Defense
‘Black Hawk Down’ Veterans to Receive 58 Silver Stars
The Army just upgraded combat medals given to 60 special operators of the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, right as Pentagon officials decide whether to return to Somalia.
Workforce
Federal Wildland Firefighters Will Get Pay Raises
Biden announced a pay raise to at least $15 an hour this year.
Oversight
GovExec Daily: Election Security Amid Threats to Ballot Access
The Alliance for Securing Democracy's David Levine joins the podcast to discuss how elections can be administered after a contentious 2020.
Employee Policy
VA watchdog warns of security risks from undocumented PIV cards
The VHA is at risk of security breaches, due to ongoing failure to follow requirements for documenting returned personal identity verification cards (PIVs), according to an IG report.
Benefits
COVID: GEHA offers $75 vaccine incentive
About 67 percent of the U.S. population over 18 is at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19. Now, yet another federal employee health insurer, the Government Employees Health Association (GEHA), is offering feds a financial incentive to get their shots.
Route Fifty
A 50-year-old Unemployment System (Finally) Nears an Overhaul
Wisconsin officials have said the outdated computer technology contributed to problems processing claims during the pandemic. Now they’re looking for bids to revamp it.
Route Fifty
Better Customer Experience a Priority for State, Local IT Post Pandemic
Experts testified before a U.S. House committee about government digital services, noting the pandemic pushed long-standing information technology issues to the forefront.
Pay & Benefits
Leaving Government Now and Retiring Later
The ins and outs of deferred or postponed retirement.
Workforce
As IRS Prepares for Onslaught of Hiring, Taxpayer Advocate Warns It Is Ill-Prepared
Challenges IRS has faced in the 2021 tax season could get worse without staffing surge and corresponding improvements to hiring processes, watchdog says.
Management
Biden Signs Three Resolutions Undoing ‘Midnight’ Trump Regulations
The regulations are from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Treasury Department and Environmental Protection Agency.
Pay & Benefits
Most Funds in TSP Post Continued Growth in June
Only one portfolio in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program finished last month in the red.
Defense
House Panel Proposes $1M to Start Renaming Bases That Honor Confederates
The renaming commission plans to finalize the list in fall 2022.
Management
Donald Trump Visits Texas to Tour “Unfinished Border Wall” on U.S.-Mexico Border with Gov. Greg Abbott
The former president is toured border Wednesday with Abbott, who has promised to build a state-funded border wall.
Management
Climate Resilience Starts at Home
HUD programs to lower emissions from U.S. residential infrastructure will be critical to meeting the Biden administration’s goals.
Workforce
Report: Positive Trends in Aging, but not for Everyone
A new report indicates many older Americans are better able to handle daily care, particularly women. But, there are disparities.
Oversight
GovExec Daily: How Effective Are Feds During 'Maximum Telework?'
Eric Katz joins the podcast to discuss Rep. Jody Hice's request for information on the pandemic's effect on mission delivery.
Defense
US intelligence report on UFOs: No aliens, but government transparency and desire for better data might bring science to the UFO world
In 2020, Congress ordered a report on UFOs. The nine-page report doesn't say what the 144 sightings from 2004 to 2021 are, but does say that the government wants to learn more.
Employee Policy
WH stresses stakeholder engagement in Evidence Act guidance
The White House has released new guidance for federal agencies requiring department leaders to implement critical evidence-building provisions of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policy Act, nearly three years after its passage.
Retirement
Fed Retirement Fairness Act: "Long overdue"
Now pending in Congress, there’s a bill that would allow feds whose careers started in temporary or seasonal positions to retroactively contribute to their retirement for those intermittent or non-fulltime periods of employment: The Federal Fairness Retirement Act (H.R. 5389).
Workforce