A Trump administration ban on federal work with Anthropic exists following a Pentagon contract dispute that led to the firm's ouster, but agencies and congressional staff are reportedly bypassing it to access Anthropic's AI tools. Supported reports confirm the ban and sidestepping, while details like specific testing of the Mythos model and outreach efforts remain unverified. Perspectives diverge on whether this reflects resistance to overreach, bureaucratic defiance, or government meddling in markets.