Management
At the National Science Foundation, 'climate change' is disappearing from proposals
As the Trump administration pressures agencies to avoid “woke” language, researchers are reworking how they describe their work to get past federal reviewers and keep projects alive.
Workforce
Top Oversight Dem criticizes OPM’s forced distribution plan for federal worker appraisals
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said that the federal government’s dedicated HR agency failed to sufficiently grapple with past OPM policy or the wealth of research finding that forced distribution models for performance appraisals is counterproductive to organizational health.
Pay & Benefits
TSA workers receive back pay after 4-week delay as DHS shutdown continues
The Homeland Security Department has been shuttered for 45 days as Congress remains at an impasse, making it the longest government shutdown in history.
Management
As the number of political appointees surge and career SES ranks shrink, one nonprofit warns of ‘institutional consequences’
The Trump administration has sought to exert more political influence over the Senior Executive Service, which are the highest-ranking career civil servants.
Management
New contract for background investigations raises concerns about scale and risk
COMMENTARY | As the government expands continuous vetting and increases workload demands, questions are emerging about whether the acquisition approach can support the mission without delays or performance issues.
Defense
Nearly 200 employees could move to Alabama this year under a Space Command plan
April will see the ribbon cut on a new top-secret facility that will serve as its headquarters, its commander told lawmakers.
Workforce
A federal office designed to stave off the next financial crisis is being dismantled by the Trump administration
Upcoming layoffs at the Treasury Department agency will result in an overall workforce reduction of 64%.
Management
Shutdown poised to continue for DHS after House, Senate take diverging paths
A breakthrough appeared early Friday morning but House Republicans appeared to quickly kill it.
Management
Federal contractor DEI initiatives singled out in latest Trump executive order
Trump’s anti-diversity directives already impacted contractors, but the new order imposes additional requirements.
Workforce
‘Blatant disrespect’: Judge contemplates contempt proceedings after VA re-terminated union contract
A federal judge in Rhode Island denied a request from the Trump administration to “moot out” a preliminary injunction preserving the American Federation of Government Employees’ contract with the Veterans Affairs Department.
Tech
Pro-Iran hackers say they breached the FBI director’s email and posted contents online
The leaks appear to be authentic, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Oversight
VA’s former EHR lead indicted for concealing contractor gifts
The Justice Department alleges that John Windom accepted and sometimes demanded various gifts while helming the electronic health record modernization at Veterans Affairs.
Management
Trump moves to pay TSA agents as shutdown talks stall in Congress
Emergency order would cover airport screeners who have gone without full pay since mid-February but not other DHS employees, as lawmakers remain deadlocked on funding.
Management
Education Dept. HQ handed to Energy as Trump advances effort to dismantle agency
Education says it no longer needs the space after slashing half of its workforce.
Tech
Trump names CEOs, nuclear fusion founders and Nobel laureate to tech advisory council
The announcement includes 13 of the possible 24 members that will make up the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Workforce
Federal labor board asserts political control over union elections
Union experts warned the move could set the stage for interference in union elections and determining the size of agency bargaining units.
Pay & Benefits
The Social Security clock is ticking faster than expected
The Social Security problem isn’t new, but the timeline just got shorter, and the fixes are still the same.
Management
GSA just sold a vacant D.C. federal building and says more sales are coming
The Trump administration is undertaking an effort to shrink the size of the federal portfolio.
Management
Minnesota kicks off a legal battle with the Trump administration to hold ICE shooters accountable
With the federal government refusing to identify agents or share evidence, the dispute has become a game of constitutional chicken over states’ rights versus federal immunity, with implications for others hoping to hold agents criminally accountable.
Management