Government, policy, and civic life — what's changing and what it means for you.

COMMENTARY | Mass layoffs have left thousands of federal workers unemployed and struggling to find their footing as AI accelerates disruption across the public sector.

Newly published regulations would implement a 2025 law enacted in response to a GAO report that found the government could spend up to $1 billion annually on health benefits for people who are no longer eligible to receive them.

The Partnership for Public Service reported that the federal government is spending less on scientific research in a majority of states and congressional districts.

The Galveston County Consolidated Drainage District launched a new data system to turn historical and real-time flooding data into predictive analytics.

Several groups said communities that lack connectivity must be the ones to shape policies to benefit them, and they urged the federal government to step up with money and training.

Attorney General James Uthmeier says suit is a first in the nation.

The report from cybersecurity firm Check Point lands as the Trump administration pushes new voting rules and intelligence officials face questions about how they are handling foreign election threats.

The selection is unconventional for the nation’s lead intelligence official, a role tasked with managing 18 distinct agencies like the CIA and NSA.

Defense officials concurred that lessons should be drawn—but gave no indication they will be.

COMMENTARY | A longtime federal HR chief welcomes the Office of Personnel Management's push to modernize pay and promotions, but warns against the legal tactic the agency is using to make it happen.

Ideas for a cyber service have been floated before. Some experts argue now is the right time.

The 16 agencies that now have non-Senate-confirmed political staffers for the first time in 15 years include the IRS and Forest Service, according to a new report.

COMMENTARY | A new proposal would expand federal nondisclosure agreements beyond classified work. Will it curb leaks or chill legitimate whistleblowing?

Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers, said students are “drowning in tech” that is disrupting their lives, and policymakers need to get a handle on it.

Each of the portfolios in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program gained value last month.

Most data centers in Virginia are permitted to discharge water into municipal wastewater systems, the same place household water goes to be treated and recycled for consumption. But there’s limited data tracking of potential chemicals in data centers’ discharge water.

With few meaningful competitors, SpaceX's Starlink is the primary beneficiary.

COMMENTARY | Several are already charting a path forward on how to use the technology, but few have built the systems needed to measure its long-term impact.

COMMENTARY | A federal Pay Agent report and Tennessee’s civil service overhaul highlight a familiar problem: reform depends less on policy design than on management capacity and execution.

Officials said the nearly 80-year-old requirement that federal employees serve in their current positions for at least one year before they may be promoted is “outdated.”

The state is administering a grant program for residents to retrofit their homes with climate resilient roofs, and an artificial intelligence-enabled platform looks to enhance program speed and efficiency.

The IRS said that it has collected around $7.5 billion due to whistleblowers since 2007.

The state’s almost 70,000 drivers can now join the App Driver’s Union, following voter approval of the right to unionize in November 2024 via ballot question.

Kevin Frazier, AI innovation and law fellow at the University of Texas, told lawmakers that an outright ban on AI is not the answer.

A federal appeals court allowed Texas to require app stores to verify users’ ages and seek parental consent before a minor can download apps.

The agency said it will support the unit’s efforts by identifying waste, fraud and abuse across government contracting programs.

The effort is meant to infuse the government with young engineers, cyber and data workers. It follows the loss of almost 20,000 technology workers through the Trump administration’s efforts to downsize the workforce last year.

COMMENTARY | The ongoing erosion of the federal statistical system, marked by broken time series and a workforce crisis, threatens government capacity to serve the public.