News
VA launches revamped burn pit registry with automatic enrollment
The upgraded database of veterans exposed to toxic pollutants and trash burn pits came after “extensive feedback” showed the platform was difficult for many retired service members to navigate.
Oversight
IRS program to assist poor taxpayers rarely picks up the phone
TIGTA investigators were unable to leave a message at 16 local Taxpayer Advocate Service offices because their voicemail boxes were full.
Oversight
FDIC leaders let anti-harassment initiatives falter
A recent inspector general report is the latest investigation into shortcomings with the banking regulator’s sexual harassment prevention programs and policies.
Management
New Senate bill aims to codify Chevron deference with congressional intent
Sen. Ron Wyden’s, D-Ore., Restoring Congressional Authority Act would reimpose judicial deference to federal agencies in clarifying regulatory intent after the Supreme Court struck down a 40-year precedent in June.
Workforce
Conservative senator seeks to ban official time at federal agencies
Eliminating federal compensation for unions’ time spent representing employees would shred a decades-old compromise at the heart of federal labor issues.
Tech
Congressional agencies report progress on AI adoption
The House Administration Committee said in the new report that it is also focused “on applying the House’s AI guardrails to the acquisitions process.”
Pay & Benefits
Senate appropriators endorse 2% pay raise for feds next year
With neither chamber in Congress willing to override President Biden, his plan to increase federal workers’ pay by 2% on average appears headed for implementation later this year.
Pay & Benefits
Retirement planning pro-tips for feds
Some crucial tips for every stage of your federal career.
Management
Senate appropriators propose $500 million budget increase for Social Security overhead
The decision to include $14.7 billion for the Social Security Administration’s administrative budget sets up a fight with the House, which is proposing a nearly half billion-dollar cut.
Tech
Hackathon imagines federal agency websites enhanced by artificial intelligence
GSA sponsored Wednesday’s competition, which took place in Washington, D.C., New York City and Atlanta.
Pay & Benefits
TSP boasts strong performance in July
Each of the portfolios in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program gained value last month.
Management
Trump, Harris offer starkly different paths on transportation policy
The next president will decide how best to carry out President Joe Biden’s infrastructure initiatives. They could affect what cars Americans drive, the air they breathe and how easy it is to get a job in construction for transportation projects.
Workforce
A Senate panel has advanced bills codifying skills-based hiring, restricting IG employees’ political activity
Bipartisan legislation would add employees in agency offices of inspectors general to the list of those “further restricted” from political activity under the Hatch Act.
Oversight
The federal judiciary has improved its policies against workplace misconduct, but not at all levels
The GAO found that while the judiciary has taken steps to address workplace misconduct, there are gaps at the circuit level, as well as in measuring effectiveness and data reporting.
Tech
Acting Secret Service head suggests that better tech could have thwarted would-be Trump assassin
Ronald Rowe Jr. told a Senate panel that additional cellular bandwidth and the use of counter-drone technology could have averted the attempted assassination of former President Trump.
Workforce
Democrats demand employee protections after a GAO report reveals sexual misconduct in federal courts
More than 30,000 employees work as law clerks, staff attorneys, office managers and other positions within the federal judiciary, which includes the U.S. Supreme Court, circuit and district courts.
Pay & Benefits
Retiree Annuity Supplement: The icing on your retirement cake
This extra money can provide an income bridge until federal retirees are eligible to start Social Security.
Workforce
Agencies get creative to recruit AI experts
The federal government has hired more than 200 technologists through the national artificial intelligence talent surge, which is one part of President Biden’s AI executive order.
News
House leaders name members of Trump assassination attempt task force
House leaders announced a bipartisan 13-member task force to investigate the July 13 assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump.
Tech