Shutdown Planning, Security Information, and H-1B Fun

Written By Anne Meeker

Hi caseworkers,

Are we tired of me saying that it’s been a wild week? To anyone fielding H-1B panicked calls over the weekend, we know that you are appreciated, and it means a lot to people that you are there to help figure it out.

It’s a bit of a short news roundup today as we wait to see if Congress will be able to agree on a deal to keep the government open ahead of the end of the fiscal year on September 30. For casework teams, now is a good time to refresh your shutdown plans — just in case. Also just in case: our thoughts are with teams receiving a higher-than-average number of threats right now. We have a roundup of safety tips for district staff if helpful as a starting point.

If you have questions about our work or suggestions for how we can be helpful, please feel free to reply to this email, or reach out to me at anne@popvox.org.

Anne Meeker
Managing Director
POPVOX Foundation

Webinar: Navigating Consumer Protection Casework

Thursday, September 25 // 1-2 PM ET

Constituent complaints involving private companies can be some of the most confusing and “grey-area” casework — but there are clear avenues to direct some of these inquiries to appropriate government agencies, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In this webinar, we’ll hear from former CFPB and FTC CTO Erie Meyer about how these agencies handle consumer complaints, and what Congressional offices should know about the landscape of government resources for consumer protection.

Learn More / Register

Casework News

  • Congratulations to the Haridopolos [R, FL] team on passing $5.4 million in returned benefits!

  • Love this thoughtful commentary from Sen. Curtis [R, UT] on the value of customer service.

  • Some creative outreach happening around the country this week: Rep. Beyer [D, VA]’s team is hosting a financial guidance event for former federal employees;

  • The House Office of the Whistleblower Ombuds has a new resource on whistleblower protections for tech industry employees.

  • The Hill’s Notable Staffers event featured several nice comments about casework from Reps. Raskin [D, MD], Barrasso [R, WY], and Comer [R, KY].

  • The Wall Street Journal covers Republican Members’ efforts to assist constituents in ICE detention.

Agency News

Immigration

  • So, speaking of that H-1B chaos… White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavett did issue a statement (echoed in internal guidance from CBP) that the $100,000 fee only applies to the initial petition, meaning that people currently holding H-1B visas will not be charged for reentry or renewals. The fee will apply in the next lottery cycle.

  • Rep. Pingree [D, ME] sent a letter to DHS flagging reports of attorneys blocked from routine check-ins with clients in ICE detention.

  • Twelve Democratic Senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee sent a letter to SecDef Hegseth raising concerns that using military lawyers as temporary immigration judges violates a ban on the military being used for law enforcement.

  • #AfghanEvac flags that elements of the Enduring Welcome Act have been included in the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s draft State Department reauthorization.

  • The Trump Gold Card officially launched last week, offering a fast track to residency for a $1million contribution. There is also a Platinum option.

Federal Employees

  • GovernmentExecutive has a guide to pay and benefits for Federal employees during a shutdown.

  • In the past, federal agencies have posted their plans for how a shutdown would be implemented publicly in the run-up to a funding deadline; this year, OMB has not yet restored its list of publicly available plans.

  • The Department of the Treasury and GSA have partnered on a joint initiative to reward federal employees who identify wasteful spending with up to $10,000.

  • OPM’s data on retirement processing time shows a slight uptick toward the end of the summer. This is definitely something we’re keeping an eye on as we get closer to the September 30th DRP date for many federal employees.

  • DOGE Caucus chair Rep. Sessions [R, TX} says that DOGE’s work continues, now focused on de-siloing government data and addressing fraudulent payments.

Sept 30 to end paper checks

Keep an eye out for some incoming casework: September 30th is the deadline for federal agencies to stop sending out paper payments, including Social Security benefits, tax refund, etc. There are options for constituents to request an exception, but offices may see some challenges with the switchover.

Our crush on TAS knows no bounds

The Taxpayer Advocate Service has a blog post on the impact of challenges obtaining an EIN, including short timeout windows, system overloads, and waiting periods for requesting verification letters. Many will sound familiar to caseworkers!

Casework Navigator Newsletter

Get tools and tips to level up your casework, as well as the latest casework news and agency updates.

Anne Meeker
Next

Innovation in Action: Highlights from the 2025 Congressional Hackathon