Overview
- OPM director Scott Kupor said on Tuesday that more than 25,000 people registered interest and received the first job postings by email, a figure Reuters has not independently verified.
- The initial cohort targets about 1,000 technologists for two-year assignments on AI and other projects inside federal agencies.
- Placements are planned across departments including Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, and Justice, along with other offices.
- Kupor said participants can take a leave from their employers to become full‑time government workers during the program without divesting stock, with companies agreeing to rehire them afterward.
- Critics, including former acting OPM director Rob Shriver, are pressing for stronger conflict‑of‑interest safeguards given participants’ retained financial ties and guaranteed return to private employers.