Pay & Benefits
Can I afford an early retirement? 4 things to consider before making the leap
COMMENTARY | From return-to-office mandates to the reappearance of Schedule F, many feds may be finding themselves on a fast track to retirement whether they wanted it or not. But are they financially prepared? What planning should be done before considering an early federal retirement?
Updated
Workforce
USAID begins sending administrative leave notices ahead of expected shutdown
The agency also reportedly has ordered overseas missions to shut down by the end of the week.
Workforce
Thousands more recent federal hires receive warnings of their easy-to-fire status
The Trump administration is ratcheting up its efforts to push federal workers out of government.
Workforce
FBI agents sue over DOJ-demanded lists of personnel involved in Jan. 6 investigations
The lawsuit follows a Jan. 31 memo from the acting deputy attorney general ordering the firing of several FBI leaders and calling for the identification of other agents.
Updated
Workforce
Agencies ramp up pressure on their workers to quit
New guidance continues to defend the Trump administration's "deferred resignation" program as legal, though it fails to address its apparent violation of the Anti-Deficiency Act.
Management
Senate confirms new VA secretary as Dems demand he protect employees from hiring freeze and firings
Doug Collins should also not cooperate with Elon Musk's cost-cutting team or allow any funding freezes to continue, top Democrat says.
Workforce
Union chief: It’s not just a threat to federal employees
COMMENTARY | "Either we fight for our federal workforce now...or we will suffer the consequences of a government ill-equipped to protect and deliver for the taxpaying citizens of our nation," writes Doreen Greenwald, national president for the National Treasury Employees Union.
Workforce
Unions sue Treasury over DOGE access to payment systems
Anonymous plaintiffs also called for a temporary restraining order Tuesday to prevent OPM from using a newly installed email system to mass-message federal employees.
Pay & Benefits
TSP funds rebound to start 2025
After a rocky end to 2024, all funds in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program finished January in the black.
Workforce
OPM claims agencies can ignore union telework contracts
A new memo instructing agencies to cease enforcing union-negotiated telework policies under the guise of “management rights” could portend future assaults on collective bargaining.
Management
USPS offers ‘little convincing evidence’ its reform plans will succeed, regulator says
Watchdog suggests Louis DeJoy’s overhaul initiatives are destined for failure without significant changes
Transition
‘Offensive bullshit’: Dem lawmakers call out Trump admin for ‘illegal’ action at USAID
Democratic lawmakers called out “unconstitutional” actions by billionaire Elon Musk and vowed to fight the Trump administration’s attempt to gut the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Exclusive
Management
Agency employees told to no longer block any funding from Trump's EOs
Following court order, some agencies have turned spending back on while others are confused an awaiting further guidance.
Exclusive
Transition
‘Robbery in progress': Small group protests at OPM over Musk allies’ access to federal employee personal data
Several associates of Elon Musk have been put in leadership positions at the Office of Personnel Management as well as the General Services Administration.
Oversight
DHS watchdog investigating TSA’s use of facial recognition
The review comes after a bipartisan group of senators previously called for the watchdog to look into TSA’s use of biometric tools “from both an authorities and privacy perspective.”
Workforce
Trump signs memo that claims to cancel late Biden-era union contracts
Although the president railed against collective bargaining agreements signed at the Social Security Administration and the Education Department shortly before his inauguration, it’s unlikely any of those deals will be upended by the measure.
Workforce
OPM will grant VERA authority to all agencies, as confusion around ‘deferred resignation’ program continues
With just one week before the deadline, many federal workers are still unclear whether they can trust the Trump administration’s offer, or if they are even eligible for it.
Transition
Senior Democrat wants to know who in the Trump White House got Top Secret clearance without a complete background check
Trump issued a memo providing temporary security clearances for certain personnel, arguing delays in their vetting were "unacceptable."
Transition
Gabbard and Patel hearings display diverging views of reality, history along partisan lines
Senators focused mostly on the nominees’ past statements, rather than how they may lead in their prospective positions.
Defense