Page 15 - Us Government

US govt on verge of shutdown as Trump pushes unilateral budget cuts

The longest government shutdown in US history during President Trump's first term, lasting 35 days from December 2018 to January 2019

US Secretary of State accuses China of flooding state with Fentanyl

Rubio expressed his belief that China "could halt" the flow of precursors immediately but opted not to, as cited in the RFA report

Trump, Zelenskyy fail to reach minerals deal after White House clash

The clash, played in front of the television cameras, is a major setback for Zelenskyy, who was hoping the in-person meeting with Trump would help smooth out his relations with the American president

UK ready to put 'boots on ground' for Ukraine: Starmer while meeting Trump

Trump said he thinks progress is being made on ending the Russia-Ukraine war, and that an agreement will "either be fairly soon or it won't be at all"

Social Security Administration in US could cut up to 50% of its workforce

The Social Security Administration is preparing to lay off at least 7,000 people from its workforce of 60,000, according to a person familiar with the agency's plans who is not authorised to speak publicly. The workforce reduction, according to a second person who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, could be as high as 50%. It's unclear how the layoffs will directly impact the benefits of the 72.5 million Social Security beneficiaries, which include retirees and children who receive retirement and disability benefits. However, advocates and Democratic lawmakers warn that layoffs will reduce the agency's ability to serve recipients in a timely manner. Some say cuts to the workforce are, in effect, a cut in benefits. Later Friday, the agency sent out a news release outlining plans for significant workforce reductions, employee reassignments from non-mission critical positions to mission critical direct service positions," and an offer of voluntary separation agreements. The agen

US Attorney General releases first phase of Jeffrey Epstein files

The first phase of released files largely comprise documents that have been previously leaked but never released in a formal capacity by the US government

USAID workers get 15 mins to clear out workspaces as agency gets dismantled

Thousands of US Agency for International Development workers who have been fired or placed on leave as part of the Trump administration's dismantling of the agency were being given a 15-minute window Thursday and Friday to clear out their workspaces. The first USAID workers arrived under heavily overcast skies for what appears likely to be their final visit to the now-closed Washington headquarters of the 6-decade-old aid agency. A small and sombre group of supporters greeted them. Large numbers of federal officers also were waiting outside, with at least seven intercepting one of the first workers who appeared, rolling a suitcase behind him, to escort him inside. While larger bureaus at the agency are urging supporters to turn up to clap out staffers over the next two days, a Trump administration ban on USAID staffers speaking publicly also has many fearing retaliation if they speak publicly. USAID placed 4,080 staffers who work across the globe on leave Monday. That was joined by

Providing 'tech support,' fixing US 'govt computer systems', says Elon Musk

Musk added that he had received "a lot of death threats," over the work he has been doing, which has involved hundreds of people losing their jobs

Over 20k illegal migrants held since Trump's first month in office: US govt

Trump administration launched an immigration crackdown in the moments after his inauguration and publicised daily arrest totals during his first couple of weeks in office

Trump administration orders more layoffs as Musk meets with cabinet

The memo calls for a "significant reduction" in headcount, but does not specify how many workers should be laid off, beyond the 100,000 who have already taken a buyout or been fired

National Archives is nonpartisan but has found itself targeted by Trump

As President Donald Trump moves to overhaul the federal government with astonishing speed, he has wreaked havoc on one agency long known for its nonpartisanship and revered for its mission: the National Archives and Records Administration. The independent agency and its trove of historic records have been the subject of Hollywood films and the foundation of research and policy. It also holds responsibilities in processes that are crucial for democracy, from amending the Constitution to electing a president. As the nation's recordkeeper, the Archives tells the story of America its founding, breakdowns, mistakes and triumphs. Former employees of the agency now worry it's becoming politicized. Earlier this month, the Republican president abruptly fired the head archivist. Since then, several senior staffers at the Archives have quit or retired. An unknown number of staffers at the agency also have accepted government-offered deferred resignations, often known as buyouts, or been fire

Who is Amy Gleason, DOGE's acting administrator named by White House?

