moment

(Newser) - The Trump administration must halt much of its dramatic downsizing of the federal workforce, a California judge ordered Friday. San Francisco Judge Susan Illston issued the emergency order in a lawsuit filed last week by labor unions and cities, one of multiple legal challenges to President Trump's efforts to...

Trump Orders Federal Agencies to 'Sunset' Green Protections

President's executive order decries 'an energy landscape perpetually trapped in the 1970s'

(Newser) - Federal agencies like the EPA, Department of Energy, and Fish and Wildlife Service have received their mandate from the top: It's time to let go of a slew of environmental protections. On Wednesday evening, President Trump signed an executive order that directed agencies tied to energy and environmental guidance...

Trump Order Ends Union Rights in Federal Agencies

President says dumping collective bargaining in government is in the name of national security

(Newser) - President Trump says protecting national security gives him the authority to end collective bargaining with labor unions across most of the federal government, citing authority granted him under a 1978 law. His latest executive order , signed without public fanfare and announced late Thursday, appears to touch most of the federal...

Memo Kickstarts Trump Plan to Get Rid of Career Officials

Federal agencies must develop plans to eliminate employee positions by March 13

(Newser) - Federal agencies must develop plans to eliminate employee positions, according to a memo distributed Wednesday by President Trump's administration that sets in motion what could become a sweeping realignment of the American government. The memo expands the Republican president's effort to downsize the federal workforce, which he has...

Feds Giveth Accidental Pink Slips, Taketh Them Away

Chaos abounds as multiple federal agencies accidentally fire staffers amid DOGE cuts

(Newser) - Last week, the Energy Department had to scramble to rehire nuclear energy specialists for the National Nuclear Security Administration, after it mistakenly told hundreds of staffers at the agency they'd lost their jobs. That's not the only incident of head-count slashing gone awry throughout the government at the...

SCOTUS Upends Chevron Ruling, a Win for Conservatives

Decision weakens power of federal regulators

(Newser) - The Supreme Court on Friday upended a 40-year-old decision that made it easier for the federal government to regulate the environment, public health, workplace safety, and consumer protections, delivering a far-reaching and potentially lucrative victory to business interests, per the AP . The justices overturned the 1984 decision colloquially known as...

SCOTUS Readies 'Mortal Blow to the Administrative State'

Justices seem poised to overturn 1984 Chevron doctrine, which empowers federal agencies

(Newser) - The Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in a seemingly mundane dispute in the fishing industry. The implications of the case, however, are enormous, and based on Wednesday's questions, the court's conservative majority appears poised to overturn or at least limit what's become known as the Chevron doctrine,...

Energy Department, Other Agencies Hit by 'Intrusions'

Ransomware attack that appears to have exploited a computer flaw has affected other groups globally

(Newser) - The Department of Energy and multiple other federal agencies are the victims of a ransomware attack that has already hit businesses in the UK and elsewhere around the globe. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, is lending support to those agencies "that have experienced intrusions,"...

Trump Unloads on Twitter About Portland and Housing

The president says 'there would be no Portland' if not for federal officers

(Newser) - President Trump went "on a very aggressive Twitter streak this afternoon" and offered his take on federal agents in Portland—who may or may not be leaving the violence-wracked city, the Guardian reports. With Oregon Gov. Kate Brown saying she's reached a deal with the White House to...

Portland Mayor to Trump: Send Your Boys Home
Portland Mayor to Trump:
This Is 'an Absolute Abuse'
the rundown
Jul 18, 2020 11:00 AM CDT

Portland Mayor to Trump: This Is 'an Absolute Abuse'

Words are flying after federal agents scooped up protesters in Oregon

(Newser) - Portland's mayor threw down the gauntlet Friday after federal agents—some wearing camouflage in unmarked minivans—were seen grabbing people off the streets, the AP reports. "Keep your troops in your own buildings, or have them leave our city," Mayor Ted Wheeler said at a press conference...

Why the USDA Hastily Spent $144K on Toner Cartridges

Government agencies have to 'use it or lose it' by tomorrow

(Newser) - Congress is still squabbling over next year's federal budget, but government agencies only have until tomorrow to spend as much of this year's budget as possible before that money disappears. And so they are. Yep, it's "use it or lose it" season in DC, reports the...

Con Artist Launched Google Sting for Feds

Set up fake websites illegally selling medications; firm allegedly helped

(Newser) - Last year, a federal sting against Google resulted in a record settlement—and at the heart of the operation was a convicted con man. Working with federal agents—and still wearing leg irons—David Whitaker set up a fake online pharmacy claiming to sell illegal drugs, and Google helped him...

Fed Mine Safety Agency Riddled With Problems

'Miners' lives are in the crosshairs'

(Newser) - Untrained recruits perform mine inspections, the majority of veteran inspectors skip out on mandatory retraining, and a backlog of appeals is growing at the troubled federal mine safety agency. A government audit released just days before this week's deadly West Virginia mine explosion found lax enforcement rampant in the Mining...

Parks Boss Had 3400 Porn Pics; Feds Avert Gaze

Report overlooks Gettysburg chief's thing for on-the-job sex shots

(Newser) - A federal investigative report has cleared a parks official even though he pored over thousands of porn pics on his computer while he was supposed to be working. The superintendent of the popular Gettysburg National Military Park was cleared of misconduct accusations linked to financial dealings with the Gettysburg Foundation,...

70% of US Doesn't Like the Fed
 70% of US Doesn't Like the Fed 
Jul 28, 2009 7:18 AM CDT

70% of US Doesn't Like the Fed

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve is the least trusted of all federal agencies, a new Gallup poll finds. Just 30% of respondents said the Fed was doing a “good” or “excellent” job, giving it the lowest score out of nine agencies included in the poll. That’s a steep decline...

Stimulus Hasn't Reached States That Need It Most
Stimulus Hasn't Reached States That Need It Most
investigation
May 28, 2009 10:20 AM CDT

Stimulus Hasn't Reached States That Need It Most

(Newser) - The states President Obama’s $787 billion stimulus package was most intended to help aren’t yet getting much out of it, USA Today reports after analyzing government contracts. The eight states with unemployment rates higher than 10% have seen an average of $7.42 per person from the $4...

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