The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board reminds feds about loan options
The TSP board has also received recent feedback from participants on its loan program, with some calling it a “true lifesaver.”
October 29, 2025 2:04 pm
< a min read
The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board is reminding federal employees of their current options for loans. All loans from the Thrift Savings Plan remain in good standing during a government shutdown, even if participants don’t make payments on time. The TSP board has also received recent feedback from participants on its loan program, with some calling it a “true lifesaver.” Others say the TSP loan and withdrawal options have relieved at least some of their stress. TSP operations continue as usual during an appropriations lapse, since the TSP board is not funded by Congress.The Department of the Navy is actively reviewing sailors’ social media activity. In a message to the force, Navy Secretary John Phelan said the Navy is reviewing whether service members’ social media activity is “misaligned with the services current social media guidance.” The message says sailors’ social media accounts must be identifiable as personal accounts and that sailors must avoid using the Department of the Navy titles, insignia, uniforms or symbols in ways that could imply the service’s endorsement of personal content. Senior personnel are also encouraged to include a disclaimer on their personal social media communications. The message did not provide any details about what posts may have been “misaligned” with official guidance or what triggered the review.Several Trump administration officials juggle multiple jobs. But Democratic senators want to know how the head of the Social Security Administration can also help lead the IRS. SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano took on a new role as IRS chief executive officer earlier this month. Now Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senators Ron Wyden and Elizabeth Warren want to know how he plans to oversee the day-to-day operations of both agencies. Some financial support options for federal employees are starting to run thin. The Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA) has doled out thousands of $150 grants to lower-income feds across the country. But there are thousands more applications already in the pipeline and just over $1 million in funding for the grant program. “We will rapidly exhaust that as we provide grants to more of those people who have already applied. We are concerned very concerned about not being able to help everyone who needs it,” said Robyn Kehoe, FEEA’s executive director. Roughly 80% of grant recipients say they used the money they received to buy food.
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The Marine Corps has postponed its highly anticipated generative artificial intelligence workshop due to the ongoing lapse in federal funding. The workshop, originally scheduled for Nov. 17 through the 21st at Quantico, Virginia, will now take place at the beginning of 2026. The service will maintain all current registrations and applications for follow on coordination once new dates are confirmed. The workshop was expected to bring together Marines, civilians and industry experts to test out GenAI tools against real-world challenges.The Environmental Protection Agency is deepening its work with water utilities amid rising cybersecurity concerns. The EPA has conducted 49 cybersecurity tabletop exercises for water and wastewater systems across more than 30 states in recent years. And the EPA in the last year began scanning for internet-exposed devices that could allow hackers to wreak havoc on water and wastewater utilities. The agency is continuing that work this year and wants to expand its tabletop exercises to all 50 states. But the EPA’s work with the water sector on cyber threats remains voluntary. It comes as U.S. national security officials warn that nation-state hackers are targeting water systems and other critical infrastructure. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is recruiting a chief artificial intelligence officer. USPTO posted the open job last week with applications due by November 25th. The chief AI officer will help the agency operationalize AI and machine learning, with a focus on delivering business value. USPTO has moved out on several AI use cases in recent years. The agency recently announced an Automated Search Pilot Program that will use AI to identify prior art issues with patent applications.The Trump administration’s latest round of federal employee layoffs will remain on hold, for now. A federal judge in San Francisco granted a preliminary injunction that will indefinitely block the Trump administration from proceeding with widespread reductions-in-force for about 4,000 federal employees or issuing new RIF notices, while the case proceeds through the court. A Justice Department attorney representing the Trump administration says RIFs are more necessary during a government shutdown because the federal government will eventually have to issue back pay to furloughed employees who aren’t working during the lapse.
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