Federal Executive Branch
Here's a look at documents from the U.S. Executive Branch
Featured Stories
SEC Bars FTX Auditor Francis Decker Over Improper Conduct
WASHINGTON, April 9 -- The Securities and Exchange Commission on April 8, 2026, instituted public administrative proceedings against Francis Decker, CPA, under "Order Instituting Public Administrative Proceedings Pursuant to Section 4C of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 102(e) of the Commission's Rules of Practice, Making Findings, and Imposing Remedial Sanctions" (File No. 3-22624). Decker, a 61-year-old equity partner at Prager Metis CPAs LLC, New York, led audits of FTX financial statements--once a major global crypto asset trading platform operated by FTX Trading Ltd. and subsidiaries
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WASHINGTON, April 9 -- The Securities and Exchange Commission on April 8, 2026, instituted public administrative proceedings against Francis Decker, CPA, under "Order Instituting Public Administrative Proceedings Pursuant to Section 4C of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 102(e) of the Commission's Rules of Practice, Making Findings, and Imposing Remedial Sanctions" (File No. 3-22624). Decker, a 61-year-old equity partner at Prager Metis CPAs LLC, New York, led audits of FTX financial statements--once a major global crypto asset trading platform operated by FTX Trading Ltd. and subsidiarieslike FTX Digital Markets Ltd., Nassau, New Providence.
Proceedings stem from two audits Decker oversaw: one covering 2020 and part of 2019, issued July 30, 2021, and another for the year ended December 31, 2021, issued April 2, 2022. Prager Metis reports claimed compliance with Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS) and opined that FTX statements presented fairly its financial position under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). In reality, the audits violated GAAS due to Decker's negligent conduct.
Decker lacked understanding of FTX's operations, the crypto asset markets, and its ties to Alameda Research LLC, the trading firm owned by FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried. The engagement team Decker assembled also fell short on competence and experience. This led to failures in client acceptance, staffing, risk assessment--especially the FTX-Alameda relationship involving massive borrowings--and audit documentation. Auditors missed risks tied to the interconnected firms, central to the billions in customer asset misappropriation that triggered FTX's November 2022 collapse and Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
GAAS requires auditors to exercise professional judgment, skepticism, and due care, including scrutinizing related-party transactions for fraud potential. Decker's team issued unsupported opinions without sufficient evidence, finalizing workpapers only after the collapse, against firm policy and GAAS timelines.
Decker submitted an Offer of Settlement, neither admitting nor denying findings except Commission jurisdiction. The order denies him the privilege of appearing or practicing before the SEC as an accountant, effective immediately. He may apply for reinstatement after two years, subject to strict conditions like affidavits, firm statements, and proof of compliance.
The Commission found Decker engaged in improper professional conduct under Section 4C(a)(2) of the Exchange Act and Rule 102(e)(1)(ii).
-- Vidhi Gianani, Targeted News Service
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Original text here: https://www.sec.gov/files/litigation/admin/2026/34-105184.pdf
President Trump Issues Memo on Sequestration Order for FY 2027 Pursuant to Sec. 251a of Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act
WASHINGTON, April 9 -- President Trump issued the following memorandum on April 8, 2026:
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SEQUESTRATION ORDER FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027 PURSUANT TO SECTION 251A OF THE BALANCED BUDGET AND EMERGENCY DEFICIT CONTROL ACT, AS AMENDED
By the authority vested in me as President by the laws of the United States of America, and in accordance with section 251A of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act (the "Act"), as amended, 2 U.S.C. 901a, I hereby order that, on October 1, 2026, direct spending budgetary resources for fiscal year 2027 in each non-exempt budget account be reduced by the
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WASHINGTON, April 9 -- President Trump issued the following memorandum on April 8, 2026:
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SEQUESTRATION ORDER FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027 PURSUANT TO SECTION 251A OF THE BALANCED BUDGET AND EMERGENCY DEFICIT CONTROL ACT, AS AMENDED
By the authority vested in me as President by the laws of the United States of America, and in accordance with section 251A of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act (the "Act"), as amended, 2 U.S.C. 901a, I hereby order that, on October 1, 2026, direct spending budgetary resources for fiscal year 2027 in each non-exempt budget account be reduced by theamount calculated by the Office of Management and Budget in its report to the Congress of April 3, 2026.
All sequestrations shall be made in strict accordance with the requirements of section 251A of the Act and the specifications of the Office of Management and Budget's report of April 3, 2026, prepared pursuant to section 251A(9) of the Act.
