Foreign policy

GAO urges State Department to modernize overseas housing space standards

1 min read16 hours ago

The recommendation targets the Department of State's overseas housing program for its roughly 9,000 Foreign Service employees, as detailed in the FY 2025 GAO review.

Economy

President imposes 4-year safeguard quota on quartz surface product imports

1 min read3 days ago

The safeguard tariff-rate quota applies to all quartz surface product imports beginning July 31 2026, with exclusions for Canada, Mexico and other specified partners.

Foreign policy

President Extends U.S. Drug Interdiction Support to Colombia

1 min read3 days ago

The determination, dated August 3 2026, authorizes continued U.S. assistance for aircraft interdiction against drug trafficking in Colombian airspace.

Foreign policy

President Extends Lebanon National Emergency for One Year

1 min read3 days ago

U.S. agencies retain IEEPA authority concerning Lebanon through Aug. 1, 2027

Foreign policy

President Extends Brazil National Emergency for One Year

1 min read3 days ago

The continuation applies to all U.S. persons and entities subject to the Brazil emergency, effective after July 30, 2026.

Foreign policy

President Extends Export Control Emergency for 1 Year

1 min read3 days ago

U.S. exporters and entities subject to the Export Administration Act are bound by the extension effective August 17, 2026.

Foreign policy

President Extends Mali National Emergency for One Year

1 min read3 days ago

The July 21 notice extends the IEEPA emergency declared in 2019, binding U.S. persons through July 26, 2027.

Defense

President Approves US-Saudi Nuclear Cooperation Agreement

1 min read3 days ago

The United States and Saudi Arabia are bound by a new nuclear cooperation pact approved on July 16 2026.

Elsewhere

What other outlets are reporting on this beat. We link out; we do not republish.

