Federal Independent Agencies
Here's a look at documents from federal independent agencies
Featured Stories
SBA Orders All 8(a) Participants to Provide Financial Records
WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 -- The Small Business Administration posted the following news release on Dec. 5, 2025:
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SBA Orders All 8(a) Participants to Provide Financial Records
Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued letters to all contractors within the 8(a) Business Development Program, requiring them to produce financial records as part of a comprehensive effort to protect taxpayers and legitimate small businesses by rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse. All 4,300 8(a) participants are mandated to provide financial documents for the last three fiscal years, including bank
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 -- The Small Business Administration posted the following news release on Dec. 5, 2025:
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SBA Orders All 8(a) Participants to Provide Financial Records
Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued letters to all contractors within the 8(a) Business Development Program, requiring them to produce financial records as part of a comprehensive effort to protect taxpayers and legitimate small businesses by rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse. All 4,300 8(a) participants are mandated to provide financial documents for the last three fiscal years, including bankstatements, financial statements, general ledgers, payroll registers, contracting and subcontracting agreements, and employment records. Firms that fail to comply by January 5, 2025 may lose their eligibility to participate in the 8(a) Program and could face further investigative or remedial actions.
"There is mounting evidence that the 8(a) Program designed for 'socially and economically disadvantaged' businesses went from being a targeted program to a pass-through vehicle for rampant abuse and fraud - especially during the Biden Administration, which aggressively prioritized DEI over merit in federal contracting," said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. "Today, as part of the SBA's effort to protect taxpayer dollars and restore program integrity, we're requiring all 8(a) firms to provide basic financial documentation for SBA review. As our previously-announced government-wide audit continues, we're committed to thoroughly reviewing every federal contract, contracting officer, and contractor - while working alongside federal law enforcement and other agencies to deliver accountability for taxpayers."
The request comes as recent U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigations and media reports have exposed a growing body of evidence of misconduct within the 8(a) Program, adding to years of credible concerns and whistleblower reports indicating that the program is a vehicle for institutionalized abuse.
Administrator Loeffler ordered a full-scale audit of the 8(a) Program earlier this year after a DOJ investigation uncovered a $550 million fraud and bribery scheme involving a former federal contracting officer and two 8(a) contractors. The audit, which is ongoing, focuses on examining high-dollar and limited-competition contracts going back over a period of fifteen years in collaboration with various federal agencies that award contracts to 8(a) participants. Last month, SBA took immediate action to suspend Link is external numerous executives and contractors following allegations of fraud involving more than $253 million in previously issued contract awards.
The U.S. Department of Treasury also recently launched Link is external its own audit of all contracts and task orders awarded under preference-based contracting, totaling approximately $9 billion in contract value across Treasury and its bureaus.
About the 8(a) Business Development Program
The SBA certifies small businesses considered to be socially and economically disadvantaged under its nine-year 8(a) Business Development Program. The 8(a) program helps these firms develop and grow their businesses through one-to-one counseling, training workshops and management and technical guidance. It also provides access to government contracting opportunities, allowing them to become solid competitors in the federal marketplace.
About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of entrepreneurship. As the leading voice for small businesses within the federal government, the SBA empowers job creators with the resources and support they need to start, grow, and expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
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Original text here: https://www.sba.gov/article/2025/12/05/sba-orders-all-8a-participants-provide-financial-records
Invention Challenge Brings Student Engineers to NASA JPL
PASADENA, California, Dec. 6 (TNSres) -- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news:
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Invention Challenge Brings Student Engineers to NASA JPL
Now in its 26th year, the event brings teams of middle and high school students to the lab to compete with home-built contraptions.
Teenagers wielding power tools and plywood demonstrated their engineering prowess at the annual Invention Challenge at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California on Friday. Also in evidence: lots of small motors, 3D-printed gears, PVC pipe, and duct tape.
First held at JPL in 1998, the event
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PASADENA, California, Dec. 6 (TNSres) -- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news:
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Invention Challenge Brings Student Engineers to NASA JPL
Now in its 26th year, the event brings teams of middle and high school students to the lab to compete with home-built contraptions.
Teenagers wielding power tools and plywood demonstrated their engineering prowess at the annual Invention Challenge at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California on Friday. Also in evidence: lots of small motors, 3D-printed gears, PVC pipe, and duct tape.
