Tech

The White House Will Officially Ban TikTok From Government Devices Within 30 Days

New guidance from the Office of Management and Budget finalizes a congressional push to ban the popular Chinese social networking app from all government devices amid privacy and security concerns.

Pay & Benefits

TSP Portfolios Backslide in February

After a strong start to the year, most of the funds in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program lost ground.

Tech

U.S. Marshals Service Hacked in ‘Major Incident’

This is the second time the agency has been hacked in recent years, adding to a growing number of agencies that have experienced cybersecurity incidents.

Pay & Benefits

Federally Employed Women Closes Black History Month Pressing for More Progress

The group can point to more than a half-century of advocacy, but leaders say equity and inclusion efforts remain critical.

Oversight

The Ohio Train Crash Happened While The Hazardous Material Regulatory Agency Had No Permanent Leader

Courtney Bublé joins the podcast to discuss the derailment and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which has no nominee to lead it.

Management

Archivist Nominee Pledges to Address a Backlog That Stands in the Way of Veterans Getting Benefits

“Of utmost importance to me” is reducing the pandemic-induced pileup of records requests, Colleen Shogan told lawmakers in her second nomination hearing. 

Workforce

Feds Would Face New Hatch Act Restrictions on Their Interactions With Private Companies Under a Committee-Backed Bill

Republicans say the measure would prevent government censorship, despite testimony that social media companies acted without federal coercion.

Pay & Benefits

TSP Recordkeeper Says Things Are Getting Much Better, After a Rocky Transition

Officials from Accenture Federal Services committed Tuesday to working continuously to boost customer satisfaction.

Management

30 Years Later, Waco Siege Still Resonates – Especially among Anti-Government Extremists

Waco has been used as a rallying cry for decades, two scholars of domestic extremism explain.

Oversight

The Spoils System Still Threatens the Civil Service

Donald F. Kettl and Daniel Chenok join the podcast to discuss merit systems and modernization.

Workforce

Federal Pay and Benefits Won’t Be Used as a Bargaining Chip in Debt Ceiling Talks, If NTEU Has Any Say

National Treasury Employees Union National President Tony Reardon said his union is prepared to push for better pay and benefits, as well as to protect federal workers from attacks to their rights and workplace flexibilities.

Oversight

The Supreme Court Will Review the Consumer Protection Agency’s Funding Structure

An appeals court ruled in October that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s funding structure was unconstitutional. 

Management

Could Biden Choose A New Running Mate In 2024?

Some Democrats say he should. Black women say he'd better not.

Tech

GSA Seeks Commercial Procurement Data Solution 

The agency is looking for a dashboard and reporting system that can also check for data errors or inconsistencies.

Management

Biden’s Border Crackdown Explained – a Refugee Law Expert Looks at the Legality and Impact of New Asylum Rule

With the expiration of a pandemic-era restriction, the Biden administration is set to impose a new rule to curtail immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Management

The Federal Workplace Is Changing Rapidly, But Merit Principles Must Remain Untouched

The merit system should be at the core of any reforms agencies make to adapt to fast-changing workplace dynamics.

Management

Safety Net Benefit Access is Uneven

The authors of a new Urban Institute report join the podcast to discuss administrative burdens in public assistance programs

Workforce

Postal Police Won a Grievance, but They're Unlikely to Patrol

An arbitrator overturned a 2020 memo that confined the postal police force to acting solely as building security guards.

Management

A Key Agency in the Ohio Train Derailment Response Hasn’t Had a Confirmed Leader Since Biden Took Office

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is under capable interim leadership, but the lack of a nominee sends a signal about the administration’s priorities, former officials and other observers say.