


Watchdog agency’s closure could lead to more military financial scams
The White House moved to close the Consumer Financial Protection Board, which fielded 100,000 consumer complaints every month from veterans and troops.

Oversight
LGBTQ Pride flags banned at VA facilities under new policy
Only the American flag and other state and military-related banners will be allowed to be displayed under the new department policy.

VA secretary tapped to temporarily lead 2 federal oversight offices
VA Secretary Doug Collins will lead the Office of Government Ethics and the Office of Special Counsel until new directors are named.

VA leaders working with DOGE but say veterans’ personal info is secure
An employee from the controversial new department will review VA contracts and IT system operations, VA officials confirmed.

VA will end remote work status for thousands of staffers this month
The move to end telework at VA follows instructions from the White House to return most federal employees to their pre-pandemic duty stations.

VA places 60 staff on leave after shutting down DEI offices
The moves come after a White House executive order mandating an end to federal equity and inclusion efforts.

More than 300k VA health jobs exempted from White House hiring freeze
About two-thirds of Veterans Affairs jobs will be excluded from a White House order blocking new hiring.

As Congress returns to DC, so does the threat of a federal shutdown
Defense and veterans hearings on Capitol Hill for the week of Sept. 9, 2024.

Federal watchdog investigates Secret Service handling at Trump rally
President Joe Biden already had directed an independent review of the security at the rally.

Opinion
Overuse of National Guard threatens to undermine preparedness
Nontraditional missions run the risk of diverting resources that could be dedicated to training and preparedness, the authors say.

Government power in US is a swirl of checks and balances
Article II of the Constitution said executive power would be vested in the president but didn't specify what those powers specifically were.

Bollinger ready to vie for US, Canada, Finland icebreaker contracts
The company will build Polar Security Cutters for the U.S. as it signs an icebreaker pact with Canada and Finland.

Election officials seek changes to federal rule on cyberattack reports
The proposed rule says state and local election offices must report suspected breaches within 72 hours.

Veterans group hits goal of recruiting 100,000 election workers
When voters head to the polls to cast ballots this November, at least one out of every 10 election workers will be a veteran or a veteran's family member.

As more NATO countries meet spending targets, some push to raise goals
Over 2/3 of NATO allies now meet the minimum defense spending requirement but some are pushing to raise the target amid uncertainty over Russia and Trump.

Quieting Discord: A new frontier in military leaks and extremism
From secret Pentagon leaks to radicalization in the military community, Discord is continuing to grapple with keeping bad actors off the popular platform.

Legionella found during water test at Social Security Administration
Legionella is a naturally occuring bacteria that is found in both freshwater and in plumbing.