First held at JPL in 1998, the eventpits middle and high school teams against each other as they try to get handmade devices to accomplish a task that changes annually. For this year's challenge, dubbed the "Bucket Brigade Contest," teams needed to create devices capable of moving about 2 gallons (8 liters) of water from a holding reservoir into a bucket about 16 feet (5 meters) away in 60 seconds while satisfying a long list of rules.
In all, 18 teams of students from middle and high schools across Los Angeles and Orange counties competed. First place went to Arcadia High School's Team Still Water, which completed the task in just 6.45 seconds. Mission Viejo High's Team Senior Citizens was close behind, finishing in 6.71 seconds. The Samo Seals of Santa Monica High came in third, at 9.18 seconds.
Five teams from outside the area -- four from schools in Colorado and Massachusetts and one involving professional engineers -- were invited to compete as well. Of those, the team led by retired JPL engineer Alan DeVault's Team "Trial and Error Engineering" came in first (a repeat from last year). And "Team 6" from Pioneer Charter School of Science in the Boston area took second place (also a repeat performance from 2024). No team qualified for third place.
Judges named Team Clankers from Mission Viejo High most artistic, Team 6 from Pioneer Charter School of Science most unusual, and Team Winning Engineering Team (WET) from Temple City High most creative.
The event was supported by dozens of volunteers from JPL staff. JPL Fire Chief Dave Dollarhide, familiar with a bucket brigade, was a guest judge.
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Original text here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/invention-challenge-brings-student-engineers-to-nasa-jpl/
IDB Group and ECLAC Launch First Integrated Housing Data Platform for Latin America and the Caribbean
WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following news release:
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IDB Group and ECLAC Launch First Integrated Housing Data Platform for Latin America and the Caribbean
Housing shortages and urban development challenges remain among the most pressing issues in Latin America and the Caribbean. Addressing these challenges starts with something essential: reliable, comparable, and up-to-date data.
To meet this need, the Inter-American Development Bank Group and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), with the support of the Organisation
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following news release:
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IDB Group and ECLAC Launch First Integrated Housing Data Platform for Latin America and the Caribbean
Housing shortages and urban development challenges remain among the most pressing issues in Latin America and the Caribbean. Addressing these challenges starts with something essential: reliable, comparable, and up-to-date data.
To meet this need, the Inter-American Development Bank Group and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), with the support of the Organisationfor Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), have launched Housing and Urban Intelligence, the region's first integrated data hub of its kind.
This new platform brings together more than 3,000 indicators, 18 country profiles, and content from over 500 official sources, providing indispensable information to understand and manage housing and urban development issues.
The platform enables governments, financiers, builders, researchers, and specialists to identify gaps, track progress, and design evidence-based policies quickly and without the need to consult multiple scattered sources.
"For a year and a half, ECLAC and the IDB, with the support of the OECD, have curated information from CEPALSTAT and other relevant sources to facilitate decision-making by key actors in the housing and urban development sector in the region," said Diego Aulestia, head of the Human Settlements Unit at ECLAC.
"With this tool, which will continue to expand its content over time, we are responding to an urgent need in the region: a single information center that consolidates all the data necessary to understand and manage housing and urban development in Latin America and the Caribbean," said IDB housing specialist Paloma Silva, who thanked the OECD for its support.
The official launch of this new information management tool took place during the XXXIV General Assembly of the Forum of Ministers and High-Level Authorities of Housing and Urban Development of Latin America and the Caribbean Ministers and Highest Authorities of Housing and Urbanism of Latin America and the Caribbean (MINURVI), held in Bridgetown, Barbados.
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About the IDB Group
The Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group) is the leading source of financing and knowledge for improving lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. It comprises the IDB, which works with the region's public sector and enables the private sector; IDB Invest, which directly supports private companies and projects; and IDB Lab, which spurs entrepreneurial innovation.
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About ECLAC
The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is one of the five regional commissions of the United Nations and supports the countries of the region in implementing major global agendas on economic, social, and environmental development. ECLAC provides a regional, evidence-based perspective to support decision-making; promotes the production and dissemination of comparable statistics, through Cepalstat; offers specialized technical assistance to governments; and fosters regional and international cooperation. Its work aims to advance a more sustainable, inclusive, and equality-centered development path across Latin America and the Caribbean.
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About the OECD
Working with over 100 countries, the OECD is a global policy forum that promotes policies to preserve individual liberty and improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.
