Latest news with #FederalWorkers
France 24
06-08-2025
- Business
- France 24
US government gets a year of ChatGPT Enterprise for $1
Federal workers in the executive branch will have access to ChatGPT Enterprise in a partnership with the US General Services Administration, according to the pioneering San Francisco-based artificial intelligence (AI) company. "By giving government employees access to powerful, secure AI tools, we can help them solve problems for more people, faster," OpenAI said in a blog post announcing the alliance. ChatGPT Enterprise does not use business data to train or improve OpenAI models and the same rule will apply to federal use, according to the company. Earlier this year, OpenAI announced an initiative focused on bringing advanced AI tools to US government workers. The news came with word that the US Department of Defense awarded OpenAI a $200 million contract to put generative AI to work for the military. OpenAI planned to show how cutting-edge AI can improve administrative operations, such as how service members get health care, and also has cyber defense applications, the startup said in a post. OpenAI has also launched an initiative to help countries build their own AI infrastructure, with the US government a partner in projects. The tech firm's move to put its technology at the heart of national AI platforms around the world comes as it faces competition from Chinese rival DeepSeek. DeepSeek's success in delivering powerful AI models at a lower cost has rattled Silicon Valley and multiplied calls for US big tech to protect its dominance of the emerging technology. The OpenAI for Countries initiative was launched in June under the auspices of a drive -- dubbed "Stargate" -- announced by US President Donald Trump to invest up to $500 billion in AI infrastructure in the United States. OpenAI, in "coordination" with the US government, will help countries build data centers and provide customized versions of ChatGPT, according to the tech firm.
Washington Post
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Thursday briefing: Trump's tariff threat against Brazil; federal firings; L.A. tunnel collapse; Linda Yaccarino; and more
President Donald Trump announced a 50% tariff to punish Brazil. Federal workers fear Trump will fire them following a Supreme Court ruling. Trump and other top Republicans are shifting course on Ukraine. Dozens of workers were rescued after a tunnel collapsed in Los Angeles. The 'unfathomable' search for those missing in the Texas floods is continuing.
WIRED
30-05-2025
- Business
- WIRED
DOGE Is Busier Than Ever—and Trump Says Elon Musk Is 'Really Not Leaving'
Makena Kelly Leah Feiger Zoë Schiffer May 30, 2025 3:01 PM Federal workers from six agencies tell WIRED that DOGE-style work is escalating in their departments as both new and familiar DOGE faces have appeared in meetings and at new offices. Elon Musk delivers remarks as he joins U.S. President Donald Trump for an executive order signing in the Oval Office at the White House on February 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. Photograph:Elon Musk will not be fully exiting the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—and its activities are only intensifying. On Friday, President Donald Trump threw cold water on the idea that Musk would fully disappear from DOGE and the White House forever. "Elon's really not leaving,' Trump said in a joint press conference with Musk in the Oval Office. 'He's gonna be back and forth. It's his baby, he's going to be doing a lot of things." 'I expect to continue to provide advice," Musk, wearing a black hat with DOGE written on it and a black shirt reading 'DOGEFATHER,' said during Friday's press conference, while noting that his legal limit for service as a special government employee was coming to an end. "I expect to remain a friend and an advisor.' Federal workers from at least six agencies tell WIRED that DOGE-style work is escalating in their departments. Both new and familiar DOGE faces have also been recently detailed to new agencies, according to sources. Members of Musk's early DOGE team, including Luke Farritor, Gavin Kliger, Edward Coristine, and Sam Corcos, have met with a number of departments and agencies—including the Treasury, the Office of Management and Budget, and the FBI—in recent days, seemingly continuing business as usual, WIRED has learned. The team also appears to be actively recruiting, according to documents viewed by WIRED. Over the last week, federal workers have also been asked to urgently review and potentially cancel contracts across the government. Trump appeared to confirm that contracts were under review at Friday's press conference: "Many contracts, Elon, right now are being looked at,' he said. Some agencies have also received visits from DOGE at their headquarters, WIRED has learned. 