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Original text here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/04/sequestration-order-for-fiscal-year-2027-pursuant-to-section-251a-of-the-balanced-budgetand-emergency-deficit-control-act-as-amended/
Oak Ridge Activity Report for Week Ending March 13, 2026
WASHINGTON, April 9 -- The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Resident Inspector at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following activity report for the week ending March 13, 2026:
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TO: Technical Director
FROM: Oak Ridge Resident Inspectors
SUBJECT: Oak Ridge Activity Report for Week Ending March 13, 2026
Building 9212: A resident inspector (RI) observed the management self-assessment of calciner operations being conducted in preparation for readiness activities (see 3/6/2026 report). The demonstrations included a response to a simulated abnormal operating condition that
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WASHINGTON, April 9 -- The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Resident Inspector at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following activity report for the week ending March 13, 2026:
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TO: Technical Director
FROM: Oak Ridge Resident Inspectors
SUBJECT: Oak Ridge Activity Report for Week Ending March 13, 2026
Building 9212: A resident inspector (RI) observed the management self-assessment of calciner operations being conducted in preparation for readiness activities (see 3/6/2026 report). The demonstrations included a response to a simulated abnormal operating condition thatrequired shift manager participation and a limiting condition for operation entry. During the observation, a can lid from a separate concurrent evolution fell from the level above and struck the floor. CNS filed an occurrence report for a near miss and plans to hold an event investigation on the issue.
Building 9204-2E: CNS issued a work package to replace a failed horn in the new criticality accident alarm system this week. An RI attended the pre-job briefing and reviewed the work package, post-maintenance test, and associated procedure. The RI determined that the work package did not directly link to the procedure needed for the operation of the system or to the method to test it after the horn replacement. The RI discussed these issues with the system engineer and operations manager, who subsequently paused the work to revise the work package.
CNS would benefit from additional oversight during first-use operations to ensure work packages invoke, and properly align with, the guiding procedures (see 2/27/2026 report).
YFO Oversight: YFO issued the first-period triannual issues management meeting (TIMM) report. Two emerging items of interest (EII) include "Untimely and Ineffective Corrective Actions" and "CNS Maintenance Performance Measures", carried forward from previous TIMM reports. YFO identified the EII about corrective actions to address the misalignment between CNS and YFO on the way issues are categorized and subsequently resolved. CNS plans to conduct a focus-group session with YFO subject matter experts to gather feedback enabling procedural changes that will address the disconnect. The YFO maintenance program manager will hold the other EII open until CNS submits an efficiency roadmap that addresses the final concern related to the lack of control of maintenance cost-performance measures. Resolution of these EIIs will enable YFO to perform oversight in a more effective manner, with clear expectations and trackable results.
National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA): NNSA released the Performance
Evaluation Report for CNS's performance during fiscal year 2025. The evaluation was released as part of NNSA's annual review of management and operating contractors across the nuclear security enterprise. NNSA uses the yearly Performance Evaluation and Measurement Plan to assess performance and assign scores. CNS received a score of 92. NNSA pointed to several CNS achievements as justification for the high score, such as the downgrade of Building 9206 from a hazard category 2 nuclear facility to a classification of below hazard category 3, and the completion of site separation from Pantex ahead of the original baseline schedule (see 4/5/2024 report). NNSA also recognized several areas for improvement. For example, NNSA stated that attention is needed to address fundamental weaknesses in maintenance performance.
In addition, NNSA noted that the backlog of fire-protection compensatory measures is unacceptably high, negatively impacting the Fire Protection Program effectiveness.
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Original text here: https://www.dnfsb.gov/sites/default/files/2026-04/Oak%20Ridge%20Week%20Ending%20March%2013%202026_0.pdf
National Park Service: Great Smoky Mountains National Park Begins 2026 Season of Adaptive Programming
WASHINGTON, April 9 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service issued the following news release on April 8, 2026:
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park Begins 2026 Season of Adaptive Programming
GATLINBURG, Tenn.--Great Smoky Mountains National Park will begin its 2026 season of adaptive programming this spring with ranger led experiences designed for visitors with limited mobility and their families.
This year's lineup includes hiking, biking, fly fishing and one overnight backcountry camping trip:
* May 9: Fly fishing with Trout Unlimited (Tennessee)
* June 5:
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WASHINGTON, April 9 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service issued the following news release on April 8, 2026:
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park Begins 2026 Season of Adaptive Programming
GATLINBURG, Tenn.--Great Smoky Mountains National Park will begin its 2026 season of adaptive programming this spring with ranger led experiences designed for visitors with limited mobility and their families.