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Original text here: https://www.iadb.org/en/news/idb-group-and-eclac-launch-first-integrated-housing-data-platform-latin-america-and-caribbean
Fourth Quarter 2025 Dividend
DALLAS, Texas, Dec. 5 -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, a district bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System, issued the following news release:
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Fourth Quarter 2025 Dividend
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* Bulletin No: 2025-37
The Board of Directors of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (Bank) has declared dividends in the form of capital stock on Class B-1 Stock and Class B-2 Stock for the fourth quarter of 2025.
The annualized dividend rate on Class B-1 Stock (membership and excess stock) is 4.43 percent, which equates to the average overnight SOFR rate for the third quarter of 2025 plus 0.1 percent.
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DALLAS, Texas, Dec. 5 -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, a district bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System, issued the following news release:
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Fourth Quarter 2025 Dividend
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* Bulletin No: 2025-37
The Board of Directors of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (Bank) has declared dividends in the form of capital stock on Class B-1 Stock and Class B-2 Stock for the fourth quarter of 2025.
The annualized dividend rate on Class B-1 Stock (membership and excess stock) is 4.43 percent, which equates to the average overnight SOFR rate for the third quarter of 2025 plus 0.1 percent.This dividend rate is within the Bank's current target range for dividends on Class B-1 Stock, which is an annualized rate that approximates the average overnight SOFR rate plus 0 - 0.5 percent.
The annualized dividend rate on Class B-2 Stock (activity-based stock) is 5.43 percent, which equates to the average overnight SOFR rate for the third quarter of 2025 plus 1.1 percent. This dividend rate is within the Bank's current target range for dividends on Class B-2 Stock, which is an annualized rate that approximates the average overnight SOFR rate plus 1.0 - 1.5 percent.
The annualized dividend rates of 4.43 percent and 5.43 percent will be applied to members' average balances of Class B-1 Stock and Class B-2 Stock, respectively, which were held during the period from July 1, 2025 through September 30, 2025. The fourth quarter dividends on Class B-1 and Class B-2 Stock will be paid on Tuesday, December 23, 2025 in the form of Class B-1 Stock with any fractional shares paid in cash.
If you have any questions, please call Member Services at 844.345.2265.
Sincerely,
Sanjay K. Bhasin
President and Chief Executive Officer
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Original text here: https://www.fhlb.com/library/bulletins/2025/fourth-quarter-2025-dividend
Ecuador Strengthens Its Growth Agenda With IDB Support
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following news release:
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Ecuador Strengthens Its Growth Agenda with IDB Support
Ecuador will implement economic policies to boost economic growth and strengthen the business environment by stimulating private investment in strategic sectors such as energy and tourism, supported by financing of $200 million from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The economic policy reforms will improve the efficiency of the tax system, collection, compliance, and reduce tax evasion. These policy actions aim to expand the use
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following news release:
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Ecuador Strengthens Its Growth Agenda with IDB Support
Ecuador will implement economic policies to boost economic growth and strengthen the business environment by stimulating private investment in strategic sectors such as energy and tourism, supported by financing of $200 million from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The economic policy reforms will improve the efficiency of the tax system, collection, compliance, and reduce tax evasion. These policy actions aim to expand the useof electronic means for tax payments and partial debit.
The program supports laying the groundwork for promoting more efficient public spending through changes focused on implementing quality spending tools to strengthen the public budget, such as thematic classifiers for gender, equality, and climate change; implementing results-based management in the chronic child malnutrition program, expenditure reviews, and defining prioritization criteria for public investment.
The program's financing also backs measures to strengthen strategic planning, coordination, and alignment of efforts between the public and private sectors through a national growth agenda. In addition, it will promote greater private investment in strategic sectors such as energy and tourism. The use of the Tourism Development Fund will be expanded, providing greater predictability in the budget for implementing promotion programs and stimulating private investment, thereby contributing to greater job creation.
This credit constitutes the first of two technically related but financially independent operations under the Programmatic Policy-Based Loan (PBP) modality, approved by the IDB's Executive Board. The loan has a 20-year amortization period, a 5.5-year grace period, and a rate based on SOFR.
