Oversight

Experts: Better COVID-19 Testing is Still Vital to ‘Reopening’

There' no pandemic "silver bullet" but COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, masks, and vaccine development are key to going back to school or the office.

Pay & Benefits

Lawmakers Revive Bipartisan Push for Maximum Telework at Agencies

The Pandemic Federal Telework Act would require agencies to allow all telework-eligible employees to work remotely for the duration of the COVID-19 national emergency.

Management

ICE Is Making Sure Migrant Kids Don’t Have COVID-19 — Then Expelling Them to 'Prevent Its Spread'

The administration has used infection risk to justify expelling thousands of children without legal protections. But it’s only expelling kids who’ve tested negative.

Pay & Benefits

OPM Outlines Process for Restoring Leave After COVID

Regulations allowing some to carry over more than 30 days of annual leave into next year will also apply to future emergencies, Office of Personnel Management said.

Workforce

Coronavirus Roundup: TSA Sees Uptick in Travel; Census Bureau Will Resume Pandemic Surveys

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

Management

How to Prepare for Rising Stress Ahead

Now is a good time to take an honest look at how you are handling your current level of stress and consider proactive steps you should take as we head toward the fall.

Oversight

The White House Paid Up to $500 Million Too Much for These Ventilators, Congressional Investigators Say

A House panel says “gullible” White House negotiators overpaid for Phillips ventilators, and it has asked the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General to investigate evidence of fraud in the deal.

Management

1864 Elections Went on During the Civil War – Even Though Lincoln Thought It Would Be a Disaster for Himself and the Republican Party

Lincoln's chances of reelection in 1864 were dim. He was presiding over a bloody civil war, and the public was losing confidence in him. But he steadfastly rejected pleas to postpone the election.

Workforce

GovExec Daily: The Unsung Heroes of the Federal Pandemic Response

Tom Shoop joins the program to recount the stories of the unheralded stars working behind the scenes.

Workforce

The Loneliness of Social Isolation Can Affect Your Brain and Raise Dementia Risk in Older Adults

The social isolation older adults are experiencing as they try to stay safe from the coronavirus pandemic is raising new mental health risks, but people can take steps to protect themselves.

Management

Will COVID-19 Vaccine Trials Reflect America’s Diversity?

The pressure to produce an effective COVID-19 vaccine could impede recruitment of volunteers in high-risk populations.

Tech

The Raging Competition for Medical Supplies Is not a Game, but Game Theory Can Help

The toll of the pandemic has been worsened because of the shock to the global supply chain, which resulted in shortages of vital medical equipment. Could game theory help?

Management

Federal Bureau of Prisons Spent $3M on Unproven UV Coronavirus Sanitizing Portals 

The gates intended to disinfect staff as they enter facilities haven’t been studied enough to know if they are safe or effective, union says in complaint to IG.  

Management

GovExec Daily: The Coming Evictions Crisis

Route Fifty's Emma Coleman joins the podcast to discuss what the end of evictions moratoriums means for housing nationwide.