Federal retirement claims down, as backlog hit lows for 2026

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<ul><li style="margin-top:20px;">The fewest number of federal employees submitted their retirement papers in August as compared to the rest of 2026. The Office of Personnel Managements says it received only 7,618 retirement claims last month. This is down from more than 10,000 claims OPM received in July. Additionally, OPM's backlog of retirement claims is at the lowest of the year at just over 15,400. The average number of days to process a claim for August also dropped considerably: to 70 days for a digital claim, down from 98 days the month before, and to 79 days for all claims, down from 109 days in July. 
<div style="display:block; font-style: italic;">(<a href="https://www.opm.gov/retirement-center/retirement-statistics/retirement-processing-status.pdf">Federal retirement claims down, as the backlog hit lows for 2026</a> - OPM)</div></li><p></p><li style="margin-top:20px;">For the second time in a matter of weeks, the Justice Department won a major settlement from a federal contractor over allegations of violating the False Claims Act for failing to comply with anti-discrimination rules. Accenture will pay $25 million to resolve allegations that it discriminated against an employee or applicant for employment because of race or sex. Accenture's settlement follows a similar one from Deloitte in late August. Deloitte agreed to pay $21.5 million to resolve comparable allegations.
<div style="display:block; font-style: italic;">(<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/accenture-agrees-pay-25m-resolve-alleged-employment-discrimination-violations">Accenture to pay $25M to settle False Claims Act hiring allegations</a> - Justice Department)</div></li><p></p><li style="margin-top:20px;">A federal court has ruled that a plan for major staff reductions at the Federal Emergency Management Agency was unlawful. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston found that a plan to cut FEMA’s workforce by up to 50% violated the law. In a late Friday ruling, Illston sided with arguments advanced by labor groups that had sued FEMA over the planned cuts. While FEMA did lay off some staff, the agency ultimately backed away from the steep cuts envisioned in the plan. The court ruling found Department of Homeland Security officials pushed for the FEMA cuts even though the agency’s own supervisors objected. Illston found that violated post-Hurricane Katrina reforms that prohibit DHS from making substantial changes at FEMA.<div style="display:block; font-style: italic;">(<a href="https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2026/09/federal-judge-rules-trump-dhs-plan-for-50-fema-staffing-cuts-was-unlawful/">Federal judge rules Trump DHS plan for 50% FEMA staffing cuts was unlawful</a> - Associated Press)</div></li><p></p><li style="margin-top:20px;">The number of veterans using Department of Veterans Affairs services has skyrocketed in 2026. The agency says more than 250,000 new veterans have enrolled in VA healthcare so far in 2026. It credits several reasons for this increase, including opening 41 new health care clinics since January 2025 and reducing by 70% the backlog of veterans waiting for benefits. Additionally, VA says another reason for this influx of veterans is the reduced average time for processing disability claims, which decreased by 46% since January 2025. Along with opening new facilities, VA also has spent nearly $5 billion this year to modernize, repair and improve health care facilities, which it says is the largest nonrecurring maintenance investment in the department's history. <div style="display:block; font-style: italic;">(<a href="https://news.va.gov/press-room/more-than-250000-new-veterans-enrolled-in-va-healthcare-so-far-in-2026/">VA sees surge in new veterans enrolling in health care services</a> - Federal News Network)</div></li><p></p>

