Latest news with #DOGE-aligned
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump installs new GSA acting administrator, sidelines DOGE leaders
President Donald Trump has appointed Mike Rigas as acting administrator of the General Services Administration, effectively layering DOGE-aligned Stephen Ehikian and Josh Gruenbaum atop the agency. Rigas, a Trump administration veteran who has served as deputy secretary of State for Management and Resources and as acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, announced the move in a message to GSA staff on Monday morning. 'Today, at the direction of President Donald J. Trump, I have assumed the responsibilities of Acting Administrator of GSA,' Rigas wrote. GSA staffers and people close to the Department of Government Efficiency view this appointment as a strategic move by the White House to rein in Ehikian, the former acting administrator, and Gruenbaum, the commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service within GSA. They were chosen by DOGE's former operational lead, Steve Davis, to lead DOGE after Davis and Elon Musk left government, according to three people familiar with the internal workings of DOGE and GSA and granted anonymity to speak candidly. The change in leadership is a notable shift for GSA, one of two federal agencies that Musk came closest to controlling earlier this year. It's also the most significant public step that the White House has taken to diminish the role of Musk loyalists following the tech mogul's exit. "The GSA has been a pillar of this success, and the President has full confidence in their ongoing work to advance this transformative agenda,' White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement. Davis, who attempted to retain influence at GSA even after his departure from government, had a falling out with senior White House officials last month. Conversations about finding a new acting administrator started in mid-June when the White House found out about Davis' efforts, one of the people said. In a nod to DOGE's work, Rigas emphasized that the agency will continue to prioritize the mission of being good stewards of taxpayer dollars. 'This means helping other agencies be as effective and efficient as possible in their acquisition of goods and services, their use of technology, and their use and disposal of real property,' he wrote. Monday marked the start of Rigas' third stint at GSA. Ehikian will remain at the agency as deputy administrator, according to the internal note. GSA has also made two new additional hires within the last two weeks, according to agency records: Doug Hoelscher of the America First Policy Institute and Kevin Hennecken, an investment analyst at BlackRock.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Red tape': Trump admin unleashes DOGE-aligned process to fire federal workers for misconduct
FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration has rolled out a new rule with the aim of making it easier to terminate federal employees for serious misconduct by cutting through the red tape that currently impedes that process. "The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is proposing amendments to the Federal Government personnel vetting adjudicative processes for determining suitability and taking suitability actions," the rule, which went live for public comment on Monday morning, states. "The purpose of the proposed rule is to improve the efficiency, rigor and timeliness by which OPM and agencies vet individuals for risk to the integrity and efficiency of the service, and to make clear that individuals who engage in serious misconduct while employed in Federal service are subject to the same suitability procedures and actions as applicants for employment." OPM says its new rule is part of President Trump's "Implementing the Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative" as well as the Presidential Memorandum, "Strengthening the Suitability and Fitness of the Federal Workforce." Unfinished Business: The Budget Cuts Musk Couldn't Complete And What's Next For Doge OPM explains that the new rule will allow the federal government to take action against employees who engage in misconduct after being hired, giving agencies "broader authority" to "flag conduct" including tax evasion, leaking of sensitive information, and other behavior "inconsistent with the public trust." Read On The Fox News App "For too long, agencies have faced red tape when trying to remove employees who break the public's trust," OPM's Acting Director, Chuck Ezell, told Fox News Digital. Flashback: Top Five Wildest Moments From Elon Musk's Doge Tenure As It Comes To An End "This proposed rule ensures misconduct is met with consequence and reinforces that public service is a privilege, not a right." Under the new rule, federal agencies will be able to refer specific cases to OPM requesting "suitability action" for employees who are believed to have committed post-appointment conduct that deserves disciplinary action. Fox News Digital reported in 2023 that under current law, the vast majority of the federal workforce is not at-will and may only be terminated for misconduct, poor performance, medical inability and reduction in force. Federal employees are also entitled to sweeping due process rights when fired which can create a cumbersome process for agencies to remove a article source: 'Red tape': Trump admin unleashes DOGE-aligned process to fire federal workers for misconduct
