They say not providing federal employees with a raise in 2027 would be “disastrous.”
Michele Sandiford
- Unions are heightening their calls for a bigger federal pay boost next year. That’s after the White House omitted funding for a civilian pay raise from its 2027 budget proposal. It comes in contrast with the 7% salary increase that’s being requested for military members. Federal unions are advocating for pay raise parity between civilian and military members next year. They say not providing federal employees with a raise in 2027 would be “disastrous.”
- A big government contractor pays the first-ever fine for violating the Trump administration’s DEI regulations. IBM has agreed to pay $17 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations that is failed to comply with anti-discrimination requirements in its federal contracts. The Justice Department alleges IBM took race, color, national origin or sex into account when making employment decisions, including by using a diversity modifier that tied bonus compensation to achieving demographic targets. DoJ said IBM made early disclosures of facts relevant to the government’s investigation gathered during IBM’s independent investigation, including information to assist in the calculation of damages and penalties. The company also took voluntary remedial measures, including the termination and/or modification of various programs and practices at issue.
- The Air Force is offering approximately 4,700 acres of its land across several installations in Alaska for data center development. The service released a request for lease proposal outlining the project requirements. The Air Force will also host an industry day on April 23 to discuss plans for building one or more data centers at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Eielson Air Force Base and Clear Space Force Station. Companies will have the opportunity to visit the proposed sites in person. The effort follows President Donald Trump’s executive order to allow private firms to use federally owned land and resources to quickly build AI data centers.
- The National Institute of Standards and Technology is launching a project to promote the trustworthy use of artificial intelligence in critical infrastructure systems. NIST’s new AI risk management community of interest will develop guidance tailored to critical infrastructure sectors. The goal is to give organizations increased confidence to deploy AI agents and tools as part of their overall strategy. NIST says anyone in the critical infrastructure ecosystem can participate in the community of interest.
- The government’s investments into training and development programs for graduate-level science researchers are in need of a facelift. A new report from the Government Accountability Office finds that these researchers are often paid tens of thousands of dollars less in salary than others at the same education level. GAO warns that the low pay rates, as well as job uncertainty, could lead some researchers to quit their training programs.
- The Department of Homeland Security is recalling furloughed staff. DHS is telling staff who have been furloughed for the last two months to come back to work even though Congress has yet to pass a homeland security spending bill. DHS leaders started sharing the recall messages on Friday afternoon. A spokesperson for Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said he’s using all available funding to recall the entire DHS workforce. While many DHS staff have been working through the shutdown, thousands of cyber experts, administrative staff and researchers have been on furlough.
- The Army says it doesn’t have a data problem, it has a data management problem. That’s why it has launched a new data operations center that will help the service better manage its vast amount of data across the force. The center will serve as the “operational engine” for the Army’s push to become a more data-centric organization. As part of Army Cyber Command, the center will act as a centralized hub, described as a “911 for data” to route critical information where it’s needed most. Army Data Operations Center (ADOC) reached its initial operating capability on April 3.
- The Federal Innovation Council and ACT-IAC are partnering on three projects to improve how employees can develop specific skillsets to drive new and different ideas to improve federal services. The projects will include experts from the public and private sectors. One of them will focus on developing a capability model to identify core skills, attributes, and behaviors of highly innovative people. Another project will strengthen collaboration through case studies and the sharing of best practices. And the third project will design and launch shark tank-style “ideation workshops” where employees across government or industry can propose creative and innovative ideas.
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