Wyoming Republican Chuck Gray poised to succeed Hageman in House
 Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray vanquished eight competitors Tuesday to win the Republican primary for the state’s at-large House seat, putting him on a glide path to succeed Rep. Harriet M. Hageman next year.   But the power of President Donald Trump’s endorsement suffered another setback in the Cowboy State, with his preferred candidate for governor falling in the Republican primary.   In the House contest, Gray had 25 percent of the vote to 20 percent for his nearest rival, conservative activist Steve Friess, The Associated Press reported, with more than 95 percent of the vote counted early Wednesday morning.   The rare open seat in a staunchly red state drew a large crowd of GOP contenders that also included former state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow, state Senate President Bo Biteman, businessman Reid Rasner and Army veterans Kevin Christensen and David Giralt.   Gray enters the general election as an overwhelming favorite to prevail over Democrat Lisa Kinney, a former state senator, for a deep-red seat that has remained in Republican hands since Dick Cheney flipped it in 1978.   Gray served three terms in the Wyoming House before his election as secretary of state in 2022. During his time in the Legislature, he was a key backer of the state’s voter ID legislation. He also amplified false claims about the outcome of the 2020 election, accusing Democratic winner Joe Biden and “the radical Left” of “trying to steal our elections,’’ according to <a href="https://trib.com/news/state-regional/rep-chuck-gray-announces-run-for-wyoming-secretary-of-state/article_11e4d8d0-d6fa-11ec-a15d-977ef8056c9d.html">the Casper Star-Tribune</a>.  <!-- wp:par
Roll Call 2 days ago
Months after Foreign Service families evacuated parts of the Middle East, uncertainty continues
John Dinkelman Where do they go? Well, evacuations are important, of course. Whether it’s for something as temporary as a tornado or a hurricane hitting a country, or something long-term like the war that we’re presently experiencing, the State Department needs a way to remove its non-essential people and family members from places that are in danger. They are theoretically and usually moved back to the United States, which we refer to in that terminology as a safe haven, where we wait for determination as to whether and when we can return. The strange situation about this evacuation is that it is so broad for a large region, it was so unexpected with all of these people not being evacuated before we initiated hostilities. And with the indeterminate nature of what’s going on. Terry Gerton It’s one thing to pack up your suitcase and move somewhere else for a week, but in this case, they’ve been gone for months. They’ve left behind their belongings. We’re in August. Kids are getting ready to go back to school. Pets are in limbo. How do they take care of all of those kinds of things? John Dinkelman Well, in the same way that we often have been told to have go bags ready to go in case there’s an emergency here in the United States, it is part of the Foreign Service mentality that you must always be ready at a moment’s notice to leave and prioritize everything that you have in such a way that if you need to go with only one suitcase or two suitcases or perhaps a pack out of a few hundred pounds, that you’re able to measure and react quickly. In this case, of course, these people were given no notification whatsoever. Terry Gerton And now this decision and these evacuations are approaching the department’s 180-day limit. What decisions are they still waiting for? John Dinkelman Well the big decision of course is whether or not the actual locations will revert to their prior accompanied status. That looks increasingly unlikely given the situation and the on-again/off-again
Federal News Network 4 days ago
State’s overseas housing rules haven’t kept up with the times, GAO says
More than 9,000 State employees serving abroad live in government-funded housing. Kevin Carter / Getty Images The State Department could be overspending on residences for employees stationed abroad because officials haven’t updated certain housing standards in more than three decades, the Government Accountability Office said in a report issued on Monday. State manages housing for more than 9,000 agency personnel living overseas and in 2025 spent nearly $500 million on residential leases. A majority, 64%, of such housing is leased while 36% is government-owned, as of March 2026. Officials told GAO, while leasing offers flexibility, purchasing properties provides “long-term stability and greater control over costs” but also “typically requires substantial upfront funding.” Housing for a foreign service officer is based on their rank, family size and the location of their assignment, with countries that have the “most difficult living conditions” corresponding to the largest allowable space maximums. For example, a standard-rank employee in fiscal 2024 with a family of two assigned to a country with a poor quality of life could reside in a unit that has an annual rent of no more than $55,000, according to the report. And an executive-rank employee that has a family of four in a country that is similar to the U.S. could live in a residence that is up to nearly 2,150 square feet. Investigators found, however, that State has not revised its standards governing how large a government-provided home for an employee serving abroad can be since 1991. Such standards are based on “housing comparable to what an employee would occupy in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.” But over the last 35 years, the median housing square footage in the nation’s capital has gone down while median housing costs have increased more than Foreign Service salaries. “Until it reviews and updates its housing space standards, State may be providing larger, more costly overseas residences than ne
Government Executive August 13, 2026
State Department expands push to reclassify employees as at-will workers