'This doesn't sound like a group that is going away, it sounds like one that's digging in like a parasite,' an IT specialist at the Department of Agriculture (USDA) tells WIRED. Since DOGE first began its work in Washington in late January, its representatives have been eager to cut what they see as superfluous spending in government. In recent weeks, the pressure to slash and cancel contracts, specifically focused on workforce management and IT, has drastically increased, multiple sources at a variety of agencies tell WIRED. 'Biggest thing is we are being asked to cut as many contracts for software and labor as possible,' one tech worker at the Department of the Interior (DOI) tells WIRED, saying that the stated goal, as they understand it, has been 'to save money and efficiency in consolidated IT.' 'We are cutting developers, telecom, server admins, call center staff etc.,' the DOI source says. 'Some things were bloated and could use the cut. Others are going to suffer, and our service to the public is going to be degraded.' Employees at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and all the agencies under its umbrella, were told that contracts would have to go through a new approval process called the Departmental Efficiency Review (DER). Any requisitioning or contract approval is paused until after workers submit a form to start the DER and the deputy secretary's office reviews the funding, according to an email about the process obtained by WIRED. The email also states that the review will flag any contracts that appear to be expensive and excessive. Urgent contract oversight is also occurring at the Department of Labor (DOL). 'There is a LOT of pressure to end these contracts as soon as possible, within the next few days,' a source at the DOL told WIRED on Thursday. At other agencies, like the USDA and the Treasury, some tech workers were recently notified that they may be asked to interview with someone at DOGE for an unspecified reason. 'Just last week we were warned of possible contact from DOGE for interviews,' the USDA IT source says, adding that no one told workers what the interviews would be about. At Treasury, employees were told those who perform 'some of the more technical functions' would be pulled into these interviews. Tech contractors at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), one of the first agencies DOGE burrowed into, were suddenly let go after returning from the long Memorial Day weekend. Their termination letters credited DOGE with their dismissal. 'The United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM), under the direction of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has modified the IT services contract with RMCI [an IT contractor] that you support,' the termination letters say. 'As a result, it is with regret that your work on the OPM contract will end.' During Friday's press conference, Trump gifted Musk what appeared to be a golden key in a box that had a picture of the White House, thanking him for his last few months of government work. 'DOGE is integral to the federal government's operations, and its mission, as established by the President's executive order, will continue under the direction of agency and department heads in the Trump administration,' White House spokesperson Harrison Fields tells WIRED. 'DOGE has delivered remarkable results at an unprecedented pace, and its work is far from complete.' United States DOGE Service administrator Amy Gleason did not respond to multiple requests for comment. 'Elon may be stepping away, but DOGE's mission remains stronger than ever. Exposing reckless, wasteful government spending isn't about one individual—it's about a lasting overhaul of Crazy Town,' congressman Aaron Bean, chair of the House DOGE caucus, tells WIRED about the group's continued work. 'From reducing fraudulent payments by reforming the Treasury payment system to modernizing federal processes, like the OPM retirement system, the House DOGE Caucus is working to codify targeted spending cuts to rein in government overreach and deliver real accountability to the American people. We are also working closely with the White House to ensure recession packages reflect DOGE's critical findings—turning transparency into action. Rest assured, the House DOGE Caucus is here for the long haul, and our work is just getting started.' Matt Giles and Vittoria Elliott contributed reporting.
