Author Archive
Management
Postal unions and stakeholders wary as Trump nominates little-known picks to USPS board
The president has so far nominated four individuals to the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors; there are five vacancies.
Workforce
New bills would extend whistleblower protections to more feds
The measures specifically deal with civil servants who investigate and report wrongdoing in their normal duties and ones who work for government corporations.
Updated
Workforce
Stalled onboarding of Foreign Service fellows draws questions from lawmakers
Multiple programs that agencies use to recruit new employees have been upended by the Trump administration’s civil service reforms.
Management
Migrants who attack federal law enforcement animals could face expedited deportation
The Bill to Outlaw Wounding of Official Working (BOWOW) Animals Act passed in the House, but drew opposition from Democrats over concerns it is redundant and poses a threat to due process.
Oversight
Inspector general’s reported plan to run for Congress is a Hatch Act violation, lawmakers and ethics orgs say
Federal employees are not permitted to run for partisan office or to prepare for such an election.
Management
Nearly $1 stamps? Lawmakers contemplate how to avert USPS financial crisis
During a hearing, officials testified that the Postal Service will likely run out of money without congressional intervention.
Oversight
Watchdog warns of challenges as IRS handles first tax season after Trump staffing cuts
The Government Accountability Office also reported that the tax agency has reversed some of its losses due to the deferred resignation program.
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Updated
Management
Union and lawmakers criticize HUD’s handling of HQ move as questions go unanswered
Employees and Democratic senators claim HUD officials have not been forthcoming with operational or budget details related to the move to Virginia, which they argue could run afoul of federal law.
Workforce
Education Department staff cuts have hurt service rather than streamlined bureaucracy, say opponents on 1-year mark of RIFs
Lawmakers and education advocates at Wednesday’s press conference also emphasized that the department has hired back some employees, and Congress rejected many proposed funding reductions at Education.
Management
Bipartisan bill would authorize the Secret Service to reimburse state and local police for assistance
The Fraternal Order of Police said in a statement that local law enforcement often work with the Secret Service but have to rely on their own resources.
Oversight
Many federal programs are missing from an OMB inventory, watchdog reports
A recent Government Accountability Office report found that a federal program inventory is incomplete, not in compliance with statutory requirements and includes inaccurate information.
Oversight
Whistleblower report about waste leads to downsizing at one agency, OSC reports
The Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals increased staffing to deal with a backlog of appeals, but an individual flagged that the expanded workforce was not readjusted when case levels returned to normal, resulting in about $30 million in unnecessary costs.
Management
GSA head questioned about agency’s involvement in acquiring space for detaining migrants
The administrator also addressed an agreement with Pakistan to redevelop a New York City hotel as well as the maintenance backlog for federal buildings.
Workforce
Report: Nearly 95k science employees left government as Trump downsized agency workforces
The Trump administration also has cut spending on science contracts and grants.
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Oversight
Homeland Security Department is stonewalling watchdog investigations, GOP senator alleges
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said that he would procedurally obstruct the legislative process until officials respond to his questions about department oversight.
Updated
Workforce
‘They are America’: Photographer spotlights civil servants who have lost their jobs under Trump
Retired lawyer Allan Dinkoff has documented 65 ex-feds for his photography project “Targeted: Portraits of Civil Servants Under Trump.”
Workforce
Ex-DOJ civil rights attorneys continue their work ‘just not in the division’
About three quarters of lawyers working on civil rights at the Justice Department have left the division since President Donald Trump took office.
Oversight
Bipartisan lawmakers worried about shaky progress on modernized government worker background check system
The IT system undergirding the overhauled background check program is nearly a decade behind schedule and billions over budget.
Management
Judiciary requests control over courthouse property management partially due to job cuts at GSA
The General Services Administration, which manages government property, said in a statement that the “American taxpayer is best served by the judiciary focusing on the rule of law while GSA continues to focus on the federal real estate portfolio.”
News
Trump uses State of the Union to call for end of DHS shutdown, declares ‘war on fraud’
The president also promised to expand the type of retirement savings account currently available to federal employees to the general public.
