Workforce
Congressional committees tackle bills governing telework, marijuana and labor unions
While a Senate panel advanced bills improving telework data reporting by federal agencies and codifying the end of the restriction on federal employees’ past use of marijuana, its House counterpart advanced controversial bills aimed at busting federal employee unions and adding leading questions to the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.
Pay & Benefits
House passes $3B VA supplemental budget ahead of Friday deadline
The chamber advanced the multi-billion-dollar stopgap bill by voice vote Tuesday evening, giving the Senate three days to pass the legislation to cover a budget shortfall.
Oversight
Task force probing Trump assassination attempt to expand to include Florida incident
“We have a responsibility here in Congress to get down to the bottom of this, to figure out why these things are happening and what we can do about it,” the House speaker said in a statement.
Management
Trump’s second assassination attempt is shocking, but attempts on presidents’ lives are not rare in US history
There have been 45 men elected president since the country’s founding. And 40% of them have experienced known attempts on their lives.
Pay & Benefits
Employees at Latin American aid agency vote to unionize
Workers at the Inter-American Foundation almost unanimously voted to join the American Federation of Government Employees last week amid claims of no in-house human resources and an undermanned staff.
Tech
CISA issues guide to help federal agencies set cybersecurity priorities
The guidance comes as federal civilian agencies are closing in on zero trust deadlines looming at the end of the current fiscal year.
Tech
Senate Dems ask OMB for more regulations, support to mitigate algorithm bias
Sens. Ed Markey and Chuck Schumer are seeking updated guidance and organizational structures to prevent artificial intelligence from discrimination.
Tech
As wildfires burn throughout the West, officials are turning to AI
In California, fire officials began using artificial intelligence last year to scan cameras for smoke.
Workforce
Former executives warn Schedule F poses risk to national security
Even if not maximally pursued initially, experts said the effort to replace nonpartisan workers in policy jobs with political loyalists could make presidential transitions even more precarious.
News
Man arrested after poking rifle onto Trump golf course charged with federal gun crimes
The incident is being investigated as the second assassination attempt against the former president in two months.
Workforce
Intelligence agencies are attracting new talent, but do they have the career development systems to keep them?
Between balancing recruiting fresh, digital-literate talent and upskilling an experienced workforce, agencies in the Intelligence Community also need to ensure they are updating their career development processes to retain both, says former DOD CIO John Sherman.
Workforce
Harris touts skills-based hiring for feds on the campaign trail
The move to skills-based hiring for federal government jobs has been ongoing under the Trump and Biden administrations.
Tech
White House leads public-private commitment to curb AI-based sexually abusive material
Leading private sector companies signed voluntary agreements with the White House to train and monitor their AI models to avoid such misuse.
Management
Trump’s second-term agenda: Breaking the bureaucracy
If elected this fall, Donald Trump's return to Washington would promise a more aggressive—and plausible—campaign to hobble unions, politicize the nonpartisan civil service and remake the federal government in the Republican’s image.
News
Gunshots fired near Trump in Florida; campaign says former president is safe
Secret Service officials said “a protective incident” involving Trump occurred near Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, two months after an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.
Oversight
Lawmakers mull a fraud-focused scorecard for oversight
Agency watchdogs warned lawmakers that their centralized fraud analytics capacity could end next year without congressional action.
Management
'Gross negligence': Shortages in USDA food aid for Native Americans blasted in Congress
House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole said the USDA had failed in its duty to provide “critical food assistance for tribal members and vulnerable senior citizens” for months.
Oversight
Watchdog wants more transparency on DOD’s reprogramming of military pay funds
While GAO did not find that the realignment decreased military benefits, it did urge the Pentagon to provide more information on the funding to Congress.
Management
Voting by mail? Election workers are worried about issues at the Postal Service
State election officials are encouraging people who vote by mail to be proactive about making sure their ballots are counted. Here’s what to know.
Workforce