Federal Newscast

Twelve companies have been selected by the Space Force to develop a space-based interceptor system for President Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense initiative. Through its acquisition arm, Space Systems Command, the service awarded 20 Other Transaction Authority agreements with a potential combined award value of up to $3.2 billion. The service said the system should be integrated into the Golden Dome architecture by 2028. The announcement comes after Gen. Michael Guetlein, Golden Dome's program manager, said that space-based interceptors might not make it into the final design due to high costs.  

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

House lawmakers are looking to beef up protections against fraud risks across government. A new bipartisan bill would create a standardized training program for federal employees to learn how to identify and root out fraud. Sponsors say federal employees are not currently equipped with consistent training on fraud prevention. The lawmakers say that has led to higher vulnerabilities in government programs.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Coast Guard is partially reopening the National Maritime Center. In a notice this week, the Coast Guard said NMC civilian staff have returned to work, as the Department of Homeland Security taps into emergency funds during the partial government shutdown. The NMC will process applications for merchant mariner credentials, medical certificates, and course approvals on a first-in and first-out basis. But Regional Examination Centers will continue to be closed to walk-in customers. Last week, Coast Guard leaders told Congress there’s a growing backlog of 18,000 merchant mariner credentials due to the shutdown.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

House Republicans are proposing a billion-dollar cut to IRS funding next year. A fiscal 2027 spending bill introduced by members of the House Appropriations Committee would give the IRS a $10.2-billion budget next year. The Trump administration proposed more severe IRS cuts in its budget proposal, closer to a $1.5 billion cut. Funding for public-facing taxpayer services would remain untouched, but IRS enforcement would see the deepest cuts under the plan from House Republicans.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A new House bill would establish a permanent Inspector General for Fraud, Accountability and Recovery. The Fraud Prevention and Accountability Act, introduced by Texas Republican Pete Sessions last week, would ensure the permanent IG assists other inspectors general in detecting and mitigating fraud in federal awards over $50,000. The bill also would require the Treasury Secretary to make recommendations for anti-fraud resources in any future emergency relief or recovery appropriations packages. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The number of so-called “TSP millionaires” is trending downward. As of April 1, there were about 185,000 Thrift Savings Plan participants with accounts totaling over $1 million. Compared with the previous fiscal quarter, that means there are now about 10,000 fewer TSP millionaires. Latest reports show that million-dollar accounts make up about 2.5% of the nearly 7.3 million total TSP accounts.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Space Force has laid out a vision for how it plans to operate in space over the next 15 years. In two highly anticipated documents, service officials describe how they think the space environment will evolve by 2040 and the capabilities the service will need to keep pace with emerging threats. Service officials estimate the U.S. could operate around 30,000 satellites by 2040 and that artificial intelligence and autonomy will transform space operations.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A federal union is raising alarms about the Trump administration’s planned reorganization of the Forest Service. The National Federation of Federal Employees warns that the agency’s plan to move its headquarters to Utah and eliminate regional offices, will hurt the ability to effectively combat wildfires. The Forest Service reorganization will impact about 6,500 federal employees. Union officials say the relocations will almost certainly lead some of those employees to quit their jobs.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today is the deadline for the tax filing season. But the IRS is giving more help to those who filed an extension. The IRS will have special Saturday hours this weekend at some of its Taxpayer Assistance Centers across the country. The IRS says TACs will be open in dozens of states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The IRS will also have extended hours for in-person help on weekdays through April 30.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Department of the Air Force, in partnership with the Defense Innovation Unit, has selected two bases as potential sites for nuclear microreactors. Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado and Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana could become the first Air Force installations powered by the technology under the Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations program. Commercial reactor companies would be responsible for siting, licensing, building, operating and decommissioning the reactors. The Air Force expects to pair the bases with reactor developers in the coming months, The reactors are expected to be deployed by 2030. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.