Federal Newscast

Senators approve resolution withholding their paychecks during future shutdowns

The Senate resolution will take effect after the general election on Nov. 3.

Michele Sandiford

May 15, 2026 1:39 pm

< a min read

Senators have unanimously agreed to a resolution that would withhold their paychecks during future government shutdowns. The bipartisan resolution comes amid increasingly longer and more frequent shutdowns. Historically, lawmakers continue getting paid during a funding lapse, while many federal employees have to endure the financial strain of missed paychecks. The Senate resolution will take effect after the general election on Nov. 3. It does not apply to the House.
(Resolution to withhold the pay of senators if a government shutdown occurs - Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.))

Lawmakers are concerned about readiness gaps at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee are urging FEMA to shore up staffing and leadership ahead of the start of Atlantic hurricane season on June 1. In a letter to leadership at the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA, they warned roughly half of FEMA’s 38 top leadership positions are vacant, while staffing cuts could leave the agency shorthanded. They also urged DHS and FEMA to release delayed disaster relief funding and restore emergency planning contracts.
(Letter to FEMA - House Homeland Security Committee Democrats )

Agencies reported nine different Anti-Deficiency Act violations in fiscal 2025. A new report from the Government Accountability Office shows these instances of agencies spending more money than appropriated happened over the course of many years, with one going back as far as 2017. GAO said the Agricultural Department submitted two reports last year for violating the law. Other reported violations came from the Labor Department, the Board of Veterans Appeals, the National Science Foundation and the Army National Guard. Each agency told GAO what steps it took to avoid future Anti-Deficiency Act violations.
(GAO details 9 new reports of Anti-Deficiency Act violations - Government Accountability Office)

Agencies will soon have an easier path to modernize grant management systems. Vendors who provide grant management services and technology will soon have their own special item number under the GSA schedule. Under Multiple Award Schedule Refresh 32 coming in June, GSA will launch SIN 518210GM to replace the shared services marketplace under the grants management quality service management organization. The grants management SIN will include core grants management systems as well as a broader set of services ranging from program management support to single audit support to transaction processing to operations and maintenance of existing systems. The Grants Quality Service Management Office said this change allows the marketplace to be more flexible to meet agency's current and future needs.
(GSA to add grants management systems to schedules under a SIN - General Services Administration)

The Defense Department Mobility Unclassified Capability program is being phased out. The Army is modernizing its mobile communications capabilities by transitioning away from all DMUC devices and shifting to the Army Mobility Program, or AMP. The Defense Information Systems Agency will stop supporting all Army DMUC devices by May 30. The move follows a new mobile device management framework from DISA that is no longer compatible with the Army 365 environment, requiring the Army to sunset the DMUC program. Lt. Gen. Jeth Rey, deputy chief of staff for the G-6, said the new program will give soldiers a "flexible, secure and user-friendly way to stay connected to the mission without the burden of carrying a second device.”
(Army sunsets DMUC devices - U.S. Army)

After a spike in job searching and high burnout for federal employees, signs are now pointing to a rebound. A major gap that appeared in 2025 employment data has narrowed and job searching among federal employees has fallen closer in line with their state and local government counterparts. But engagement levels for federal employees still remain lower than other U.S. workers. Researchers at Gallup say new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests federal employees may be starting to adapt to recent workforce changes.
(What 2025 federal reforms did to worker engagement - Gallup)

The Pentagon’s deferred resignation program and other civilian workforce reduction efforts have led to staffing shortages in critical installation support roles, which have caused cost increases, inadequate oversight of installation projects and contributed to delays in project design and execution. Dale Marks, assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations and the environment, said the Defense Department is tracking personnel losses in key installation support roles and has issued waivers to ensure that installations and the military services can continue hiring for those critical roles. Marks also promised to provide Congress with a report detailing how many employees working in engineering, housing oversight, facilities maintenance and service member support roles the department has lost as a result of the deferred resignation program.
(DoD civilian workforce losses strain military installation operations - Federal News Network)

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security continues to hire more staff. This week, CISA posted a job for a new chief information officer. Longtime CIO Bob Costello left the agency for the private sector earlier this year. The cyber agency was approved by Department of Homeland Security leadership to make more than 300 mission-critical hires this year. CISA had lost roughly 1,000 staff, representing a third of the agency’s workforce, since the start of the second Trump administration.
(CISA CIO job posting - USAJobs)