Workforce

Coronavirus Roundup: High-Ranking State Dept. Official Tests Positive; Career FDA Leader Says Americans Can Trust the Vaccine Process

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

Management

The Speed of Workforce Change Is Undermining the Civil Service

Personnel practices rooted in blue collar work from the last century continue to hold government back.

Oversight

Records Show Trump’s Border Wall Is Costing Taxpayers Billions More Than Initial Contracts

As the presidential election nears, a review of federal spending data found modifications to contracts have increased the price of the border wall by billions, costing about five times more per mile than it did under previous administrations.

Defense

Raytheon Sheds People, Offices, Divisions as Pandemic Crushes Commercial Sector

The company’s defense business is one bright light.

Workforce

GovExec Daily: The Problem with the Diversity Training Executive Order

Stan Soloway joins the podcast to discuss how the order conflicts with the government's role in promoting civil rights and inclusion.

Route Fifty

Judge Strikes Down Michigan Ban on Open Carrying Guns at Polls

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | New report warns of increased militia activity … A Nevada county and airport fined by state for President Trump’s rally violating Covid rules … Pandemic negotiations falter before election.

Route Fifty

These State Legislative Chambers Are Most Likely to Flip Blue

Democrats could take control in a handful of states, including North Carolina and Texas. But it won't be easy.

Route Fifty

1-in-4 Adults Say Household Finances Deteriorated From March to September

New survey data from the Urban Institute presents these and other troubling findings about how many Americans are faring economically as the coronavirus pandemic wears on.

Workforce

Federal Employees Donate $1.8M in Presidential Race, Mostly to Biden

Those contributing to Trump’s campaign overwhelmingly came from the Defense and Homeland Security departments.

Nextgov

DOD’s First Agreement with Accreditation Body on Contractor Cybersecurity Nears End

Lead official grapples with the challenge of resourcing a federally funded research and development center to act as a gateway for the Pentagon’s certification program. 

Management

Global Media Agency CEO Revokes Regulation Clarifying ‘Firewall’ Protecting Journalistic Integrity

The move is at most symbolic and a "weird Hail Mary" days ahead of the presidential election, said a whistleblower attorney. 

Insights

GBC Playbook: The Future of .GOV and the People's Code

Insights from a Survey of Public Sector Website Owners and Developers

Management

Union Sues and Democrats Introduce Bill to Block Trump Order Politicizing Civil Service

As opponents of the president’s effort to convert chunks of the federal workforce into at-will employees kick off their efforts to stop the initiative, the administration has signaled that agencies can push forward ahead of schedule.

Nextgov

Lawmaker Proposes Federal Institute of Technology and New Contracting Set-Aside

The 21st Century Jobs Package would create a federal agency for training the workforce of the future and incentivize federal contracting officials to buy from vendors who hire rural American workers.

Management

It’s Time to Fix the Frayed Relationships Feds Have With States and Localities

Program implementation is as important as underlying policy. A new focus on intergovernmental collaboration could foster innovation and improve outcomes.

Management

Pamela Wright On Leading Digital Innovation at the National Archives

“Do not fall for the stereotype that government work is sleepy, bureaucratic paper pushing,” she says.

Workforce

Coronavirus Roundup: Nearly Half of Americans Say Federal Government Has Gotten Worse at Pandemic Response

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

Defense

What Clinton’s Foreign Affairs Article May Mean for the Defense Budget

Her approach, more rebalancing rather than modernizing, avoids a simple zero-sum frame of defense vs. non-defense spending.

Management

GovExec Daily: Changing Governance Models and the Pandemic

Dr. Alasdair Roberts joins the podcast to discuss how the Reagan-Clinton model comes up short in crises.

Route Fifty

State and Local Leaders Raise Concerns About Remote Work Hurting Productivity

Government finance and administrative officials responding to a recent survey also said that their departments have taken on more work during the coronavirus pandemic.