The I fund in the Thrift Savings Plan continues to outpace every other investment account. In January, the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board says the I fund increased by almost 6% as compared to December. No other TSP fund increased by more than 3.11%. Overall, every TSP fund saw a month over month increase in January. For the past 12 months, the I fund increased by over 35%, which is 14% more than any other TSP account. Outside of the I fund, four of the L funds, 2055, 2060, 2070 and 2075, were the next biggest earners, seeing a month over month increase of 3.11%.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A bill in the House to reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency now has more than 50 co-sponsors. The Fixing Emergency Management for Americans Act has 35 Republicans and 21 Democrats signed onto the bill. The legislation has been steadily gaining co-sponsors as uncertainty swirls around the future of FEMA under the Trump administration. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed the bill last year. It would shift FEMA out from under the Department of Homeland Security and make major reforms to how the agency manages disaster assistance projects.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Both of Virginia's senators want an investigation into how the Department of Homeland Security uses sensitive personal data. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner this week requested that DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari look into that issue. They pointed to reports that DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are tapping into tools ranging from facial recognition and license plate readers to social media monitoring. Earlier this month, ICE also released a request for information on the use of AdTech data to help with its investigations.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Top officials at the Department of Homeland Security will testify in front of the House next month. Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow are all slated to testify February 10 in front of the Homeland Security Committee. They’ll face a barrage of questions about the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino says transparency and communication are needed to “turn the temperature down.”

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Leaders of the Senate Finance Committee want answers from the Social Security Administration about DOGE sharing its data. Chairman Mike Crapo and Ranking Member Ron Wyden are asking SSA what agency data was shared with outside groups. The Justice Department recently told a federal court that DOGE staffers at the agency discussed sharing agency data with an advocacy group looking to “overturn election results” in some states. DOJ referred the two DOGE employees for potential violations of the Hatch Act.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The IRS says it’s ready for an increased workload after the start of this year’s tax filing season on Monday. The agency expects to receive 164 million individual income tax returns with most taxpayers filing electronically. The agency lost about a quarter of its workforce last year. Last week the IRS announced a last-minute shakeup of its executive leadership. Taxpayers have until April 15 to file their tax returns or request an extension.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A top House Republican is calling on Department of Homeland Security officials to testify in front of Congress. Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino formally requested testimony from the heads of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Garbarino says he wants to make sure those agencies are effectively using their resources. But his letter comes in the aftermath of another deadly shooting by a federal agent in Minnesota as part of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The House on Thursday passed the final group of spending bills needed before the January 30th funding deadline. In a vote of 341 to 88, lawmakers approved fiscal 2026 funding for the departments of Defense, Labor, Education, Transportation and Health and Human Services. But due to Democratic opposition over ICE funding, the spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security passed with a much narrower margin, in a party line vote of 220 to 207. The appropriations package now heads to the Senate for consideration.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.