This year's lineup includes hiking, biking, fly fishing and one overnight backcountry camping trip:
* May 9: Fly fishing with Trout Unlimited (Tennessee)
* June 5:Night hike on Little River Trail (Tennessee)
* June 20: Hike on the Oconaluftee River Trail (North Carolina)
* July 11: Bike Deep Creek and Indian Creek Trails (North Carolina)
* September 16: Bike Cades Cove Loop (Tennessee)
* September 26-27: Hike Cooper Road Trail and camp at backcountry campsite #1 (Tennessee)
* October 24: Hike on Porter's Creek Trail (Tennessee)
Great Smoky Mountains National Park has offered adaptive ranger-led experiences since 2023 in collaboration with Catalyst Sports, Knox County and Friends of the Smokies. This year's programming includes a fishing experience in collaboration with Trout Unlimited.
Register for the programs and find more information at Catalyst Sports. Participants must register to ensure equipment and volunteers are available for the programs. Catalyst Sports provides a variety of equipment for participants who do not have their own adaptive equipment to use during the programs.
In addition to these scheduled programs, four GRIT Freedom Chairs, a type of manual off-road wheelchair, will be available for visitors to check out free of charge for use on select park trails. Adult and child-sized chairs are available for individuals with core body strength and head control. Visit the park website for information on trail accessibility and trip planning.
Volunteering for adaptive programs
Opportunities for visitors of all abilities are made possible with the help of volunteers. If you would like to receive adaptive equipment volunteer training, email Ranger Katie Corrigan to register for the May 20 training.
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About the National Park Service. Established in 1916, the National Park Service preserves America's most treasured natural and cultural places for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of current and future generations. Learn more at nps.gov.
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Original text here: https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/news/great-smoky-mountains-national-park-begins-2026-season-of-adaptive-programming.htm
How Argonne Scientists Are Paving the Way for Faster, Smarter Electronics
ARGONNE, Illinois, April 9 -- The U.S. Department of Energy Argonne National Laboratory issued the following news release:
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How Argonne scientists are paving the way for faster, smarter electronics
Breakthrough findings offer new insight into spintronics to enable faster, smaller and more efficient devices
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Argonne research takes next leap in computing by mastering magnetism one atom at a time.
Data is growing at a staggering pace, pushing charge based microelectronics, such as smartphones and laptops, to their physical limits.
Spintronics -- technology that uses electron spin rather
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ARGONNE, Illinois, April 9 -- The U.S. Department of Energy Argonne National Laboratory issued the following news release:
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How Argonne scientists are paving the way for faster, smarter electronics
Breakthrough findings offer new insight into spintronics to enable faster, smaller and more efficient devices
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Argonne research takes next leap in computing by mastering magnetism one atom at a time.
Data is growing at a staggering pace, pushing charge based microelectronics, such as smartphones and laptops, to their physical limits.
Spintronics -- technology that uses electron spin ratherthan charge -- avoids the limits of conventional electronics by switching information with very little energy, holding states without power and enabling extremely dense data storage.
Electrons possess a property called spin, which gives each one a tiny magnetic field that can point up or down, like a miniature compass needle. Because these magnetic orientations encode information, advancing spintronics requires controlling electron spins at the nanoscale -- the scale of structures thousands of times thinner than a human hair.
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"AI's growth is pushing the limits of today's microelectronics, and spintronics could enable faster, smaller, more efficient devices to meet the demand." - Amanda Petford-Long, materials science researcher emeritus and Argonne Distinguished Fellow
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Van der Waals magnets -- ultrathin materials that can be peeled into layers only a few atoms thick -- are ideal building blocks for spintronic devices, which rely on controlling electron spins and magnetic states at very small scales. Van der Waals magnets offer a powerful new platform for next generation electronics and data storage technologies.
In groundbreaking new research, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory reveal how magnetic domains behave inside these 2D van der Waals magnets. This finding provides a roadmap for designing and tuning future spin based technologies.
"AI's growth is pushing the limits of today's microelectronics. Spintronics could enable faster, smaller, more efficient devices to meet the demand," said Amanda Petford-Long, materials science researcher emeritus, an Argonne Distinguished Fellow and a co-author of the study published in Advanced Functional Materials.
A key part of the study involved examining the underlying structure of magnetic materials at the domain level.
"Magnetic domains are regions where a material's magnetization points in one direction or another -- like tiny north-south poles. The team examined how these regions align and how they change under different external conditions," said Charudatta Phatak, interim director and group leader in Argonne's Materials Science division and a study co-author.
