Federal Newscast

The Department of Defense's civilian employees could get another option for their grocery runs; their local commissary. Senators are suggesting that the defense secretary should launch a pilot program that lets civilian staffers shop at commissaries as part of the 2027 defense policy bill. If the idea isn't too expensive and doesn't interfere with feeding troops and their families, that access could become more permanent. C ommissaries offer groceries at lower prices than public stores, but the quality and availability of those goods can vary widely between bases. 

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A new pilot program will try to pair active-duty military spouses in the Air Force and Space Force with potential job leads. The Global Military Spouse Connection program offers targeted outreach, networking opportunities, educational resources and direct contact with hiring managers, the Department of the Air Force said Monday. The pilot will start at Travis Air Force Base in California, Patrick Space Force Base in Florida, and Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Military spouses often struggle to find steady employment amid frequent moves, changing licensing requirements and tumultuous job markets. 

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The Office of Naval Research is rolling out a new science and technology strategy that focuses the service on meeting its own unique needs, not keeping up with commercial tech companies. Chief of Naval Research Rachel Riley says turning inward can stop the Navy from spending money to duplicate the private sector's efforts. It can also make the service better prepared for long-term upgrades to its highly technical military platforms, like submarines. The office also wants closer ties to industry and troops to get new equipment to the field faster.

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More employees at the National Park Service have voted to unionize. About 650 employees in the agency’s Intermountain Region will now be represented by the National Treasury Employees Union. That’s following a vote of 317-11 in favor of the new bargaining unit. The National Park employees oversee 87 different parks across Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona and Montana. Many work as park rangers, scientists and administrative staff.

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The Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday released the details of a massive defense policy bill that authorizes $1.2 trillion in spending, in support of the Trump administration's request for fiscal 2027. The annual legislation would create a new command overseeing military drones and allow for a new under secretary of defense focused on cyber, as well as an assistant secretary in charge of housing and military travel, among dozens of other provisions. The draft heads to the full Senate for consideration. 

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A second cohort of technology executives are joining the Army Reserve. The Army commissioned three more senior technology leaders into its Executive Innovation Corps, also known as Detachment 201. The service kicked off the new program last year in an effort to bring in senior tech executives to help integrate and scale commercial technology. The new cohort includes executives from Cloudflare and Sutter Hill Ventures, as well as a co-founder of Facebook AI Research. The Army said members of the inaugural cohort have “influenced” initiatives such as munitions supply chain data analysis and organic industrial base investments. 

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Lawmakers are renewing an effort to offer paid family and medical leave to federal employees. A bipartisan bill would give feds 12 weeks of paid leave in the case of a serious illness for themselves or an immediate family member. Legislation passed in 2019 to give federal employees access to paid parental leave. But family and medical leave remains unpaid, which lawmakers say makes federal recruitment and retention more difficult.

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Senate Democrats are urging a federal appeals court to reverse a decision upholding the firings of two immigration judges at the Department of Justice. The lawmakers warn that the previous ruling from the Merit Systems Protection Board could give the president much broader firing powers over many civil servants. The Democrats’ new amicus brief follows a previous request in the same court case for a full-bench appeals court hearing.

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House appropriators are backing the Trump administration's proposed pay raise for U.S. troops in fiscal 2027 as part of a $1.7 trillion defense spending bill. Military service members could see their paychecks grow by 5% to 7%, depending on their rank. It's a higher bump than the previous raise of 3.8%. The proposed legislation would help troops stay ahead of inflation as living costs continue to crunch Americans' budgets. The House's defense appropriations subcommittee will vote on the measure on Thursday.

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A House Democrat is demanding answers on the Trump administration’s proposed nondisclosure agreement for the federal workforce. In a letter to the Office of Personnel Management, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill) warns that pushing feds to sign an NDA would undermine First Amendment protections and whistleblower activities. OPM has two weeks to respond to the congressman’s new investigation into the legal and workplace-related impacts of the administration’s proposal. 

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