Federal Newscast

September was not a good month for the Thrift Savings Plan. All but one of the funds saw month-over-month drops. Only the G fund increased in September by .4% from where it was in August. The silver lining for September for the other 15 funds is they all experienced drops of less than 4% total. The S Fund saw the biggest month-over-month drop of 3.66%. For the year, every account but the F fund is in the black with the I Fund posting the largest year to date growth of over 16%. 

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The Pentagon wants to build a new military base inside the U.S. and is asking states to compete for it. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the base could host up to 25,000 troops and serve as a hub for homeland defense, command and control and cyber operations. He also promises the base will feature cutting-edge technology, first-class barracks and timeless classical architecture. The base would become the first newly built domestic military installation since the 1980s. A plan for that process is due by the end of October.

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The Government Accountability Office found OMB’s rescission of nearly $1 billion of approved spending on September 26, violated the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. The decision not only was the Trump administration’s 12th violation of the ICA since taking office in January 2025, but it also was the first ICA decision in a year from GAO. The latest ruling relies on previous conclusions that the OMB can’t use the Impoundment Control Act process to withhold funds past their date of expiration, in this case September 30. GAO says ICA provides that amounts proposed for rescission must be made available for obligation unless Congress completes action on a bill rescinding them. GAO says OMB’s actions subvert both the constitutional process and Congress’s power of the purse.

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A top House Democrat is putting defense contractors on notice about potential investigations into unusual dealings with the Trump administration. House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Jim Himes says he’s concerned that the administration has inappropriately fused contracting processes with the extraction of political or private favors. In a letter to the National Defense Industrial Association on Monday, Himes said the intelligence committee may seek documents, testimony and other information on potential conflicts of interest. He points to how several major defense and intelligence contractors made donations to the new White House ballroom. 

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The Secret Service is facing questions about funding that was reportedly taken from the agency’s budget to fund White House renovations. In a letter to Secret Service Director Sean Curran last week, Senator Maggie Hassan asked how the agency would have spent roughly the $415 million dollars that was redirected from its budget. Hassan wants to know whether that has affected the Secret Service’s modernization efforts, including its ongoing hiring campaign. Her letter points to a June 2026 inspector general report that found the Secret Service’s effectiveness was at risk due to staffing and resource constraints. 

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The Department of the Navy is rolling out new features to make it easier for sailors to navigate MyNavy Portal and access personnel services. The eLeave feature, for instance, allows sailors to check their estimated leave balance, request regular leave and extensions and review past leave periods “through a more intuitive experience.” Meanwhile, MyData will provide Sailors with greater visibility into their personnel information. A new landing page has also become more intuitive and personalized. The homepage, the Navy said, “represents a significant step toward MyNavy Portal’s broader goal of putting the information and services sailors need within fewer than four clicks.”

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Federal immigration judges at the Justice Department are facing doxxing threats. In a new report, the DOJ inspector general found several judges in the department's Executive Office for Immigration Review had been doxxed using publicly accessible data over the past year. EOIR told auditors that it uses a privacy and data removal service to try to remove as much of the judges' personal information as possible from the internet. The IG found DOJ continues to lack a strategy for managing the risks of so-called "ubiquitous technical surveillance" on its employees and operations.

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The Marine Corps said it will pay troops $450 a month while they are engaged in or exposed to enemy fire. That's the legal cap and double what Marines currently receive for hostile fire pay. The service is also increasing imminent danger pay by $50 to $275 per month. Imminent danger pay applies to troops serving in areas where they could be physically harmed. It's the first major combat pay bump in more than two decades. Both raises kick in October 1.

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Agencies will now be able to more easily offer bonuses of up to $25,000 to federal employees for exceptional work. The Office of Personnel Management is delegating authority to agency leaders to approve larger bonuses for feds. Previously, bonuses of that size required OPM approval. But OPM says it’s removing the hurdle as a way to help agencies distinguish high levels of performance. 

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Two House lawmakers want to give the AbilityOne program a makeover. Congressmen Steny Hoyer (D-Md) and Pete Sessions's (R-Texas) American Procurement Improvement Act would modernize the statutory framework governing AbilityOne. The legislation would expand eligibility and help more Americans with disabilities get hired, promoted and grow in their careers. It also would speed up the timeline to add new products and services to the list maintained by the AbilityOne Commission. The bill would be the first major update to AbilityOne in nearly 50 years. The lawmakers say the bill is endorsed by a coalition of 50 organizations, unions, disability stakeholders and advocacy groups. 

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