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About the IDB
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a member of the IDB Group, is devoted to improving lives across Latin America and the Caribbean. Founded in 1959, the Bank works with the region's public sector to design and enable impactful, innovative solutions for sustainable and inclusive development. Leveraging financing, technical expertise, and knowledge, it promotes grow and well-being in 26 countries. Visit our website: https://www.iadb.org/en
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Original text here: https://www.iadb.org/en/news/ecuador-strengthens-its-growth-agenda-idb-support
Costa Rica and the IDB Lead Regional Dialogue on the Challenges of Artificial Intelligence in Government
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following news release:
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Costa Rica and the IDB Lead Regional Dialogue on the Challenges of Artificial Intelligence in Government
Delegations from more than twenty countries analyze regulatory frameworks, governance, and the impact of technological change on state modernization.
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SAN JOSE - Costa Rica is positioning itself as a benchmark for the digital agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean by hosting, on December 4 and 5, the first Regional Public Policy Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence, an event organized
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following news release:
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Costa Rica and the IDB Lead Regional Dialogue on the Challenges of Artificial Intelligence in Government
Delegations from more than twenty countries analyze regulatory frameworks, governance, and the impact of technological change on state modernization.
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SAN JOSE - Costa Rica is positioning itself as a benchmark for the digital agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean by hosting, on December 4 and 5, the first Regional Public Policy Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence, an event organizedby the Government of Costa Rica and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
Authorities from more than twenty countries, along with international experts, academics, and business leaders, are participating in a high-level forum to discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming public management and what frameworks are needed to ensure its safe, ethical use aligned with citizen well-being.
The goal of the meeting is to advance a regional roadmap for the responsible adoption of AI in the public sector, focusing on transparency, ethical data use, and reducing structural gaps.
Delegations are working in technical groups organized by subregions--Southern Cone, Andean Region, Central America, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and the Caribbean--to align priorities, share lessons learned, and define joint actions.
For Costa Rica, leading this regional dialogue is an opportunity to reaffirm that artificial intelligence must always serve people. In line with MICITT's National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, we promote AI that modernizes the State, fosters local development, strengthens transparency, and reduces gaps--all within solid governance frameworks and a shared ethical vision. This space allows us to move forward with our sister countries on a common roadmap for responsible, safe, and citizen-oriented use, said Paula Bogantes Zamora, Minister of Science, Innovation, Technology, and Telecommunications.
AI as an Opportunity to Modernize the State
During the meeting, participants analyze concrete AI applications in areas such as health, justice, public safety, and administrative services, as well as the risks associated with its use in public environments. The IDB and partner organizations--such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), IDB Lab (the innovation and venture capital arm of the IDB Group), and ALETI--present international experiences, regulatory criteria, and tools to strengthen algorithmic governance in the region.
Artificial intelligence is already improving the lives of thousands of people in Latin America and the Caribbean. It can reduce wait times in public services, support medical diagnoses, and simplify procedures that used to take hours. That's why regional spaces like this are so important: they allow us to learn from each other, align standards, and ensure technology is used to reduce inequalities and improve social well-being. For the IDB, the priority is that AI be adopted responsibly, protecting rights and strengthening the State's capacity to better serve its people, said Francisco Javier Urra, IDB Group Representative in Costa Rica.
A Space That Sets the Course for the Region
The Regional Dialogue reinforces countries' interest in consolidating adaptive, evidence-based public policies for incorporating AI into state management. The event highlights the importance of Latin America moving forward in a coordinated way toward common standards that enable innovation, rights protection, and institutional strengthening.
Our countries face the challenge of serving a growing population with increasing needs and limited financial resources. The more than 100 AI projects supported by the IDB Group show that AI increases public officials' productivity, improves the quality of services citizens receive, and enhances transparency in public management. That's why we will stand alongside all Latin American and Caribbean countries that want to implement AI policies and initiatives that strengthen our region's human capital, said Emilio Pineda, Manager of Institutions for Development at the IDB.
The discussion continues throughout the day with technical sessions, presentations from various organizations, and meetings among authorities responsible for national AI strategies.
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About the IDB
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a member of the IDB Group, is devoted to improving lives across Latin America and the Caribbean. Founded in 1959, the Bank works with the region's public sector to design and enable impactful, innovative solutions for sustainable and inclusive development. Leveraging financing, technical expertise, and knowledge, it promotes grow and well-being in 26 countries. Visit our website: https://www.iadb.org/en
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Original text here: https://www.iadb.org/en/news/costa-rica-and-idb-lead-regional-dialogue-challenges-artificial-intelligence-government