<li style="margin-top:20px;">The Defense Department reinstated more than 500 service members discharged for refusing the COVID vaccine and issued more than $21 million in backpay, according to officials. Anthony Tata, the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said the department will “continue to reach back out to every veteran whose career was cut short.” Last year, DoD launched a media campaign, sent letters of apology and issued a series of policies to reinstate service members who were booted from the military for refusing the COVID vaccine. Approximately 8,700 service members were forced out of the military for refusing the vaccine in 2021.<div style="display:block; font-style: italic;">(<a href="https://x.com/USW_PR_HONTata/status/2099535391120396478">DoD reinstates over 500 unvaccinated service members, pays over $21 million in backpay</a> - X (formerly Twitter))</div></li><p></p><li style="margin-top:20px;">Republican Sen. Deb Fischer said there is “a lot of work that has to be done” to build broad support in Congress for the Trump administration’s ambitious Golden Dome missile defense system. Fischer said lawmakers still do not have any meaningful information about the system more than a year after President Donald Trump announced the initiative. “There's not a clear understanding of this layered defense that we're looking at when it comes to defending our homeland,” Fischer said. Her comments come after a group of lawmakers sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in June calling on DoD to share its plans for the system before the department “spends one more taxpayer dollar” on the Golden Dome initiative.<div style="display:block; font-style: italic;">(<a href="https://federalnewsnetwork.com/defense-news/2026/09/golden-dome-needs-congressional-buy-in-but-lawmakers-are-still-in-the-dark-about-what-it-would-entail/">Golden Dome needs congressional buy-in, but lawmakers are still in the dark about what it would entail </a> - Federal News Network)</div></li><p></p><li style="margin-top:20px;">The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency says AI can be used to pull off insider threat attacks. In updated insider threat guidance, CISA says organizations should consider how both trusted insiders and external actors could misuse an internal AI system to compromise security. Risks include data poisoning, AI model tampering and social engineering. CISA is urging organizations to train employees on AI usage, secure their existing AI tools and classify sensitive data. <div style="display:block; font-style: italic;">(<a href="https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/2026-09/cisa-insider-threat-mitigation-guide-2026.pdf">CISA insider threat mitigation guide</a> - CISA)</div></li><p></p></ul>
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Mullin defends FEMA staffing cuts after court ruling

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<p>Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended plans for a leaner workforce at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and criticized a federal judge’s ruling that a now-abandoned plan to cut FEMA’s workforce in half was advanced unlawfully.</p>
<p>In remarks to reporters at a FEMA roundtable in Omaha, Neb., on Monday, Mullin argued that “it’s not always personnel that you need.” He said the Trump administration’s goal is “more efficiency,” including using technology at the emergency management agency.</p>
<p>“Throwing people at a problem that aren’t passionate about or not being an added value to it doesn’t help,” Mullin said. “For some reason, we’re constantly getting — not just with FEMA, but all across the federal agencies — they’re saying, you can’t let people go. You got to keep them there. When we know, being in the private industry like myself, usually in a large corporation, 20% of the people do the majority of the work, 80% of the people do their job.”</p>
<p>Mullin’s remarks come on the heels of U.S. District Judge Susan Illston’s ruling that DHS officials under former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem unlawfully moved forward with plans to cut FEMA’s workforce by 50% late last year.</p>

<p>“When you’re in a disaster, you need 100% of people doing the majority of the work every single day,” Mullin said. “So when some federal judge tries to come in and tells us how many people we have to have on staff, yet they’re not in the building, they’re not running the agency, it’s laughable. Stay in your lane, deal with law, prosecute criminals, send them to prison, and rule from the bench.”</p>
<p>Illston found that DHS officials violated rules under the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006. The law protects FEMA from political decisions made at DHS headquarters. Illston found the evidence showed DHS officials overrode objections by FEMA supervisors to advance the plan for a 50% cut.</p>
<p>The lawsuit, <a href="https://federalnewsnetwork.com/litigation/2026/01/unions-nonprofits-challenge-fema-staffing-cuts-in-court/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">brought forward by union groups,</a> sought to block FEMA from issuing blanket non-renewals to Cadre of On-Call Response and Recovery, or CORE, employees. CORE staff make up about 40% of FEMA’s staff and typically work for terms lasting between two and four years.</p>
<p>The lawsuit argued the wave of CORE non-renewals late last year and early this year were the start of DHS and FEMA’s plan to implement the steep workforce cuts.</p>
<p>But FEMA quickly began renewing most CORE staff again following a major winter storm and did not ultimately move forward with the 50% cut. However, court declarations show that FEMA officials <a href="https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce-rightsgovernance/2026/06/dhs-continues-to-make-workforce-decisions-for-fema-lawsuit-contends/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">still require approval from DHS headquarters</a> to renew CORE terms for up to six months.</p>
<p>“The undisputed evidence shows that defendants violated the Post-Katrina Act when DHS revoked FEMA’s authority to renew COREs (and then granted it back, but only for a limited time and for term lengths that DHS prescribed) and ordered that FEMA submit a staffing plan to DHS with a 50% FEMA staffing cut,” Illston wrote.</p>
<p>The ruling doesn’t restore broader staffing levels at FEMA, which saw thousands of employees depart under the Trump administration’s voluntary resignation programs.</p>

