Continuing Resolution Could Mean More IRS Cuts

A pending resolution backed by House Republicans calls for further cuts to IRS funding. The House CR would roll back another $20 billion the agency received under 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 overall revenue by nearly $66 billion over the next decade. The CR is currently stalled in the House and may not have enough votes to pass.
The looming feeling of a potential government shutdown may be familiar to federal workers — but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worried. Counting down the days until a government shutdown almost every year is unnecessary and chaotic for federal workers, the National Treasury Employees Union says. With a deadline approaching for Congress to reach a temporary spending deal, NTEU says fears are growing about a renewed decline in services and missed paychecks. But the union called the House GOP proposal for a six-month continuing resolution “unacceptable.” NTEU argues that, for the IRS in particular, a continuing resolution would reverse the agency’s recent progress on its modernization efforts.
The National Guard Bureau is getting closer to filling a leadership gap as the Senate holds a nomination hearing for Air Force Lt. Gen. Steven Nordhaus to be the next chief of the Guard. If confirmed, Nordhaus would take over from retired Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, who left the service last month. Lt. Gen. Jonathan M. Stubbs has been acting chief since Hokanson retired. Nordhaus, who currently serves as commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command, could take over leadership of the Guard at a time when its expanding responsibilities are stretching its resources. Navy Vice Adm. Alvin Holsey, who has been tapped to command U.S. Southern Command, testified alongside Nordhaus.
After more than three years of preparation, the Department of Homeland Security has made its first awards under its First Source III contract. On Tuesday, DHS selected 30 small businesses from a pool of value-added IT resellers for spots on the $10 billion, multi-award IT hardware and software contract. The agency has been working on the FirstSource III contract since April 2021. DHS says it will make a second set of awards under the software pool early in fiscal 2025.
The State Department plans to pilot a cyber data automation project by the end of the year. The department’s Office of Diplomatic Security aims to develop a minimum viable product by December for Defense Cyber Operations, a program that aims to automatically process incoming cyber data for analysts. Bureau officials say the AI and automation tools will complement work that employees already do, not replace it. However, it plans to retrain and upskill its workforce, focusing on developing data skills. The State Department is also taking steps to defend against AI-based cyber threats.
HR professionals are getting help after the Biden administration set new expectations for streamlining the federal hiring process. An upcoming free webinar series hosted by the Office of Personnel Management will be open to federal hiring managers and HR professionals. The webinars will cover key steps in the hiring process, such as conducting assessments and using OPM’s agency talent portal. OPM announced the HR training series after releasing new guidance on the hiring experience last month.
The State Department wants to see a lot more self-assessments from suppliers. Self-assessments have been a great tool in assessing contractor performance for the government, but suppliers rarely submit their self-assessments. Michael Derrios, senior director of procurement at the State Department, says the agency wants suppliers to use the tool much more often. Derrios also says that ongoing communication from the beginning of the contract will help suppliers avoid surprises when the CPARS assessments are finalized.
Zion National Park is the first national park to transition to all-electric vehicles. The National Park Service says the trial of battery-powered buses is the culmination of years of collaboration with federal, state, local and nonprofit organizations. The NPS also received a $33 million grant from the Department of Transportation. Along with Zion, the NPS is transitioning to all-electric vehicles in large bus fleets at other parks, including Grand Canyon, Acadia, Yosemite, Bryce Canyon and Harpers Ferry, over the next few years.