Federal Newscast

The Army has selected two companies to build massive data centers at Fort Bliss in Texas and at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. The deal follows President Donald Trump’s executive order to allow private companies to use federally owned land and resources to quickly build AI data centers. While the deal is not final, the selection of the two companies will allow the arm to enter negotiations and finalize the terms of the agreement. The Army said the two companies will be “responsible for financing, building, operating, maintaining and decommissioning the data centers on underutilized land at no upfront cost to taxpayers.” The data center at Fort Bliss is expected to be operational in 2027, while the project at Dugway Proving Ground is expected to be completed by 2029. The Army Corps of Engineers will play a key role in this project’s development.

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A bipartisan group of lawmakers are seeking to codify President Donald Trump’s executive order that limits stock buybacks and executive pay for certain defense contractors. A new bill, titled Prioritizing the Warfighter in Defense Contracting Act, would prohibit large defense contractors from purchasing their own stock and paying out dividends. It would also prohibit linking executive pay to short-term financial metrics and cap executive compensation at $5 million. Contractors that fail to comply could face penalties, including suspending contract payments and terminating contracts. Republican Senator Josh Hawley said that defense contractors “should be focused on expanding production, not padding their bottom lines.” 

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In today's Federal Newscast, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has upheld the Trump administration’s decision to eliminate federal health insurance coverage of gender-affirming care.

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In today's Federal Newscast, the Army is changing the requirements for cybersecurity and privacy training.

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In today's Federal Newscast, Senate Democrats are expanding their investigation into how the Defense Department is using artificial intelligence. 

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In today's Federal Newscast, the vast majority federal agencies are facing major human capital challenges.

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In today's Federal Newscast, lawmakers want to make sure the Department of Homeland Security holds onto the records from outgoing officials. 

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In today's Federal Newscast, a Democratic lawmaker seeks to put guardrails around the Pentagon’s use of artificial intelligence in military operations. 

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The Army is officially tightening rules around its popular education programs. The service is eliminating Credentialing Assistance for commissioned officers, limiting that benefit primarily to enlisted troops. Army officials previously said that officers already have access to various education opportunities, while enlisted soldiers face more challenges transitioning to civilian careers. Under the new policy, all credentialing assistance requests will require command approval. Soldiers failing to complete their courses will be suspended from requesting credentialing assistance for a year. 

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Attorneys argue against the judge giving Anthropic a preliminary injunction that would put the federal supply chain risk determination on hold.

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