<p>In an August report, the Government Accountability Office found FEMA <a href="https://federalnewsnetwork.com/agency-oversight/2026/08/gao-fema-staffing-cuts-lacked-strategy-hit-regional-staff-hardest/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">was down roughly 4,500 employees from the start of the Trump administration.</a></p>
<p>GAO found FEMA and DHS allowed the workforce reductions to take place without assessing its current and future workforce needs. The staff reductions and lack of planning “may impact mission readiness,” the report states.</p>
<h2>Hamilton highlights tech investments</h2>
<p>Meanwhile, Cameron Hamilton, the recently confirmed administrator of FEMA, highlighted how the agency is making technology investments that “will rapidly reduce the timeframes that we have to process claims that we have to some of the levers and tools.”</p>
<p>Speaking alongside Mullin in Omaha, Hamilton said FEMA is looking to “overhaul” its “entire IT footprint” to improve customer service and deal with requests “significantly faster.”</p>
<p>“You’re going to find that we can process things faster, and we’re ultimately able to push out at a faster pace with far less bureaucracy,” Hamilton said.</p>
<p>IT investments and customer service improvements are among the recommendations in the Trump-appointed FEMA Review Council’s final report.</p>
<p>The council had been planning to recommend FEMA also make steep staffing cuts when Noem was in charge of DHS, but the final report, issued in May after Mullin had been confirmed, <a href="https://federalnewsnetwork.com/agency-oversight/2026/05/fema-review-council-backs-off-on-staffing-cuts-in-final-report/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">only recommended that DHS and FEMA review its workforce requirements.</a></p>
<p>The council also recommended the Trump administration and Congress shift more responsibility to state and local governments to handle disaster response activities.</p>
<p>Mullin echoed that sentiment during his remarks in Omaha.</p>

<p>“You have other states that just sit there and wait until the federal government comes in,” Mullin said. “FEMA was never designed to be the first responder. It was there in your worst day to help the state, to help the local government recover, not take over and take charge of the situation. It’s always going to be better from that point. So when we’re doing this, we want to make sure we get it right.”</p>
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Supreme Court keeps USPS from carrying out mail-in voting changes in midterm elections

Federal judge rules Trump DHS plan for 50% FEMA staffing cuts was unlawful

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<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that a plan by the Trump administration <a href="https://apnews.com/article/fema-lawsuit-staff-cuts-core-af93f62bdac566d6748f3141034942c5">to slash staffing</a> at the federal agency tasked with responding to disasters by 50% was unlawful.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.448664/gov.uscourts.cand.448664.491.0.pdf">The opinion issued</a> late Friday marked a victory for labor groups who had sued the agency. The labor organization had argued that plans by the Department of Homeland Security, which was then led by Secretary Kristi Noem, violated congressional protections that were designed to safeguard the independence of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.</p>
<p>The issue of the FEMA staffing was part of a much larger lawsuit filed by the American Federation of Government Employees and other labor groups, pushing back on efforts by the Trump administration to slash the federal workforce.</p>
<p>U.S. District Judge Susan Illston wrote in her opinion that top Homeland Security officials late last year directed FEMA’s leadership to submit a staffing plan that included a 50% staffing cut even though the agency’s own supervisors objected.</p>

