The Continuing Resolution could mean more cuts to the IRS

• A continuing resolution backed by House Republicans seeks further cuts to IRS funding. The House CR would rescind another $20 billion dollars the agency got in the Inflation Reduction Act to rebuild its workforce and modernize its legacy IT. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the cuts to IRS funding would reduce its total revenue collection by nearly $66 billion dollars over the next decade. The CR is currently stalled in the House and may not have the necessary votes to pass.
  (CBO's estimate of discretionary spending under the Continuing Appropriations and Other Matters Act, 2025 - Congressional Budget Office)
• The looming feeling of a potential government shutdown may be familiar to federal employees — but that doesn’t mean they’re not worried. Counting down to shutdowns nearly every year is unnecessary and chaotic for the federal workforce, the National Treasury Employees Union says. With an approaching deadline for Congress to reach a stopgap spending agreement, NTEU says fears are rising of once again seeing worsening services and missing paychecks. The union, however, called the House GOP’s proposal of a six-month continuing resolution “unacceptable.” Particularly for the IRS, NTEU says a continuing resolution would reverse recent headway the agency has made on modernization efforts.
  (Shutdown countdown unnerves federal workforce - National Treasury Employees Union)
• The National Guard Bureau is inching closer to filling its leadership gap as the Senate holds a nomination hearing for Air Force Lt. Gen. Steven Nordhaus to become the Guard's next chief. If confirmed, Nordhaus would take over for retired Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, who left the service last month. Lt. Gen. Jonathan M. Stubbs has been in the acting chief role since Hokanson retired. Nordhaus, who currently serves as the North American Aerospace Defense Command commander, could assume leadership of the Guard during a period when its expanding responsibilities are stretching its resources. Navy Vice Adm. Alvin Holsey, who’s been tapped to lead the U.S. Southern Command, testified alongside Nordhaus.
  (National Guard Bureau inching closer to getting a chief - Senate Armed Services Committee)
• More than three years in the making, the Homeland Security Department made its first awards under its First Source III contract vehicle. On Tuesday, DHS chose 30 small businesses in the IT value-added reseller pool for spots on this $10 billion dollar, multiple award IT hardware and software contract. The agency has been working on the FirstSource III vehicle since April 2021. DHS says it will make a second set of awards under the software pool in early fiscal 2025.
  (FirstSource III awards - SAM.gov)

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• The State Department is looking to pilot a cyber data automation project by the end of the year. The department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security is looking to develop a minimum viable product by December for Defense Cyber Operations. It’s a program meant to automatically process incoming cyber data for analysts. Bureau officials say AI and automation tools are going to augment the work that employees already do, not replace them. But it’s looking to reskill and upskill its workforce with a focus on developing data skills. The State Department is also taking steps to defend itself against AI-powered cyber threats.
  (State Dept looks to test cyber data automation project by year’s end - Federal News Network)
• HR specialists are getting some help after the Biden administration set new expectations to improve the federal hiring process. An upcoming series of free webinars, hosted by the Office of Personnel Management, will be open to federal hiring managers and HR staff. The webinars will cover key steps of the recruitment process, like conducting assessments and using OPM's agency talent portal. OPM announced the human resources training series after releasing new hiring experience guidance last month.
  (The federal hiring experience learning series - Office of Personnel Management)
• The State Department wants to see a lot more self-evaluations from vendors. Self-assessments have been a great tool in the contractor performance assessment ratings process for the government, but vendors rarely submit their self-assessments. Michael Derrios, the senior procurement executive at the State Department, says the agency wants vendors to utilize this tool a lot more. Derrios also says continuous communication from the beginning of the contract will allow vendors to avoid any surprises when CPARS ratings are finalized.
  (Federal Agencies wants vendors to utilize self-assessments - Federal News Network)
• Zion National Park is the first national park to transition fully to electric vehicles. The National Park Service says this effort to use battery-powered buses is the culmination of a multi-year partnership with federal, state, local and non-profit organizations. NPS also received a $33 million dollar grant from the Department of Transportation. Along with Zion, NPS is transitioning large bus fleets at other parks including Grand Canyon, Acadia, Yosemite, Bryce Canyon and Harpers Ferry national parks to all-electric vehicles over the next few years.
  (Zion National Park shuttles are now electric - National Park Service)

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