A new class-action lawsuit claims the Justice Department’s recent policy breaks the Rehabilitation Act.
Michele Sandiford
- Workers with disabilities at federal agencies are taking the Justice Department to court over rejected telework requests. The class-action suit argues the DOJ’s updated policy breaks the Rehabilitation Act. Two DOJ staff members who filed the case had long-standing telework approvals linked to their disabilities. Following new mandatory office attendance rules, those approvals were revoked.
- The Defense Department has introduced a new employment program designed to link service members, military spouses, and federal workers with positions in the defense industry. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth noted that current training and career-building efforts often work in isolation. Called Project Patriot Pipeline, this effort will coordinate programs to focus on key national security areas like the Golden Dome initiative and ship construction. As part of this plan, the under secretary for personnel and readiness will create a new site to help connect individuals with job and training options, plus design a strategy to encourage workers to gain expertise in fields the department urgently needs. Military branches must also approve requests from those finishing their last 180 days of service who want to join SkillBridge programs in the defense sector.
- An ex-Air Force cyber operations leader has been named as the branch’s new chief information officer. Ashley Devoto replaces Venice Goodwine, who retired in May 2025. Devoto served five years on active duty and another 12 in Air Force Reserve cyber operations. She held roles such as chief information security officer at Booz Allen Hamilton and most recently served over two years as CISO at Discount Tire. According to an Air Force LinkedIn post, Devoto has guided large organizations through risk management, innovation, and mission success throughout her career.
- Soon, agencies will receive official guidance on protecting AI systems. CISA plans to release at least one mandatory directive as early as today, instructing agencies to safeguard large language models. Nick Andersen, CISA’s acting director, stated the agency is already complying with President Donald Trump’s recent AI executive order. “We’ll be launching specific AI platform access tools for federal partners before the week ends,” he said. “We’ll also issue binding directives focused on fixing and managing vulnerabilities going forward.”
- The nation’s biggest federal workers’ union is urging Congress to add a provision to the 2027 defense spending bill that would bring back collective bargaining rights for civilian Defense Department staff. The American Federation of Government Employees says the 2027 NDAA gives lawmakers another chance to show support for DoD employee protections. This push follows Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth canceling nearly all union bargaining agreements across the department. Although the House’s version of the 2026 NDAA included measures to reinstate those rights, those clauses were dropped before the final version passed.
- The House Appropriations Committee has set aside $189 billion for the Education, Health and Human Services, and Labor departments in its proposed 2027 budget. The bill, made public yesterday, proposes shutting down two offices: the Agency for Health Research and Quality and the Office for Federal Contract Compliance Programs. Legislators say eliminating the latter matches President Donald Trump’s directive to end diversity, equity, and inclusion in government contracts. Overall discretionary funding across agencies drops by $5.6 billion—about 3%—compared to current levels. The bill prioritizes money for medical research, biodefense, and other health programs. It also boosts funding for the CDC and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response.
- Some USDA workers in the Washington, D.C. area must decide by month’s end whether they’ll relocate elsewhere in the country or quit their jobs. Employees at the Food Safety and Inspection Service face a June 30 deadline. Any moves or departures would happen by late September. It remains unclear if this same date applies to other USDA divisions. However, most relocations are expected to wrap up before summer ends.
- A fresh Government Accountability Office report suggests the Veteran Health Administration should improve how it calculates healthcare costs. The GAO found several weaknesses in the VHA’s budgeting process that could lead to inaccurate funding requests. Historically, VHA has underfunded programs meant to cover veterans’ medical care. Congress wants this addressed. To fix these issues, the GAO recommends VHA use the latest available data in its cost models and closely supervise the outside experts who build those methods. Doing so will help produce fuller, more accurate budget submissions, the report concluded. The VA did not respond to requests for comment.
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