Pay & Benefits
TSP funds kept climbing in May
Each of the portfolios in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program gained value last month.
Management
Federal reform efforts keep repeating the same pattern. Tennessee offers a different model
COMMENTARY | A federal Pay Agent report and Tennessee’s civil service overhaul highlight a familiar problem: reform depends less on policy design than on management capacity and execution.
Workforce
OPM moves to allow agencies to promote workers faster
Officials said the nearly 80-year-old requirement that federal employees serve in their current positions for at least one year before they may be promoted is “outdated.”
Management
Bipartisan IRS whistleblower reform bill gains momentum in Senate after House approval
The IRS said that it has collected around $7.5 billion due to whistleblowers since 2007.
Oversight
GSA joins White House’s fraud prevention task force
The agency said it will support the unit’s efforts by identifying waste, fraud and abuse across government contracting programs.
Tech
Tech Force set out to hire 1,000 technologists last year. It’s onboarded 10 so far
The effort is meant to infuse the government with young engineers, cyber and data workers. It follows the loss of almost 20,000 technology workers through the Trump administration’s efforts to downsize the workforce last year.
Tech
Lacking data policy is more than a research problem, it's a government performance problem
COMMENTARY | The ongoing erosion of the federal statistical system, marked by broken time series and a workforce crisis, threatens government capacity to serve the public.
Updated
Oversight
Citing legal requirement, senator wants a designated inspector general to provide oversight of Iran war
The Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency is required to select an IG to oversee reviews when a military “overseas contingency operation” surpasses 60 days.
Pay & Benefits
What retiring feds should do before asking for help
Clear timelines, complete records and focused questions can make retirement problems easier to resolve, especially as agencies face mounting workloads.
Tech
Top White House cyber policy official to soon depart
Alexandra Seymour currently serves as principal deputy assistant national cyber director for policy in the Office of the National Cyber Director.
Oversight
Labor oversight official faces ethics complaint for apparent congressional campaign moves
While Anthony D'Esposito decided not to run for his former House seat, federal employees are not permitted to be candidates in partisan elections, which includes taking preliminary actions for a campaign.
Defense
House draft of defense policy bill leaves some of Trump admin’s top priorities unfunded
The draft bill doesn’t include reconciliation dollars.
Oversight
Someone robbed the SEC during the shutdown
An individual has been arrested, but the stolen materials have not been recovered.
Workforce
Supreme Court rejects lower court bid to review immigration judge gag order
Justices reversed an appeals court decision that would have greenlit a fact-finding expedition into whether President Trump had effectively nullified review of personnel policies under the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act.
Management
Disability advocates sue over website accessibility delays
The National Federation of the Blind sued the departments of Justice and Health and Human Services after a rule requiring government websites to be accessible was delayed for a year.
Workforce
They were told they’d move on. A year later, many fired federal employees say they haven’t been able to
A group of former federal probationary employees surveyed more than 300 of their fired colleagues to assess their job searches, mental health and several other topics.
Workforce
OPM proposes requiring all feds to sign an NDA
Experts warned the measure, when combined with the federal HR agency’s new power to target employees’ suitability for federal employment, creates a new pathway for Trump administration officials to purge those deemed insufficiently loyal to the president.
Management
Beekeepers are losing a key USDA backstop at the worst possible time
As colony losses mount and pollinator research faces broader cuts, the planned closure of the Beltsville Bee Research Lab threatens a critical line of support for the nation’s food system.
Oversight
FAA surges medical staff after whistleblower alleges issues with certifying pilots and controllers
Hundreds of pilots may have been flying without proper medical clearance, the whistleblower had alleged.
Management