<p>“Frankly, the FEMA staffing plan number appears as if pulled from thin air,” wrote Illston.</p>
<p>FEMA responded in a statement late Saturday that while it does not comment on personnel matters and ongoing litigation, “DHS and FEMA are ready for the 2026 hurricane season.”</p>
<p>“We’re ensuring workforce stability and a strong, deployable force for upcoming national events and potential disasters; making the agency leaner, faster and laser-focused on supporting state, local, tribal and territorial partners before, during and after disasters,” it said. “FEMA continues to maintain a roster of experienced leadership and support staff across headquarters and regional offices.”</p>
<p>The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment.</p>
<p>In the opinion, Illston wrote that it was clear that the government violated rules established after 2005’s Hurricane Katrina that put decisions on staffing levels squarely in the hands of FEMA, not the Department of Homeland Security and that prevented DHS from “substantially” reducing the “functions” of FEMA.</p>
<p>Illston didn’t order a specific remedy to carry out her opinion but directed the two sides to meet and decide on a course of relief.</p>
<p>Although FEMA has experienced terminations, the 50% staffing cuts ultimately were not carried out. In recent months, after top leadership changes at FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security, the agency has rehired some staffers who were let go.</p>

<p>FEMA was one of the agencies targeted in the federal government for staff reductions as part of a broad Trump administration plan to reduce the size of government. The embattled agency has been buffeted by mass staff departures, disruptions of grant programs, and delays of disaster aid.</p>
<p>In May, a Trump-appointed FEMA Review Council <a href="https://apnews.com/article/fema-review-council-markwayne-mullin-disasters-22540cc138b3e55762c44306a3e97d8e">submitted a final report</a> recommending sweeping changes to how the agency supports states, tribes and territories in disaster.</p>
<p>The final version backed away from the recommendation to cut the FEMA workforce by 50%, which was included in a December 2025 draft reviewed by The Associated Press.</p>
<p>The council instead recommended the agency conduct a “strategic review” to determine “appropriate staffing levels.”</p>
<p>In an August report, the <a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-108427">Government Accountability Office</a> said it found the departures of thousands of staff in 2025 resulted in a “loss of institutional knowledge and experienced personnel” and “exacerbated longstanding workforce challenges.”</p>
<p>More than 4,300 employees, or about 17% of FEMA’s workforce, separated from the agency in the 2025 budget year, with over 1,500 through voluntary reductions. The agency also made about 2,900 new hires.</p>
<p>The GAO recently recommended to Congress that it “consider requiring” FEMA to base “significant workforce decisions” on a more strategic planning process.</p>
<p>Without it, the GAO found, “FEMA cannot be assured that the agency is positioned to effectively meet its mission needs.”</p>


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Hatch Act complaints against Trump officials continue to pile up as investigations go on for nearly a year

DHS secretary defends smaller FEMA workforce after judge challenges 50% staffing cut plans

CDC, after months of delays, gives employees 20 days to resubmit disability accommodation documentation

