Workforce
Continuing to shed federal workers remains ‘priority number one,’ White House official says
OMB deputy suggests that making it easier to fire feds will ‘liberate’ them to do their jobs better.
After shedding 25,000 employees, IRS chief says his agency now has perfect staffing level
The tax agency’s CEO criticized his predecessors for staffing up without justification, though he noted he has not conducted workforce analysis either.
Report: Nearly 95k science employees left government as Trump downsized agency workforces
The Trump administration also has cut spending on science contracts and grants.
DOJ contradicts FEMA on who approved mass firings
"I don't have a great explanation for that," a DOJ lawyer says when asked to clarify in court.
NTEU chief stands firm as agencies seek to terminate contracts
Doreen Greenwald said her union will continue to demand compliance with its collective bargaining agreements in face of a renewed push to excise labor groups from most federal agencies.
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‘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.”
IRS, Fiscal Service defy judges, terminate union contracts
The move to ax collective bargaining agreements with the National Treasury Employees Union, until now protected by a federal court order, comes just two weeks after the Office of Personnel Management issued guidance seemingly encouraging agencies to ignore the courts.
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.
Officials warn disaster response at risk as former and current FEMA leaders clash in court over mass staff cuts
Recent FEMA execs say the current leadership does not understand how the agency actually works.
Appeals court declines to block Trump’s anti-union EOs
The lone Democratic appointee on a Ninth Circuit three-judge panel suggested that he and his colleagues may reach a different conclusion with the benefit of a “fully developed factual record.”
Fate of CFPB employees hang in the balance as judges consider agency's future
The Trump administration is seeking authority to lay off nearly all employees at the consumer watchdog.
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OPM formally proposes limiting top performance ratings for federal workers
The plan to institute a forced or “standardized” distribution of performance ratings upon the federal workforce has survived mostly unchanged from a December draft that drew near universal criticism from agency officials in internal deliberations last month.
OPM clarifies that agencies should not violate court orders to terminate union contracts
A memo last week tasking agencies with pushing forward implementation of a pair of executive orders aimed at stripping two-thirds of the federal workforce of their collective bargaining rights briefly aroused fears that they would violate a series of court orders.
Postal Service sets up mental health peer support program for its law enforcement officers
The mental health of federal law enforcement employees has been a focus of lawmakers in recent years.
OPM finalizes Biden-era reg revamping federal hiring of college students
The Trump administration made only minor tweaks to a 2021 interim rule aimed at encouraging agencies to hire students still at school to part-time jobs and eventually convert them to permanent posts.
Unions oppose a Trump labor nominee over lack of experience, hostility toward bargaining
Conservative lawyer Charlton Allen has no prior experience in labor-management relations, but said he opposed collective bargaining rights for state workers in North Carolina as a political candidate in 2012.
OPM instructs agencies to terminate union contracts potentially in violation of court orders
A smattering of agencies implicated in President Trump’s executive orders barring labor representation for two-thirds of the federal workforce had held off on formally terminating their collective bargaining agreements due to injunctions barring the edicts’ implementation.
Former feds turn to tailored job search resources to continue service-oriented work
Several nonprofits and universities are providing support to civil servants in search of new roles.
CISA’s acting chief says 70 staff were reassigned to other DHS offices in last year
The cyberdefense agency in turn received some 30 employees from other DHS components, while a “handful” of CISA staffers were transferred to ICE, Madhu Gottumukkala told lawmakers.
Former Cabinet secretaries urge federal employees to 'keep the faith' despite threats to civil service
Janet Yellen and Gary Locke praised career civil servants for their dedication and stressed the vital role they play in keeping government running, even in challenging times.