Specifically, scientists sought to understand how changing the thickness of a nanoscale magnetic material affects its domains. This includes how those domains form and switch and how thickness influences their density and size.
"The goal is to identify the parameters that control the spins in the material -- specifically sample thickness and applied magnetic field," said Jennifer Garland, a Northwestern University visiting graduate student at Argonne and a lead author of the study.
"Thickness strongly influences magnetic behavior. That means mapping these changes is essential for predicting and engineering the material's properties," said Phatak.
Direct imaging of magnetic patterns at the nanoscale
Researchers studied Fe3GeTe2 (FGT), a van der Waals ferromagnet known for its strong magnetic properties and potential for spintronic applications. Because FGT is only magnetic at very low temperatures, researchers cooled the sample with liquid nitrogen to about minus 50 degrees Celsius (around 100 Kelvin).
Scientists applied a magnetic field during this cooling process, known as field cooling. This allowed scientists to produce well defined magnetic patterns and generate different domain states on demand.
Each domain pattern exposed new details about how spins organize at the nanoscale. Previously, scientists had to infer a material's domain structure from its overall magnetization. To probe these behaviors in even greater detail, scientists turned to direct imaging of how magnetic patterns evolve inside ultrathin materials using cryogenic Lorentz Transmission Electron Microscopy (cryo LTEM) at the Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM), a DOE Office of Science user facility at Argonne. Cryo-LTEM is a technique that images magnetic structures in materials while they are cooled to cryogenic temperatures.
Researchers imaged a single flake of FGT and tracked its magnetic structures in real time during magnetization reversal.
Scientists discovered how material thickness and applied magnetic fields govern skyrmion size, density and evolution in the FGT magnet. Skyrmions are tiny magnetic whirlpools formed by twisting electron spins. They are incredibly small, remarkably stable and require very little energy to move.
"The overarching goal is to learn how to precisely control skyrmions so they can potentially be used in advanced, high density information technologies," said Garland.
This finding is essential for shrinking skyrmions so they can match the tiny dimensions of today's electronic components.
Micromagnetic simulations from collaborators at the University of Edinburgh (U.K.) reproduced the flake's magnetic behavior and closely matched the cryo LTEM experimental results. The simulations were performed and analyzed using Argonne's high performance computing resources.
Argonne unlocks new pathways for spintronics
Essentially, Argonne's work offers a roadmap that allows scientists to predict the resulting domain patterns and their behavior for any given thickness and cooling conditions.
Mastering magnetism in atomically thin materials brings spin based, energy efficient computing closer to reality.
"If engineers can reliably tune skyrmion size and density, they can begin building the kinds of spintronic technologies that have long been imagined. Those with ultra dense memory, low power processors and magnetic storage far beyond the capabilities of today's hard drives," said Phatak.
Besides Garland, Phatak and Petford-Long, other study authors are John Fullerton and Yue Li from Argonne; PeiYu Cai from the University of Edinburgh; Elton Santos from the University of Edinburgh and the Donostia International Physics Center (Spain); and Rabindra Basnet, Santosh Karki Chhetri and Jin Hu from the University of Arkansas.
This work, including use of the CNM, was supported by DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences. Some computing resources were provided on Swing, a high performance computing cluster operated by the Laboratory Computing Resource Center at Argonne. Garland's work was supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.
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About Argonne's Center for Nanoscale Materials
The Center for Nanoscale Materials is one of the five DOE Nanoscale Science Research Centers, premier national user facilities for interdisciplinary research at the nanoscale supported by the DOE Office of Science. Together the NSRCs comprise a suite of complementary facilities that provide researchers with state-of-the-art capabilities to fabricate, process, characterize and model nanoscale materials, and constitute the largest infrastructure investment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative. The NSRCs are located at DOE's Argonne, Brookhaven, Lawrence Berkeley, Oak Ridge, Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories. For more information about the DOE NSRCs, please visit https://science.osti.gov/User-Facilities/User-Facilities-at-a-Glance.
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Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology by conducting leading-edge basic and applied research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.
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The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science.
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Original text here: https://www.anl.gov/article/how-argonne-scientists-are-paving-the-way-for-faster-smarter-electronics
FEMA Supports Survivors at SBA Disaster Loan Outreach Center in Anchorage
WASHINGTON, April 9 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release on April 8, 2026:
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FEMA Supports Survivors at SBA Disaster Loan Outreach Center in Anchorage
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -FEMA will now support survivors at the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Disaster Loan Outreach Center (DLOC) in Anchorage and Bethel. Alaskan residents, impacted by the October severe storms, flooding and remnants of Typhoon Halong can visit these centers to meet with FEMA and SBA staff, ask questions about their application, upload required
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WASHINGTON, April 9 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release on April 8, 2026:
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FEMA Supports Survivors at SBA Disaster Loan Outreach Center in Anchorage
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -FEMA will now support survivors at the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Disaster Loan Outreach Center (DLOC) in Anchorage and Bethel. Alaskan residents, impacted by the October severe storms, flooding and remnants of Typhoon Halong can visit these centers to meet with FEMA and SBA staff, ask questions about their application, upload requireddocuments and receive further guidance.