The White House has clarified that billionaire Elon Musk, despite his involvement in overseeing the initiative, does not hold the legal role of DOGE head

Musk's new ultimatum spurs fresh confusion among US federal workers

The confusing back-and-forth has rippled through the federal bureaucracy, with some agencies instructing workers to comply and others not

USAID contractors warn of shutdowns and lawsuits with millions owed

On Tuesday afternoon, a judge ordered the US government to pay what it owes by midnight Wednesday, a decision the US government appealed a few hours later

21 DOGE staffers resign over refusal to use their 'technical expertise'

More than 20 civil service employees resigned Tuesday from billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, saying they were refusing to use their technical expertise to dismantle critical public services. We swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution across presidential administrations, the 21 staffers wrote in a joint resignation letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press. However, it has become clear that we can no longer honour those commitments. The employees also warned that many of those enlisted by Musk to help him slash the size of the federal government under President Donald Trump's administration were political ideologues who did not have the necessary skills or experience for the task ahead of them. The mass resignation of engineers, data scientists and product managers is a temporary setback for Musk and the Republican president's tech-driven purge of the federal workforce. It comes amid a flur

Nearly 40% of contracts cancelled by DOGE expected to produce no savings

Nearly 40 per cent of the federal contracts that the Trump administration claims to have cancelled as part of its signature cost-cutting programme aren't expected to save the government any money, the administration's own data shows. The Department of Government Efficiency run by Elon Musk last week published an initial list of 1,125 contracts that it terminated in recent weeks across the federal government. Data published on DOGE's Wall of Receipts shows that more than one-third of the contract cancellations, 417 in all, are expected to yield no savings. That's usually because the total value of the contracts has already been fully obligated, which means the government has a legal requirement to spend the funds for the goods or services it purchased and in many cases has already done so. It's like confiscating used ammunition after it's been shot when there's nothing left in it. It doesn't accomplish any policy objective, said Charles Tiefer, a retired University of Baltimore law

Elon Musk renews firing threat after being obstructed by federal officials

The US agency that oversees federal employees said on Monday they could ignore a weekend email from Musk that required them to summarize their work or face losing their jobs

Federal employees across US return to offices amid threat from Elon Musk

Federal employees across the country, many of whom have worked from home since the COVID-19 pandemic, were back at agency offices Monday under President Donald Trump's return-to-office mandate. Billionaire Elon Musk, who is leading Trump's Department of Government Efficiency scouring government agencies for suspected waste, delivered a warning Monday to workers on his platform X. Starting this week, those who still fail to return to office will be placed on administrative leave, Musk wrote. Lee Zeldin, Trump's new administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, said Monday on X, formerly Twitter, Full-time, COVID-era remote work is DONE under @POTUS leadership. In a video he posted, Zeldin said average attendance at EPA headquarters on Mondays and Fridays last year was less than 9% of employees. Our spacious, beautiful EPA headquarters spans two city blocks in D.C. across five buildings, Zeldin said. But our hallways have been too vacant, desks empty and cubicles filled with

Trump admin defying order to pause freeze on foreign aid, says judge

The Trump administration has kept withholding foreign aid despite a court order and must at least temporarily restore the funding to programmes worldwide, a federal judge has said. Judge Amir H. Ali on Thursday declined a request by nonprofit groups doing business with the US Agency for International Development to find Trump administration officials in contempt of his order, however. The Washington, D.C., district court judge said administration officials had used his February 13 order to temporarily lift the freeze on foreign aid to instead "come up with a new, post-hoc rationalisation for the en masse suspension" of funding. Despite the judge's order to the contrary, USAID Deputy Secretary Pete Marocco, a Trump appointee, and other top officials had "continued their blanket suspension of funds", Ali said. The ruling comes in a lawsuit by the nonprofit groups challenging the Trump administration's month-old cutoff of foreign assistance through USAID and the State Department, whic

Nasa working to exempt probationary employees from government-wide layoffs

The expectation comes after Nasa employees had braced for news of job cuts on Tuesday, six people familiar with the matter said Wednesday