Workforce
OPM clarifies that agencies should not violate court orders to terminate union contracts
A memo last week tasking agencies with pushing forward implementation of a pair of executive orders aimed at stripping two-thirds of the federal workforce of their collective bargaining rights briefly aroused fears that they would violate a series of court orders.
Tech
Targeted AI adoption can drive change, current and former officials say
Agencies “don't need the fanciest AI model on the marketplace” to enhance their customer-facing operations, according to former VA Chief Experience Officer John Boerstler.
Management
Contract reviews continue at OMB, official says
Deputy Director for Management Eric Ueland emphasized the need for CIOs to be empowered “at the beginning of conversations” for IT contracts.
Management
VA doesn't know how many calls its answering or how long veterans are waiting to get through
The department's failure to track call data is putting "veterans who may need timely and critical care at risk," the inspector general finds.
Sponsor Content
90-Day Federal Retirement Countdown: Your Checklist
Retiring from federal service? This 90-day checklist guides you through paperwork, benefits decisions, and TSP planning for a smooth, confident transition.
Management
RFK Jr. made promises in order to become Health Secretary. He’s broken many of them
Before being confirmed to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told U.S. senators he would not cut funding for vaccine research or change the nation’s official vaccine recommendations. He did both.
Management
Federal CIO tapped for dual-hatted role at GSA
Greg Barbaccia will serve as the acting Technology Transformation Services director and senior advisor to the administrator at GSA, while its previous lead, Thomas Shedd, will remain with the agency in another role.
Pay & Benefits
Federal workers delay retirement as savings gaps persist
A survey shows most workers expect to retire at 65 or later, but many haven’t calculated savings for health care or emergencies.
Sponsor Content
From Ambition to Action: Modernizing Federal Healthcare IT
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Workforce
Postal Service sets up mental health peer support program for its law enforcement officers
The mental health of federal law enforcement employees has been a focus of lawmakers in recent years.
FEATURED INSIGHTS
Workforce
OPM finalizes Biden-era reg revamping federal hiring of college students
The Trump administration made only minor tweaks to a 2021 interim rule aimed at encouraging agencies to hire students still at school to part-time jobs and eventually convert them to permanent posts.
Management
Democrats sound alarm on Interior reorg's impact on wildfires, land management
Unauthorized shifts to staffing could leave DOI agencies underresourced for critical duties, lawmakers say.
Management
Despite court order, a critical FEMA program remains frozen
Months after a judge ordered the Trump administration to restore climate adaptation grants, FEMA insiders say the agency hasn’t budged.
TSP TICKER
FUND
G
F
C
S
I
FEB 20 CLOSE
$19.7056
$21.1539
$110.7221
$104.7280
$61.5476
DAILY CHANGE
0.0023
0.0011
0.7661
-0.0472
0.5714
THIS MONTH (%)
0.23
1.10
-0.34
1.84
4.70
FUND
L 2070
L 2060
L 2050
L 2040
L 2030
L INCOME
FEB 20 CLOSE
$13.3134
$22.4652
$43.2763
$70.3080
$59.8875
$29.7742
DAILY CHANGE
0.0896
0.1511
0.2413
0.3453
0.2353
0.0583
THIS MONTH (%)
1.69
1.68
1.49
1.34
1.12
0.69
FUND
FEB 20
CLOSE
CLOSE
DAILY
CHANGE
CHANGE
THIS
MONTH
MONTH
G
$19.7056
0.0023
0.23
F
$21.1539
0.0011
1.10
C
$110.7221
0.7661
-0.34
S
$104.7280
-0.0472
1.84
I
$61.5476
0.5714
4.70
L 2070
$13.3134
0.0896
1.69
L 2060
$22.4652
0.1511
1.68
L 2050
$43.2763
0.2413
1.49
L 2040
$70.3080
0.3453
1.34
L 2030
$59.8875
0.2353
1.12
L INCOME
$29.7742
0.0583
0.69
Oversight
Amid immigration agent hiring surge, watchdog flags shortages on the U.S.-Canada border
Only 77% of surveillance specialist openings were filled at the end of fiscal 2024, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report.
Pay & Benefits
Air traffic controller pay raise stalled by DHS shutdown
A House appropriations bill that previously authorized a 3.8% pay raise for air traffic controllers remains on hold as Senate Democrats continue to call for immigration policy reforms.
Management
Lawmaker pitches blueprint for post-DOGE privacy overhaul
Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., wants to redo the government's main privacy law to ensure people’s information is “handled responsibly” when in government hands.
Workforce
Unions oppose a Trump labor nominee over lack of experience, hostility toward bargaining
Conservative lawyer Charlton Allen has no prior experience in labor-management relations, but said he opposed collective bargaining rights for state workers in North Carolina as a political candidate in 2012.
Oversight
Indian Affairs regional employees have more work and fewer people to do it, watchdog reports
Officials from one region said that Trump staff cuts impaired a response to a wildland fire, while others characterized disbursing Inflation Reduction Act funds as an “unfunded mandate.”
Management
Senators demand to know the IRS’ path forward following the end of Direct File
The IRS ended the online, direct-to-government filing program last fall and is doubling down on the free tax filing options it offers through tax prep companies in a partnership called Free File.
Management
OMB is hiring for a deputy federal chief information officer
“If you know how to run large systems, cut through noise, and turn strategy into execution across government scale, this is that job,” Federal CIO Gregory Barbaccia said about the search for his deputy.
Workforce
OPM instructs agencies to terminate union contracts potentially in violation of court orders
A smattering of agencies implicated in President Trump’s executive orders barring labor representation for two-thirds of the federal workforce had held off on formally terminating their collective bargaining agreements due to injunctions barring the edicts’ implementation.
Updated
Oversight
‘My dream job has turned into a nightmare’: Ex-feds and public service experts testify to Congress on how to rebuild government post-Trump
Some recommendations that several Democratic lawmakers and advocates brought up included overturning Schedule Policy/Career, restoring collective bargaining rights for the federal workforce and increasing congressional oversight.
Management
DHS to shut down after lawmakers, White House fail to reach agreement on funding and reforms
Most non-ICE, non-CBP employees are now facing potentially delayed paychecks.
Exclusive
Management
‘Suicide is only one option': Social Security staff newly assigned to phone duties raise concerns over training
Experts and SSA employees question wisdom of telling callers in crisis that suicide is an option.
Defense
The clearance system is mission infrastructure. Treat it like one
COMMENTARY | Clearance reform is not optional. Without sustained leadership and consistent execution, government modernization risks undermining the trusted workforce it depends on.