Washington Post
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Tracking Trump: House Republicans hear from the president; Golden Dome; Rubio faces the Senate; Kennedy Center fight; and more
Trump visited Capitol Hill to push Republicans to embrace his budget bill. The Golden Dome missile defense project is moving forward, Trump announced. Marco Rubio was grilled in the Senate about Trump's foreign policy. Trump wants to use foreign aid funds to return migrants to conflict areas. Federal workers are opening up about the trauma of Trump's cuts.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Protestors speak out on multiple issues
princeton — Around 40 people gathered Friday outside the Mercer County Courthouse and protested the actions of President Donald Trump's administration on issues ranging from Social Security and veterans' benefits, Medicare, Medicaid and the war in Ukraine. Protestors holding signs such as 'Stop the Madness We Are All Human' and 'Protect Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, Vet Services, Federal Workers, Dept. of Education, Foreign Allies, National Parks' along with Ukrainian flags waved as motorists passed them. The participants stood off the new sidewalk around the courthouse as contractors worked to complete it. 'We're part of a group called Mercer Equality. We're new on Facebook,' said John Baldwin of Princeton, one of the protest's organizers and a Democrat. 'And we just started the group up and we're concerned about what's going on in today's environment, and we decide to set up and let our voices be heard and try to push back some on what's coming our way.' Mary Griffith of Princeton spoke about her reasons for participating in the protest. 'I worked in public service all my life, retired judge, former attorney, worked representing women and children who are struggling under the current administration who's making unnecessary and deeply damaging cuts for our social safety net. They're only interested in corruption and making sure their rich friends get richer while the rest of us struggle,' Griffith said. 'I'm here to let the administration know that the corruption must stop,' she said. 'For instance, they cut funding for the Centers for Disease Control, they cut funding for the Weather Service, they cut funding for the Park Service, the kinds off jobs the government protects and instead they gave our tax dollars to Elon Musk's companies. That's corruption.' Griffith said that while she wasn't born in Mercer County, she has lived there for the past 55 years. 'I served this county for 30 years and what I hope is that good people take a long, hard look at what's really happening in Washington,' she said. 'My neighbor and friends, who in the past have supported our president, need to look at what he's doing and how it's gonna hurt them.' Polla Rumberg of Mercer County also said she was concerned about cutbacks in services. 'My protest is more to champion the cause of freedom and restore services that are being ravaged,' she said. 'I worked for 44 years in the fields of public service and education, in psychiatric hospitalization, and clinical work, very proactive in providing services to the elderly, and I am devastated all of that good work is going to waste.' 'The thing I think that bothers me the most is our schools don't belong to the whole child anymore' Rumberg said. 'We are not touching their souls, we're not teaching them about inclusions, we're not teaching them about working with our fellow men, we're not teaching them to serve and be a vital member of our community. We're so disappointed at what we're seeing.' Another protestor was worried about possible cuts in social services. 'Why are we out here? Because they're cutting all this stuff out of the budget,' said George McInturff, a Democrat, of Pipestem. 'We've got to stand up for what's ours. Social Security is our money. They can't take it away and all they're trying to do is cut $2 trillion from the budget just so they can give big tax breaks to the rich people, at least that's what it sure looks like.' Down the line of protestors, Reni Fulton, a Monroe County resident and a Democrat, was holding up a 'Support Ukraine' sign. 'I'm out here today to support democracy,' she said. 'We fail Ukraine, we fail democracy. They are the bulwark for Europe against Russia and they're standing up for all of us as far as I'm concerned. They are our bulwark against the aggression of Russia and Putin and the irony is that is so intense for all of us here. I think that's why am out here. I am 78 years old, my father fought in the Second World War and he would be spinning in his grave right now if he saw what was going on in this country.' April Cassidy of Princeton, who was attending the protest with her husband, Bill said they are both Democrats, and they were there 'to stand up for democracy, to stand up for our country.' 'We feel it's under tremendous threat at this time,' she said. 'I'm very glad to see that the courts have restored thousands of federal employees that were wrongfully fired.' Bill Cassidy was carrying a Ukrainian flag. 'I think it's important for us to stay with our allies,' he said. 'The Ukrainians didn't do anything wrong. They hadn't done anything wrong.' Doris Irwin of Oakvale, who said she is a Democrat but 'independently minded,' said she saw the protest as an opportunity to speak about an issue that concerns her. 'And that is the rise of corporate welfare,' she said. 'I feel like in my lifetime in this country we've gone from supporting people to having corporate welfare for the very rich. At the same time, we have vulture capitalism for the rest of us. Okay? and I really object that my Social Security may be endangered because they plan a bunch of tax cuts for corporate millionaires. And the problem is this money is corrupting our entire system.' Corporations which are not people are not not being held accountable for their actions, Irwin said. 'I think if they're going to be people, then we need to hold them accountable,' she said. Irwin also said she did not want to see Social Security benefits cut. 'I want it to be there for my children and grandchildren. It's a great system,' she said. 'If we were to tax the wealthy at the same rate as we're being taxed and everybody paid into it – but the very wealthy they get cut off and they don't get taxed at the same rate – but if they did, Social Security would be secure for us for 75 years.' Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