The State Department is expanding its search for employees to reclassify as at-will workers under the Trump administration’s new Schedule Policy/Career designation J. David Ake/Getty Images The State Department is taking another look at its workforce to see if more employees should fall under a new governmentwide designation that makes them easier to fire. Agency officials are expanding their search for employees to reclassify as at-will workers under the Trump administration’s new Schedule Policy/Career designation for the federal workforce.President Donald Trump signed an executive order in June that officially reclassified 8,000 federal employees into Schedule Policy/Career, a rebranding of the Schedule F designation that Trump pursued in his first term, but did not implement before leaving office. Employees placed into the new schedule would no longer be able to challenge adverse personnel actions before the Merit Systems Protection Board, and whistleblower complaints filed by Schedule P/C employees would be investigated by their own agency, rather than the Office of Special Counsel.The Office of Personnel Management previously estimated that about 50,000 federal employees would fall under this new job category. But an OPM spokesperson said in June that the administration chose to instead focus on “the most senior-level career policy officials.” The State Department’s actions suggest that its initial reclassification of employees fell short of the White House’s expectations, and other agencies may take a similar approach. NOTUS first reported that the Trump administration is directing agencies to find more federal employees to convert to Schedule P/C. A spokesperson for the foreign policy agency declined to comment on “internal deliberative personnel matters.” One State Department employee told Government Executive that human resources officials are using a short questionnaire to determine if GS-13 and GS-14 level employees are working in policymaking positions
Government Executive August 13, 2026
Hanford Site grouting developments could accelerate cleanup
An aerial view of the Hanford Site’s AP Tank Farm. (Photo: DOE)The Department of Energy has reported that its Hanford Field Office has submitted two permit modification requests to the Washington State Department of Ecology that could speed up the cleanup of the Hanford Site near Richland, Wash. The requests “represent the latest step in a science-backed dual glass-plus-grout strategy to eliminate risks posed by aging tanks and meet cleanup commitments to the people of Washington more quickly, safely and efficiently,” the DOE said.Under a 2025 agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency and the state of Washington, the DOE is to grout a portion of low-activity tank waste at the Hanford Site. The permit modification request would enable tank-side treated low-activity waste from Tank AP-106 (an underground, double-shell tank) to be routed to the Effluent Management Facility (EMF) before being loaded into a Department of Transportation–approved tanker truck for shipment to a licensed commercial treatment facility for disposition. This plan includes modifications to the EMF systems as valves and piping.The changes would enable a seamless path from tank-side treatment to grouting and out-of-state disposal. The tank-side-treated liquid waste has already been partially processed and cleaned to remove almost all of the radioactivity. However, the treatment system has been paused since March 10 while awaiting the ramp-up of the Waste Treatment Plant (WTP). Although the treatment system is expected to restart later in August, other delays might lead to the suspension of waste retrieval from Tank A-103, a single-shell, million-gallon tank.Dual glass-plus-grout strategy: According to the DOE, the dual glass-plus-grout strategy will protect the agency’s ability to continue retrieving waste from aging single-shell tanks, resume tank waste treatment, and maximize opportunities to speed up the site’s tank waste mission. Hanford Field Office manager Ray Geiger explained, “The
Nuclear Newswire August 12, 2026
U.S. GAO - State Department: Standards for Overseas Housing Need Review
Skip to main content Fast Facts The State Department's Bureau of Overseas Building Operations manages housing for over 9,000 Foreign Service employees living overseas. The department's goal is to provide housing comparable to what an employee would occupy in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. However, we found that State has not updated its maximum housing space standards for overseas personnel in 35 years. Consequently, it may be paying for larger residential units than necessary to provide adequate housing for these employees. We recommended that State address these and other issues. A House for a Foreign Service Employee Living in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire A house and palm trees with a blue sky in the background. Skip to Highlights Highlights What GAO Found The Department of State last updated its standards for overseas housing space in 1991, according to State officials. Those standards may no longer align with State’s goal of providing Foreign Service personnel living abroad with housing comparable to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. In the last 35 years, housing in the Washington, D.C., area has been increasing in cost and decreasing in square footage. In addition, State’s method for measuring overseas housing does not align with the domestic industry standards typically followed by housing appraisers in the U.S., which may prevent State from comparing its overseas housing to housing in the Washington D.C. area. Without reviewing and updating, as applicable, its overseas housing policy, State may be paying for larger residential units than necessary for its Foreign Service personnel. State’s posts largely adhered to overseas housing cost and space standards, with 87 percent and 81 percent of units meeting those standards, respectively. Posts must request waivers to exceed these standards. Rental cost waivers resulted in overages of under 2 percent of annual lease costs in 2025, representing $8.8 million of the total $497 million in lease costs. GAO
GAO reports August 10, 2026

Newsletter

What the federal government did today, and what it changes - with the document behind every item.

Federal Reserve Opens Comment Period for American Exchange Co. BHC Application

Federal Reserve Issues Change-in-Control Notice for Dunlap Trust Acquisition

Federal Reserve opens comment period on Citizens Bancshares acquisition

Federal Reserve posts change-in-control notice for Anderson family share purchase

Foreign policy

GAO urges State Department to modernize overseas housing space standards

President imposes 4-year safeguard quota on quartz surface product imports

President Extends U.S. Drug Interdiction Support to Colombia

President Extends Lebanon National Emergency for One Year

President Extends Brazil National Emergency for One Year

President Extends Export Control Emergency for 1 Year

President Extends Mali National Emergency for One Year

President Approves US-Saudi Nuclear Cooperation Agreement