FEMA’s future looks clearer. Disaster aid is still uncertain

'Hidden tribunals': Immigration court due process in tumult with new locations

What happens to a mission deferred? When priorities change, but the people don’t

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<p>Federal employees are used to change. A new administration can bring new priorities; programs can be redesigned; and work can be paused, reshuffled or suddenly become someone else’s responsibility.</p>
<p>But there’s one thing that doesn’t necessarily change when the work does: the people who were hired to do it. That’s the central theme of this <a href="https://federalnewsnetwork.com/fed-thread-podcast/"><em>Fed Thread </em></a>episode featuring former FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and former FEMA Assistant Administrator John Rabin, both of whom spent years leading through some of the most disruptive periods in the agency’s history.</p>
<p>Their experience offers a useful lesson for any federal employee or leader navigating a workplace where the ground keeps moving.</p>
<h2><strong>Change is exhausting, even when it’s necessary</strong></h2>
<p>Criswell offered the advice to federal leaders not to underestimate what constant change costs the people you lead. In fact, she says it’s the guidance she would have given her younger self. Even when a change is necessary, she says, it’s still tiring.</p>
<p>At FEMA, disasters don’t wait for organizational priorities to settle down. Rabin underscored that “There’s always going to be more work. There’s going to be more work than people or time,” and employees were sometimes asked to adapt while they were still recovering from whatever had come before.</p>
<p>That’s why it’s of critical importance that leaders prioritize and create capacity where they can, making sure their people have enough downtime to recover and be ready for the next thing. Because at FEMA, as Rabin put it, “You can’t separate FEMA: the mission, from FEMA: the people.”</p>
<h2><strong>No one has all the answers</strong></h2>
<p>One of the more counterintuitive lessons from the conversation is that uncertainty doesn’t necessarily make leadership weaker. It’s a constant that, when acknowledged, can make a team stronger. Rabin refers to this as getting “very comfortable being uncomfortable.” He and his team often had to communicate what they knew, what they didn’t know and what they were still trying to figure out.</p>
<p>Criswell adds that the mark of a strong leader isn’t necessarily having better answers; it’s learning to ask better questions. That means creating enough psychological safety for the people closest to the work to say, “Wait. Have we thought about this?” They may see a consequence the person at the top simply can’t.</p>
<h2><strong>Beneath all the change, the mission is the bedrock</strong></h2>
<p>So what happens when you’re the federal employee whose job has changed? Criswell says to keep coming back to your North Star. At FEMA, that meant remembering the mission of helping people before, during and after disasters. While the priorities, the programs and the way you accomplish that mission may change, if you can still connect the work in front of you to the reason you joined public service in the first place, you may find a little more stability in the midst of all those shifts and uncertainty.</p>
<p>A key takeaway from the conversation is that while change may be inevitable—and exhausting—leaders don’t have to make their people absorb it alone. Sometimes the best thing a leader can do is be present with their people and slow down long enough to listen, acknowledge what their team has been through and remind them why their work still matters. Because the work may change, but the people are the constant. And they’re the ones who have to carry the mission forward.</p>
<p>If your agency or role is experiencing a difficult amount of change, listen to the full conversation with Deanne Criswell and John Rabin on <em>Fed Thread </em>for detailed insights.</p>
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AbilityOne Commission

Chairperson of the AbilityOne Commission

The Administration for Children and Families is an operating division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. It administers federal programs that promote the economic and social well-being of children, youth, families, and communities, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Head Start, child care, child support enforcement, foster care and adoption assistance, refugee resettlement, and services for Native Americans. It was established in 1991 through a reorganization of the Department.

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Alex J. Adams

The Administration for Community Living is an operating division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. It administers programs that help older adults and people with disabilities live independently and participate in their communities, coordinating aging and disability services authorized largely by the Older Americans Act. It was created in 2012 by consolidating the Administration on Aging with offices serving people with disabilities.

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Daniel Whitley

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Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration

Thomas J. Engels

Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the institutional head of National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate, under National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 (Public Law 85-568); directs the agency's staff, budget, and statutory functions.

Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Jared Isaacman

Awards and administers the office's grants and judges whether states comply with the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act's core protections. The Administrator is appointed by the President from among people with experience in juvenile justice programs.

Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Eileen M. Garry

Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the institutional head of Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate, under Norman Y. Mineta Research and Special Programs Improvement Act of 2004 (49 U.S.C. 108); directs the agency's staff, budget, and statutory functions.

Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

Paul J. Roberti

Directs the federal crop insurance program and also serves as Manager of the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation. Appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture; no Senate confirmation required.

Administrator of the Risk Management Agency

Patricia Swanson

Directs the agency's rural business loan, loan guarantee and grant programs under the Under Secretary for Rural Development. Appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture; no Senate confirmation required.

Administrator of the Rural Business-Cooperative Service

J.R. Claeys

Directs the agency's rural housing and community facilities loan, guarantee and grant programs under the Under Secretary for Rural Development. Appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture; no Senate confirmation required.

