Plans to keep the FBI headquarters in DC are moving ahead in Congress
The Biden administration planned to relocate the FBI headquarters to Greenbelt, Maryland.
Michele Sandiford
October 31, 2025 5:50 pm
< a min read
- Plans to keep the FBI’s new headquarters in the District of Columbia are moving ahead in Congress. Republicans on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee advanced the Trump administration’s proposal to move the FBI to the Ronald Reagan Building, just blocks away from the crumbling J. Edgar Hoover Building. The Biden administration planned to relocate the FBI headquarters to Greenbelt, Maryland.
- Retiring federal employees have a slightly better look into application processing times. The Office of Personnel Management has added a new online resource that lists the average wait times for receiving both interim payments and full annuities, as well as details on survivor benefits. On top of that, OPM is now offering feds the option to access their tax forms without needing to log into their retirement services accounts. The agency said its end goal is to streamline and digitize the government’s entire retirement process.
- Federal employees can no longer apply for financial support from the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA). The non-profit organization has officially suspended its shutdown grant program, after receiving over 10,000 applications from lower-income feds. More than 7,000 excepted and furloughed workers, who are currently going without pay, will receive the one-time grants. They can help cover the costs of basic needs, like groceries or gas. But FEEA said it’s not accepting any new applications, since it has run out of funding to support the program. The non-profit said it’s seeking donations with the hope of possibly reopening grant applications.
- The Department of Veterans Affairs is reconsidering how it buys cloud services. VA has 757 applications and systems in two government cloud instances provided by Microsoft and Amazon Web Services. In a new request for information, VA is asking vendors for input on how they could improve their approach to managing their enterprise clouds at a FedRAMP high authorization level. VA asked contractors about two dozen questions, on everything from pricing models to optimization and savings plans to AI integration. VA’s IT budget for fiscal 2025 was $8.8 billion and it requested $7.3 billion for 2026. Responses to the RFI are due by Nov. 12.
- Uncertainty over back pay and the possibility of layoffs are making many federal employees feel even more apprehensive. About 70% of respondents to Federal News Network’s recent survey said the current shutdown feels different, and much less certain, than past ones. Some survey takers also said the Trump administration’s actions throughout the shutdown only build on the challenges feds have already faced for the better part of the year. The survey received more than 4,500 responses.
- The Department of Veterans Affairs said 37,000 of its employees are going without pay during the government shutdown. The vast majority of employees at VA are still working during the government shutdown, and most are being paid on time through advanced appropriations. But pockets of its workforce are either working without pay or are furloughed. Nearly half of VA’s benefits workforce are working without pay during the shutdown. But VA disability and pension benefits payments are still going out on time. VA’s health care operations are not impacted by the shutdown.
- The Senate on Thursday confirmed Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach to be the next Air Force chief of staff. Wilsbach will succeed Gen. David Allvin, who unexpectedly announced his retirement just halfway into his four-year term. Wilsbach has spent over four decades in the Air Force and, until August, led Air Combat Command before beginning his retirement leave. It is not clear when he will be sworn in as the chief of staff.
- The White House is tapping into three Defense Department accounts to pay troops this week as the government shutdown stretches on. The White House has identified $1.4 billion from the research, development, test and evaluation account, $1.4 billion from the department’s procurement account and $2.5 billion from the One Big Beautiful Act to pay military salaries. The White House said it cost about $6.5 billion to cover military pay for the first half of October. Senate Democrats on Thursday introduced the Armed Forces Pay Act, a bill that would ensure military personnel continue to be paid during the government shutdown, but the measure was blocked by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)
- Sad news in the federal community. Long-time OPM executive Kathy McGettigan passed away after a short illness. She was 73 years old. McGettigan spent more than 30 years in federal service, including serving in numerous senior leadership roles at OPM, including chief management officer, senior advisor to the director and acting OPM director. OPM Director Scott Kupor wrote in a blog post that those who worked alongside McGettigan described her a leader of great integrity, compassion and commitment, someone who led with both excellence and heart. A visitation will be held at the Robert A. Pumphrey Funeral Home in Bethesda, Maryland, on Nov. 7, starting at 4:00 p.m., and the funeral will be held at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Potomac, Maryland, on Nov. 8 at 1:30 p.m.
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