Federal workforce

House Democrats are competing for the top position on the House Education and Workforce Committee, aiming to lead the panel and shape its agenda on education and labor policy. The contest, reported by Inside Higher Ed, has drawn attention from higher education watchers because committee leadership determines priorities on issues like student aid and college accountability.

President Trump's sweeping overhaul of the federal workforce now heads into a reshaped Congress following Democratic victories in recent elections. The results shift the balance of power on Capitol Hill, potentially complicating administration efforts to restructure, downsize, and exert greater political control over civil service agencies. Observers are watching whether Democratic lawmakers will use their strengthened position to scrutinize or block further workforce changes through oversight and funding levers.

The union representing IRS employees has joined a legal challenge against the Trump administration's 'Anti-Weaponization Fund'. The lawsuit targets the fund, which critics say could be used to weaponize the tax agency against political opponents. The union's involvement adds the weight of IRS workers themselves to objections over how the money is being used and how it may affect the agency's workforce.

Democrats on the House Education and Workforce Committee are competing over who should take the lead role in oversight of the Trump administration's education policies. The contest centers on which member will head the committee's minority-side scrutiny of federal education policy, and internal maneuvering for the position is underway.

The Office of Personnel Management has formally ended the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, the long-running government-wide poll of federal workers' attitudes, replacing it with surveys developed by individual agencies. Federal workforce observers are discussing what the change means for measuring morale and holding agencies accountable, since the shared data allowed comparisons across departments. Critics and supporters are weighing in on whether agency-run surveys will be as transparent or comparable.

The small Minnesota city of Pelican Rapids is preparing to welcome a new mayor, with immigration enforcement and housing pressures emerging as the key issues shaping the community's future. Residents and local leaders are weighing how federal enforcement activity and a tight housing market will affect the town, which is home to a diverse immigrant workforce tied to its food-processing economy.

The US Department of Agriculture has awarded $300,000 to expand veterinary student training in regulatory medicine. The funding aims to prepare more students for careers overseeing animal health regulations, food safety and disease control, an area where the profession faces persistent workforce shortages. The grant was reported by Bovine Veterinarian, a trade publication serving cattle veterinary practitioners.

A congressional research publication outlines oversight options available to Congress regarding federal civil service categories, covering how the workforce is classified and how lawmakers can examine or reshape those classifications. The item is drawing attention amid ongoing debate over the size, structure and political control of the federal workforce.

Federal officials have announced a $70 million rare earth education initiative based at Phoenix Tailings in Exeter. The program aims to build workforce training and educational capacity around rare earth processing, a sector seen as strategically important for domestic supply chains. The announcement highlights growing federal investment in critical minerals and the companies that process them.