• Federal wildland firefighters would keep their higher pay rates under the latest congressional appropriations package. The spending “minibus” maintains funding for wildland firefighters’ permanent pay raise, as well as job updates that were initially included in the 2021 infrastructure law. The new appropriations package also would not adopt President Trump’s plan to combine wildland firefighting forces into a single agency. According to the legislation, wildland firefighters from the Forest Service and the Interior Department would remain separate.
  (Interior, Environment FY 2026 appropriations bill - House and Senate Appropriations Committees)
• Leadership at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency faces an uncertain future. The Senate has returned the nomination of Sean Plankey to the White House after lawmakers failed to vote on it last session. President Trump nominated Plankey to serve as director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in March of last year. But his nomination was held in the Senate over multiple issues and he ultimately wasn’t included in a slate of nominees that received confirmation late last month. Plankey has broad support from the cybersecurity industry. But it’s unclear what happens next with the CISA director position.
  (Sean Plankey nomination - Congress.gov)
• The State Department's $50 billion IT contract vehicle called Evolve is facing yet another protest. Alpha Omega Integration filed its second protest about being excluded from Evolve on Monday with the Government Accountability Office. GAO dismissed Alpha Omega's initial protest of the multiple award contract in August after State took corrective action. But Alpha Omega contends State still misevaluated the firm's proposal. GAO has until April 15 to decide the case. Evolve has so far survived five other protests over the last six months.
  (State Dept. IT contract, Evolve, faces new protest - Government Accountability Office)
• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is reinstating former probationary employees it already fired twice. NOAA sent an email to about 40 former employees, informing them that their April 2025 termination is being rescinded, and that they have the option to return to their jobs. Employees who received reinstatement offers had until Monday to accept the offer and will return to work next week. These employees will receive about nine months of back pay regardless of whether they opt in for reinstatement.
  (‘A fresh start.’ NOAA reinstates some probationary employees it already fired twice - Federal News Network)
• Federal retirees can now securely access some of their tax forms online. The Office of Personnel Management updated its delivery method for 1099-R tax forms. The update will allow retirees to view their forms digitally, rather than waiting for them in the mail. OPM said it’s a faster and paperless way for retirees to access important documents. Retirees who still want a paper copy can opt into receiving a mailed version, or request one directly from OPM.
  (OPM announces faster, paperless options for federal retirees - Office of Personnel Management)
• President Donald Trump put defense contractors on notice. Trump said his administration is capping executive compensation at defense contractors at $5 million dollars and prohibiting stock buybacks or dividends. In a post on Truth Social, the president said executive pay in the defense industry is exorbitant and unjustifiable given how slowly these companies are delivering vital equipment to the military. In a second post on Truth Social, Trump also took aim at Raytheon, threatening the defense giant that the government will stop doing business with it until it invests more money in plants and equipment manufacturing. Trump signed an executive order codifying these changes Wednesday evening.
  (President tells defense contractors to invest more, pay execs less - Federal News Network)
• The Federal Communications Commission is looking for a new organization to lead its cyber labeling program. In a public notice released Wednesday, the FCC said it’s accepting applications to be lead administrator of the Cyber Trust Mark program through January 28th. Last month, UL solutions withdrew as lead administrator of the cyber trust mark. The FCC launched the voluntary program last year to label consumer smart products that meet cybersecurity standards.
  (FCC announcement on Cyber Trust Mark program - Federal Communications Commission)
• A bipartisan group of lawmakers wants the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to use a single credentialing and privileging system for medical providers. Currently, DoD and VA rely on separate credentialing and privileging systems to approve their clinicians. But those approvals don’t transfer between the two agencies, forcing providers who switch facilities to restart the approval process. The legislation would require the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs to jointly select a single credentialing and privileging system by January 2027 and notify Congress that the system is operational by 2028.
  (Bipartisan bill seeks to create joint DoD–VA credentialing system - Federal News Network)
• The Senate has confirmed Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve as the Army’s next vice chief of staff. President Donald Trump nominated LaNeve for the role in October. He will succeed Gen. James Mingus, who has served as vice chief since January 2024. LaNeve currently serves as senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Hegseth called LaNeve a “generational leader” and said he will “help ensure the Army revives the warrior ethos, rebuilds for the modern battlefield and deters enemies around the world.”
  (Senate confirms new Army vice chief of staff - Congress.gov)
• The Department of Veterans Affairs said it’s chipping away at a backlog of veterans waiting for benefits. VA Secretary Doug Collins said the backlog is down 60% since the start of the Trump administration. VA’s Veterans Benefits Administration reinstated mandatory overtime for its employees last year. The VA has relied on mandatory overtime under several administrations to reduce claims backlogs. But VBA briefly ended mandatory overtime in July 2024.
  (VA benefits backlog - Social media platform X)

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