DOD’s deferred resignation to be offered April 7-14; Cyber leaders call for Congress to renew billion-dollar cyber grant program

More details have emerged on the Department of Defense’s Deferred Resignation Program. According to a new memo, the DOD will offer the program to eligible DOD civilian employees for a week between April 7 and 14. Voluntary early retirement authority will also be offered. The initiatives, ordered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, come as the Pentagon is looking to reduce its reduce civilian workforce and implement the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts. Jules Hurst III, acting undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, wrote in an April 1 memo that the DRP provides a “generous opportunity for employees to enter a paid leave status for several months, prior to resigning or retiring,” adding that employees pending approval or approved for the program will not be subject to return to in-person work requirements. A bipartisan bill that would establish a nonprofit foundation aimed at boosting private-sector partnerships at the National Institute of Standards and Technology was reintroduced in the House and the Senate on Tuesday. The Expanding Partnerships for Innovation and Competitiveness (EPIC) Act would create a Foundation for Standards and Metrology at the Department of Commerce, which would be focused on fostering collaborations with academia, industry, and other organizations. That new foundation would ultimately help supplement NIST’s funding and — according to a release shared with FedScoop in advance of the Wednesday announcement — make the path to commercializing technologies developed by the agency easier. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.