Common Questions—and Answers—About A Government Shutdown
I. What Is a Government Shutdown? MORE
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His wife was dying, his federal job crumbling. It tested his faith — in God and Trump.
One federal worker was rejected three times from the administration’s early resignation offer. Would he blame the president he voted for? PAHRUMP, Nev. — When the government’s resignation offer arrived, Edward Brandon Beckham had no way of knowing. He was on leave caring for Mikel, his wife of 21 years, who was dying of colon … [Read more…]
Boycott T-Mobile—and All Trump Collaborators
We’ve set a goal of 10,000 T-Mobile customers canceling their contracts between November 14-16. In the process, we hope to build on the energy of the Target, Tesla, and Disney boycotts and make it clear not just to T-Mobile but all of corporate America: There are costs to siding with this authoritarian government. MORE
Russ Vought Is Trump’s Shutdown Hero. His Neighbors Think His Work Is “Abhorrent.”
On Thursday night, President Donald Trump shared a music video on Truth Social. In it, an AI-generated Russ Vought—Trump’s director of the Office of Management and Budget and a Project 2025 mastermind—is the grim reaper, carrying a scythe along a hallway lined with portraits of Democratic leaders. Vought, the video’s soundtrack explains, “wields the pen, … [Read more…]
More than 1,000 people laid off at US State Department
More than 1,000 employees of the US State Department have been laid off as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce its federal workforce. The involuntary staff reductions included 1,107 civil service and 246 foreign service employees, according to a notice sent to State Department employees on Friday and obtained by CBS News, the … [Read more…]
Black women’s unemployment is rising. Economists say it’s a warning sign.
Unemployment rates over the past year have remained largely steady for every group of workers but one: Black women, whose unemployment rates have been rising. For the past three months that increase has been even more pronounced, with Black women’s unemployment rate hovering at 6 percent — twice the rate of White workers — according … [Read more…]
Transition of Management of Active USAID Awards to the Department of State
EMAIL FROM USAID… June 27, 2025 Dear USAID Partners, We are writing to inform you that, effective July 1, 2025, management of all active USAID awards will transition to the Department of State for continued oversight. As a part of this transition: We are committed to ensuring an orderly transition to our colleagues at the … [Read more…]
State Department prepares to cut 2,000 employees as soon as Friday, sources say
The U.S. Department of State is preparing to cut its workforce by 2,000 employees as soon as Friday, three sources familiar with the planning told NBC News. The downsizing would include hundreds of foreign service officers, four sources confirmed. The State Department submitted a plan to Congress for a large-scale overhaul of the diplomatic agency … [Read more…]
Samantha Power, the former USAID administrator who laid the groundwork for the agency’s dismantling, is returning to Harvard with a joint faculty appointment at the Kennedy School and the Law School
May 16, 2025 Cambridge, Mass.—On June 1, Samantha Power will return to Harvard Kennedy School as the Anna Lindh Professor of the Practice of Global Leadership and Public Policy and to Harvard Law School as the William D. Zabel ’61 Professor of Practice in Human Rights. Power, who recently served in the Biden administration as … [Read more…]
State Department refugee office to assume USAID’s disaster aid role, says cable
WASHINGTON, May 21 (Reuters) – The State Department office that handles refugee issues and works to cut illegal migration will lead the U.S. response to overseas disasters, according to excerpts from an internal department cable, a role for which experts say it lacks the knowhow and personnel. The Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, known … [Read more…]