Administrator of the Rural Housing Service

George Kelly

Directs the agency's electric, telecommunications and water and waste lending programs. Appointed by the President; no Senate confirmation required.

Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service

Karl Elmshaeuser

Administrator of the Small Business Administration, the institutional head of Small Business Administration. Appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate, under Small Business Act of 1953 (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.); directs the agency's staff, budget, and statutory functions.

Administrator of the Small Business Administration

Kelly Loeffler

Runs the power marketing administration: negotiates its wholesale sales contracts, sets rates that repay the federal investment in the dams, and directs generation scheduling with the Corps. Appointed by the Secretary of Energy.

Administrator of the Southeastern Power Administration

Virgil G. Hobbs III

Runs the power marketing administration: negotiates its wholesale contracts, sets rates that repay the federal investment in the dams, and oversees its transmission system. Appointed by the Secretary of Energy.

Administrator of the Southwestern Power Administration

Mike Wech

Directs federal security screening at airports and security regulation across all transportation modes, and receives and distributes transportation security intelligence. Appointed by the President with Senate confirmation for a five-year term; the statute requires experience in transportation or security.

Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration

David P. Cummins

Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division, the institutional head of Wage and Hour Division. Appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate, under Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 204); directs the agency's staff, budget, and statutory functions.

Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division

Andrew Rogers

Runs WAPA's power marketing, rate setting and transmission operations, exercising on the Secretary's behalf the power marketing functions transferred from the Bureau of Reclamation. Appointed by the Secretary of Energy.

Administrator of the Western Area Power Administration

Tracey A. LeBeau

Funds high-risk energy research that industry will not finance on its own, awarding cost-shared projects to companies, universities and national laboratories and cutting them off when technical milestones are missed. Its targets are set by statute: energy imports, emissions, efficiency, nuclear waste, and the resilience of energy infrastructure.

Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy

Conner Prochaska

Runs the Section 106 process, under which a federal agency must consider how a project it funds, permits or carries out would affect historic properties and consult states and tribes before proceeding. It writes the regulations for that review, joins the hardest cases itself, and advises the President and Congress.

Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

Chairman of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is an operating division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services within the Public Health Service. It produces evidence and funds research to make health care safer, higher in quality, more accessible, and more affordable, and works to ensure that the evidence is understood and used. It was established in 1999 under the Healthcare Research and Quality Act, succeeding the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, and is codified at 42 U.S.C. 299.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Roger D. Klein

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry is a public health agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, administered through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It evaluates and works to reduce human exposure to hazardous substances from waste sites, spills, and other releases, conducts public health assessments, and studies the health effects of toxic exposures. It was authorized by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980.

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

Aaron Bernstein

Runs the Department of Agriculture's own laboratories: its scientists work on crop and livestock production, plant and animal disease, food safety, human nutrition and natural resource management. Results are published for public use rather than sold, and much of the work is done with land-grant universities.

Agricultural Research Service

Flies the aircraft and crews the vessels that Customs and Border Protection uses to detect, track and interdict smuggling and other unlawful cross-border activity. It is CBP's air and sea arm: the Border Patrol covers the land between ports of entry and the Office of Field Operations staffs the ports.

Air and Marine Operations

Jonathan P. Miller

Reviews court-martial convictions from the Air Force and Space Force, sitting in panels of at least three appellate military judges. It can affirm, modify or set aside findings and sentences, may hold a sentence inappropriately severe, and its decisions can be taken on to the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals

Provides graduate and professional education to Air Force and Space Force members and Department of the Air Force civilians: its graduate school awards master's and doctoral degrees in engineering, science and management, and its continuing-education schools train civil engineers, logisticians and strategic-force specialists.

Air Force Institute of Technology

James C. Bowers

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is a bureau of the United States Department of the Treasury. It collects federal excise taxes on alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and ammunition and regulates the production, labeling, advertising, and importation of alcohol and tobacco products. It was established on January 24, 2003, under the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which split the former Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and retained the tax and trade functions in the Treasury.

