Oversight

Many More Secret Service Employees Tested Positive for COVID-19 Than Previously Known

A report from a nonprofit group shows nearly 900 cases in the first year of the pandemic.

Defense

‘This May Not Be The Big One’: Army Scientists Warn of Deadlier Pandemics to Come

The service is closing in on a “pan-coronavirus” vaccine and on synthetic antibodies that could protect a population before spread. But that may not be enough.

Management

GovExec Daily: The Pandemic and the ‘Summer of Freedom’

Courtney Bublé joins the podcast to discuss the upcoming D.C. July 4 celebration and other COVID-19 stories.

Employee Policy

DOD watchdog says DDS director didn't mistreat employees

DOD investigators report they did not find evidence to support allegations of workplace bullying by outgoing Defense Digital Service Director Brett Goldstein.

Employee Policy

VHA: Bargaining rights within reach

Collective bargaining rights remain denied to tens of thousands of Veterans Health Administration doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers. But the VA Employee Fairness Act bill, passed by the House Veterans Affairs Committee, could change all that.

Route Fifty

Segregation Has Grown Worse in Most Big Metros, Analysis Finds

"These findings were as startling as they were disturbing," says one of the study authors.

Oversight

Watchdog: Army Corps of Engineers Should Reevaluate Border Contracting Strategies 

The agency said while President Trump’s border emergency was “largely undefined,” it’s considering changes for emergency responses. 

Nextgov

Deputy Defense Secretary Says JEDI Cloud Update Coming Soon

Kathleen Hicks said the department will choose a path forward for enterprise cloud soon.

Management

Union: SBA Is Preventing Temporary Workers from Organizing

Although the Small Business Administration advertised temporary two-year positions processing Paycheck Protection Program loans as belonging to a bargaining unit, the agency stripped the jobs of that status after AFGE inquired about job conditions.

Management

The Battle for the Public Service Is Just Beginning

We are in the midst of a critical debate over the future of the federal workforce.

Workforce

Coronavirus Roundup: OSHA COVID-19 Standard Takes Effect; Biden Seeks Permanent HHS Inspector General

There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s today’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.

Defense

Texas Empties Prison to Prepare to Detain Immigrants Arrested During Ramped-Up Border Enforcement

The prison — Dolph Briscoe Unit in Dilley — will have capacity for about 1,000 people.

Workforce

GovExec Daily: What Feds Need to Know About Coming Back to Hybrid Offices

Attorney Stephanie Rapp-Tully joins the podcast to discuss the return to offices.

Employee Policy

SBA sidesteps union rights

Employees at SBA played a key role in easing the economic impact of the COVID emergency, especially in managing the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that kept millions of businesses afloat. Yet many who were promised union protections have been denied their collective bargaining rights.

Employee Policy

POGO: IG vacancies raise concerns

Across federal agencies, inspectors general provide needed oversight, both deterring and investigating waste and fraud. But nowadays, according to the watchdog Project on Government Oversight, far too many permanent IG slots remain vacant for months or, in many cases, longer.

Employee Policy

NAPA panel on telework's impacts

The National Academy of Public Administration is inviting feds to join in, via Zoom, on a June 30 panel event on the future of telework, and its impacts on businesses and communities that surround federal workplaces.

Nextgov

NSA: Test Unified Communications Patches Before Installing

Guidance from the National Security Agency aims to protect communications carried over the internet from eavesdropping, denial-of-service attacks and other dangers.

Workforce

Embassy on Near Lockdown After Mass COVID-19 Outbreak Among Staff

At least 114 employees at the U.S. embassy in Kabul have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Oversight

Republicans Call for Hearing on Possible IRS Leak of Personal Taxpayer Information

Federal agencies took immediate action to investigate how a news organization got ahold of the sensitive information.