2 h. ago The Latest: DOGE official to take USAID leadership role despite department helping to dismantle it

According to an email obtained by The Associated Press, a senior official at Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is taking a leadership role at the U.S. Agency for International Development, giving DOGE direct authority over an agency it has worked to dismantle

Politics

41 h. ago Trump administration briefing: judge incredulous at deportations defense; Doge workers break into building

White House denies violating judge’s order with Venezuela flights; Elon Musk’s Doge workers break into non-government agency – key US politics stories from Monday at a glanceThe Trump administration claimed to a federal judge on Monday that it did not turn around the deportation flights of hundreds of suspected Venezuelan gang members over the weekend despite his specific instructions because that was not expressly included in the formal written order.The administration also said that even if James Boasberg, the chief US district judge in Washington, had included that instruction in his formal order, his authority to compel the planes to return disappeared the moment the planes entered international airspace. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago A deadline for federal agencies to submit DOGE firings has passed. Nobody knows what’s in the plans

The White House expects a ‘mass reduction’ in the federal workforce

Events

7 d. ago Reductions in force: A look at which agencies are affected by DOGE

The deep cuts across federal agencies since Donald Trump’s return to the White House include reductions in force, which mean not only layoffs but also elimination of positions altogether

Politics

7 d. ago Trump administration briefing: education department to be halved as Trump walks back Canada tariffs

Education secretary Linda McMahon describes layoffs as ‘significant step towards restoring greatness’ – key US politics stories from Tuesday at a glanceThe US Department of Education intends to lay off nearly half of its workforce, the department has announced. The layoffs of 1,300 people were announced by the department on Tuesday and described by the education secretary, Linda McMahon, as a “significant step toward restoring the greatness of the United States education system”.In a post on X, McMahon said: “Today’s [reduction in force] reflects our commitment to efficiency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers.” Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago US education department to lay off 1,300 people as Trump vows to close agency

Firings announced Tuesday as administration decried as ‘detached from how Americans live’The US Department of Education intends to lay off nearly half of its workforce. The layoffs of 1,300 people were announced by the department on Tuesday and described by the education secretary, Linda McMahon, as a “significant step toward restoring the greatness of the United States education system”.In a post on X, McMahon said: “Today’s [reduction in force] reflects our commitment to efficiency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers.” Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Trump orders likely to drive species’ extinction, wildlife advocates warn

In addition to layoffs and hiring freezes, a ‘God squad’ can effectively veto ESA protections for endangered speciesDonald Trump’s administration, backed by House Republicans and Elon Musk’s Doge agency, are carrying out an attack on the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and federal wildlife agencies that, if successful, will almost certainly drive numerous species into extinction, environmental advocates warn.The three-pronged attack is designed to freeze endangered wildlife protections to more quickly push through oil, gas and development projects, opponents say. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago The US Postal Service helped build the Black middle class. Trump could end that legacy

Trump is expected to privatize the USPS, where Black people make up 29% of the staff, and cut down on the number of jobsIn recent weeks, the fate of the United States Postal Service (USPS), a revered and vital public institution, has been uncertain. Since the start of his second presidency, Donald Trump has launched major changes to the federal government. Along with billionaire Elon Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge), the president has carried out widespread layoffs at agencies such as the Small Business Administration and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, with the purported goal of cutting costs and boosting efficiency. Now, Trump is turning his focus to the post office, an agency he has long been critical of and one that he may be privatizing.In addition to delivering upwards of 343.5m pieces of mail and packages a day, the post office is responsible for administering official government forms such as passport applications, and providing banking...

Politics

9 d. ago NASA lays off top scientist and deputies as it implements DOGE’s job cuts that will see hundreds leave space agency

The news came after the White House reportedly paused mass firings last month for probationary federal employers

Technology

1 week ago Staffers at a small overseas investment agency deny DOGE building access, suit says

The president of a small federal agency that supports investment in African countries sued on Thursday to block the Trump administration from shutting it down

Politics

1 week ago Pushing back: African aid workers block DOGE staffers from entering their small office to fire employees

The tiny agency is pushing back against DOGE’s sweeping workforce cuts

Society

2 w. ago US education department offers buyout that employees call ‘beyond misleading’

Email offers up to $25,000 but employees note severance and unused leave compensation would add up to moreDon’t let a billionaire’s algorithm control what you read. Download our free app to get trusted reporting.The US Department of Education sent an email to employees department-wide on Friday offering up to $25,000 to voluntarily resign or retire, or take severance, whichever is less.The email, obtained by the Guardian, states “this is a one-time offer in advance of a very significant Reduction In Force for the US Department of Education” and gives employees until the end of day Monday to accept. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Social Security Administration 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 — and the final reduction in force number could be as high as 50%, according to two people familiar with the agency’s plans who are not authorized to speak publicly

Events

2 w. ago Getting out of DOGE? Federal agencies given deadline to come up with plans to leave DC

‘You go around Washington and see all these buildings with the Department of Education. We want to move education back to the states, where it belongs,’ Trump said at a Cabinet meeting

Events

3 w. ago ‘We’re being treated as grifters or terrorists’: US federal workers on the fear and chaos of their firings

An educator, archaeologist and scientist were among the thousands of government workers culled by Musk’s agencyThe Trump administration has fired at least 20,000 government employees in its first month, as Elon Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) dramatically overhauls work at federal agencies. Some economists have speculated that these terminations, which could affect nearly 300,000 workers, will be the biggest job cuts in US history.Most of the workers cut were in probationary periods and lacked job protections that come with longer terms of employment. In social media spaces, especially the r/fednews subreddit, these workers described scenes of confusion and feelings of anger directed at Musk, an unelected billionaire dubbed a “special government employee” by the White House. Last week, unions for federal workers sued the Trump administration for unlawfully using probationary periods to cut staff. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Musk’s latest email threat to federal workers contradicted by Trump administration as chaos reigns: Live

Big tech billionaire earlier claimed mass mailout last week was mostly a ruse to see if government employees at DOGE-targeted agencies ‘had a pulse’

Events

3 w. ago Trump live: Chaos reigns as Musk threatens more workers by email but agencies told responding is ‘voluntary’

Big tech billionaire earlier claimed mass mailout last week was mostly a ruse to see if government employees at DOGE-targeted agencies ‘had a pulse’

Events

3 w. ago Trump live: Musk threatens more federal workers with termination over email after Macron visits White House

Musk claimed that mass emails last week were mostly a ruse to see if government employees at DOGE-targeted agencies ‘had a pulse’

Politics

3 w. ago Trump live updates: Musk again threatens federal workers with termination over email after Macron visits White House

Musk claimed that mass emails last week were mostly a ruse to see if government employees at DOGE-targeted agencies ‘had a pulse’

Politics

last month Trump administration begins firings of FAA air traffic control staff just weeks after fatal Washington DC plane crash

Staff at the Federal Aviation Administration receive emails saying they have been fired, upending rotas during period of busy air travel A US judge has scheduled a rare holiday court hearing on Monday, in a case brought by Democratic state attorneys general seeking to protect major federal agencies from Elon Musk’s Doge team.US district judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington DC on Sunday called the hearing for Monday, the Presidents Day holiday when federal courts are closed. Continue reading...

Events