SBA offers long-term, low interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, private nonprofit organizations, and businesses of all sizes. SBA disaster loans have very favorable terms with fixed interest rates and automatic 12-month payment deferment with 0% interest for the first 12 months.
Anchorage DLOC #3 - Nordic-Calista Building
375 West 36th Avenue, Suite 300
Anchorage, AK 99504
Monday - Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Alaskans may also get on-site assistance with their FEMA application.
Bethel DLOC - Bethel City Hall - Meeting Rm.
300 Chief Eddie Hoffman Hwy.
Bethel, AK 99559
Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Alaskans may also get on-site assistance with their FEMA application from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays:
Aspen Suites Hotel Anchorage North
624 Rodeo Place
Room 141
Anchorage, AK 99508
Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Survivors will continue to be able to connect with FEMA staff through FEMA's Alaska Call Center at 1-866-342-1699 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, to answer questions about their application and receive further guidance.
If you applied for FEMA disaster assistance, it is important to stay in touch with FEMA about your disaster assistance application. If you disagree with FEMA's decision, you have 60 days from the date of your decision letter to make an appeal.
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FEMA is committed to ensuring disaster assistance is accomplished impartially, without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, English proficiency, or economic status. Any disaster survivor or member of the public may contact the FEMA Civil Rights Office if they feel that they have a complaint of discrimination. FEMA's Civil Rights Office can be contacted at FEMA-OCR-ECRD@fema.dhs.gov or toll-free at 833-285-7448.
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Original text here: https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20260408/fema-supports-survivors-sba-disaster-loan-outreach-center-anchorage
BLS: Student Loan Repayment Was Available to 7 Percent of Civilian Workers in March 2025
WASHINGTON, April 9 (TNSLrpt) -- The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the following document on April 8, 2026, from Economics Daily:
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Student loan repayment was available to 7 percent of civilian workers in March 2025
Access to student loan repayment was available to 7 percent of civilian workers in 2025. When workers were classified by wage category, just 4 percent of those in the lowest 25 percent of earnings had student loan repayment benefits available. Six percent of workers in the second 25 percent of wage earners had access to student loan repayment, while
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WASHINGTON, April 9 (TNSLrpt) -- The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the following document on April 8, 2026, from Economics Daily:
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Student loan repayment was available to 7 percent of civilian workers in March 2025
Access to student loan repayment was available to 7 percent of civilian workers in 2025. When workers were classified by wage category, just 4 percent of those in the lowest 25 percent of earnings had student loan repayment benefits available. Six percent of workers in the second 25 percent of wage earners had access to student loan repayment, whilethe benefit was available to 9 percent of workers in the third highest quarter of earners. Eleven percent of workers in the top quarter of wage earners had student loan repayment benefits available.
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Chart: Percent of workers with access to student loan repayment, by average wage category, 2025
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Data on access to student loan repayment benefits is also available by industry. Five percent of workers in goods-producing industries had access to student loan repayment, while 8 percent of workers in service-providing industries had the benefit available. Within service-providing industries, 6 percent of workers in educational services had student loan repayment benefits, while nine percent of workers in junior colleges, colleges, universities, and professional schools had access. Twenty-two percent of hospital workers had access to student loan repayment in 2025.
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Chart: Percent of workers with access to student loan repayment, selected industries, 2025
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These data are from the National Compensation Survey -- Benefits (https://www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/) program. For more information, see "Employee Benefits in the United States -- March 2025 (https://www.bls.gov/ebs/publications/employee-benefits-in-the-united-states-march-2025.htm)." We also have more charts (https://www.bls.gov/charts/employee-benefits/) on employee benefits.
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SUGGESTED CITATION
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Student loan repayment was available to 7 percent of civilian workers in March 2025 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2026/student-loan-repayment-was-available-to-7-percent-of-civilian-workers-in-march-2025.htm (visited April 09, 2026).
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View original text plus charts and tables here: https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2026/student-loan-repayment-was-available-to-7-percent-of-civilian-workers-in-march-2025.htm
