Management

Trump Deregulatory Effort May Just Be Getting Started

White House and conservative advocates prepare big plans for 2019.

Route Fifty

Senators, Providers Criticize ‘Unpredictable’ FCC Funding for Rural Broadband

“Cutting [Universal Service Fund] support cuts the legs out of the business case for rural broadband in many places,” said one telecom CEO.

Pay & Benefits

Don’t Believe Everything You Read

Separating fact from fiction in the federal retirement world.

Route Fifty

The Soybean-Producing States at Risk in the Trade War With China

Much of the nation’s exported soybeans went to China last year. Production is concentrated in a handful of states.

Route Fifty

Throwing Shade: Reducing Urban Temperatures by Planting Trees

A Maryland county is planting free trees in urban areas to increase shaded areas and lower temperatures.

Pay & Benefits

Republicans Claim Deal on Federal Pay Raise, But Democrats Object to Terms

The preliminary agreement for a 1.9 percent pay boost runs counter to President Trump's recommendation for a pay freeze and faces Democratic opposition over other policy provisions.

Nextgov

Oracle Continues Protest Push Against JEDI

Another legal maneuver by Oracle just a week before bids for the Pentagon’s $10 billion JEDI cloud contract are due.

Nextgov

Senate Agrees Federal Cybersecurity Office Should Have Name To Match

A long-stalled bill to include “cybersecurity” in the name of the government’s central cybersecurity office is now moving forward.

Management

Why Diversity Is Vital For a Healthy Democracy

The author of a new book says that diversity isn't a threat to democracy, it's a key piece of how democracy keeps itself going.

Tech

The Government Doesn’t Seem To Know Why Some People Didn’t Get Its Presidential Alert

There's work to be done on the government's federal alert system.

Oversight

The Most Scandal-Plagued U.S. Visa Program Lives On Because Congress Is Too Busy To Fix It

The golden visa program just got its 19th extension last week.

Management

After Budget Cuts, the IRS’ Work Against Tax Cheats Is Facing 'Collapse'

Audits and criminal referrals are down sharply since Congress cut the tax agency’s budget and management changed priorities.

Oversight

Play of the Day: More Presidential Alerts Coming To Your Phone

Maybe Trump thinks it's just a text message.

Tech

Trump Agency Website Changes Continue to Raise Concerns

SBA defends its handling of Spanish-language materials after Sen. Cardin complains.

Management

How Contractor Fraud Is Reported Shouldn’t Affect How It Gets Investigated

There are two main ways that a whistleblower can sound the alarm. Their outcomes can be very different.

News

Trump Feared Transition Officials Were ‘Stealing’ His Money

In The Fifth Risk, Michael Lewis chronicles the administration’s chaotic struggle to take the reins of government.

Nextgov

There’s One Less Option for Agencies Now on GSA’s Next-Gen Telecom Contract

With last year’s acquisition of Level 3 by CenturyLink, the companies’ offerings on the Enterprise Infrastructure Services contract have been consolidated.

Nextgov

Security Clearances Won’t Get in the Way of Responding to Election Cyber Threats, Officials Say

One intel leader urged a “just get it done, we’ll worry about the consequences later” approach to countering threats on Election Day.

Management

OPM Calls on Agencies to Implement Coaching Programs for Employees

Coaches provide confidential format to assist in career development, OPM says.

Nextgov

IG: Incompatible Tech Added to Family Separation Policy Chaos

The agencies tracking parents and children separated at the border had to email data and compile spreadsheets, an auditor found.