Workforce
Judge halts Trump administration effort to exert political control over union elections
U.S. District Judge Denise Caspar said the Federal Labor Relations Authority’s move earlier this year to usurp jurisdiction over some cases from career employees was arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act.
Despite criticism of Trump’s SES reforms, senior executives group backs recent updates to training program
Officials from the Office of Personnel Management said that the changes to the training and development program are necessary to promote standardization across agencies.
OPM’s new suitability authority blurs the line between hiring vetting and employee discipline
COMMENTARY | A change allowing suitability actions for post-appointment misconduct could reshape how agencies respond to issues uncovered through continuous vetting, but the Office of Personnel Management’s willingness to use it will determine whether it becomes a routine tool or a rarely used exception.
Lawmakers, unions and civil society groups urge withdrawal of governmentwide NDA plan
The Office of Personnel Management received more than 30,000 comments on its plan to require federal workers sign nondisclosure agreements, which critics said would violate the First Amendment and chill whistleblowers.
Bill would limit federal relocations to states with abortion restrictions
Legislation introduced by Rep. James Walkinshaw, D-Va., would block the Trump administration from relocating agencies to states that have instituted or revived abortion bans since the fall of Roe v. Wade, and grants feds the right to refuse relocations to those jurisdictions.
Lawmakers warn acting intelligence chief against major workforce changes
Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., pointed to reports of potential staff cuts and warned against using the temporary appointment to make lasting personnel or declassification decisions at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Unions urge court to force ruling in ‘loyalty question’ lawsuit
Three months after a hearing on whether to block federal agencies from asking four politicized essay questions of every federal job applicant, a federal judge still has not issued a decision.
NSF is using its HQ move to revoke telework for workers with disabilities, employees say
Most of the science agency’s workforce is currently teleworking, as they are being relocated to a new office building that is close to the former headquarters.
In rare move, full appeals court agrees to hear case challenging Trump’s ‘Article II’ firings
Federal circuit courts typically hear cases via randomized three-judge panels, reserving review by the entire judicial bench for its most important cases.
NTEU sues IRS over destruction of employees’ pro-union decorations
The Internal Revenue Service last month issued a directive barring employees from posting flyers and other decorations related to the National Treasury Employees Union, which the union says violates the First Amendment.
Most Americans think government workers are competent and should be nonpartisan, according to recent surveys
A survey from the Partnership for Public Service also found that a majority of Americans oppose the Trump administration’s changes to government.
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A year after sounding the alarm, NIH dissenters say political influence is entrenched at research agency
The Trump administration has cut staff and grants at the National Institutes of Health, and employees warn further overhauls appear to be likely.
NDA proposal for feds draws scrutiny on Capitol Hill
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorth, D-Ill., expressed “serious concern” about the Office of Personnel Management’s controversial proposal, including its impact on whistleblowers and employees who report wrongdoing.
Union renews call for lawmakers to override Trump’s anti-union EO at the Pentagon
Last year, the House voted to pass its annual defense policy bill with a provision that would have halted implementation of President Trump’s executive order banning collective bargaining at the Defense Department and other agencies, but the Senate axed the measure.
Another lawsuit alleges DOJ is illegally rejecting telework requests from employees with disabilities
Some of the plaintiffs said that the revocations of their telework reasonable accommodations have forced them to take leave and worsened their health.
Trump’s edict making 8,000 feds at-will employees draws swift outcry
Agencies have just one week to reclassify thousands of federal workers in purportedly policy-related roles into the new Schedule Policy/Career, stripping them of most civil service protections.
Lawsuit claims DOJ is retaliating against employees with disabilities who request telework
Many agencies have instituted policies to more strictly scrutinize telework as a reasonable accommodation for workers with disabilities since the Trump administration’s return-to-office mandate.
Trump signs order moving thousands of federal employees into Schedule F
Roughly 8,000 career federal employees were stripped of their civil service protections Wednesday, making them effectively at-will employees.
Federal oversight faces ‘structural conflict’ as political appointees enter IG offices
The 16 agencies that now have non-Senate-confirmed political staffers for the first time in 15 years include the IRS and Forest Service, according to a new report.
Federal employee NDAs aren’t new, but expanding them requires careful guardrails
COMMENTARY | A new proposal would expand federal nondisclosure agreements beyond classified work. Will it curb leaks or chill legitimate whistleblowing?