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau

Serves as the principal cyberspace policy official within State Department senior management and as the Secretary's adviser on cyber and digital issues, leading the Department's cyber diplomacy. Appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, with the rank and status of ambassador.

Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy

Adam Cassady

Designs, builds and maintains the permanent American military cemeteries and memorials outside the United States - the graves, chapels, monuments and grounds where American war dead are buried or commemorated. It also controls the erection of other United States war memorials and monuments on foreign soil.

American Battle Monuments Commission

Chairman of the American Battle Monuments Commission

The American Printing House for the Blind is a private nonprofit corporation that holds a federal charter and serves as the official national source of educational materials for students who are legally blind and enrolled in programs below the college level. It produces and distributes braille and large-print textbooks, educational aids, and assistive technology, funded through an annual federal appropriation administered by the Department of Education. It was chartered by Congress in 1879.

American Printing House for the Blind

Craig Meador

The President of the American Printing House for the Blind leads the Louisville nonprofit that manufactures and furnishes braille, large-print and tactile materials for the instruction of blind students, distributed to schools each year under a federal per-pupil quota (20 U.S.C. 101, 102). Its Board of Trustees selects the president.

President

Funds economic development in the Appalachian counties of thirteen states, approving grants for broadband and water infrastructure, workforce training and business development, mostly delivered through local development districts. It is run jointly by the governors of the member states and a federal co-chair.

Appalachian Regional Commission

Gayle Conelly Manchin

The Architect of the Capitol is a legislative branch agency responsible for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the United States Capitol, the congressional office buildings, the Library of Congress buildings, the Supreme Court building, the United States Botanic Garden, and the grounds of the Capitol campus. The title refers to both the agency and the official who heads it. Permanent statutory authority for the office dates to the Act of August 15, 1876.

Architect of the Capitol

Thomas E. Austin

The Architect of the Capitol has the care and superintendence of the Capitol and maintains the buildings and grounds of the Capitol campus (2 U.S.C. 1812). A commission of congressional leaders and appropriations and administration committee members appoints the Architect to a renewable 10-year term and can remove the holder at any time (2 U.S.C. 1801a).

Archivist of the United States, the institutional head of National Archives and Records Administration. Appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate, under National Archives and Records Administration Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-497); directs the agency's staff, budget, and statutory functions.

Archivist of the United States

Bradford Pentony Wilson

Arctic Research Commission

Chairman of the Arctic Research Commission

Operates the two homes for retired and former enlisted members of the armed forces, Armed Forces Retirement Home-Washington and Armed Forces Retirement Home-Gulfport, providing residences, meals and graduated levels of health and long-term care. Eligibility is statutory, turning on length of service or wartime service.

Armed Forces Retirement Home

Stephen T. Rippe

Hears and decides contractors' appeals from the final decisions of Department of Defense and NASA contracting officers - disputes over payment, delay, termination and contract interpretation. Its full-time judges must have at least five years of experience in public contract law and are selected the way administrative law judges are.

Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals

Reviews court-martial convictions from the Army, sitting in panels of at least three appellate military judges. It can affirm, modify or set aside findings and sentences, may hold a sentence inappropriately severe, and its decisions can be taken on to the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

Army Court of Criminal Appeals

Heads the National Security Division and is the Justice Department's primary liaison to the Director of National Intelligence. One of the Senate-confirmed Assistant Attorneys General, designated for the role by the President (28 U.S.C. 507A).

Assistant Attorney General for National Security

John A. Eisenberg

Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs, the institutional head of Office of Justice Programs. Appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate, under Justice Assistance Act of 1984; directs the agency's staff, budget, and statutory functions.

Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs

Maureen A. Henneberg

Heads CBP's intelligence office and reports directly to the Commissioner, with responsibility for the agency's intelligence enterprise, its counterintelligence operations and its intelligence-sharing agreements. A career official, not a presidential appointee.