Workforce
Exclusive
Ex-VOA employees challenge last year’s buyout and retirement offers
Four former U.S. Agency for Global Media employees seek class certification from the Merit Systems Protection Board, arguing that the March invalidation of Kari Lake’s actions atop the agency should also apply to agreements reached under the Deferred Resignation Program and other buyout authorities.
See where Trump is looking to make staffing cuts next year and where he wants to grow
The White House wants to stabilize the size of the federal workforce overall in FY27, though some agencies would still experience large reductions.
Interior incentivizes more staff departures after already cutting 20% of its workforce
The department becomes the first to offer a widespread "deferred resignation" this year.
Consumer watchdog agency asks court for permission to slash its workforce by two-thirds
The argument that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau can carry out its duties with one-third the staff is "laughable," a union official said.
Top Oversight Dem criticizes OPM’s forced distribution plan for federal worker appraisals
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said that the federal government’s dedicated HR agency failed to sufficiently grapple with past OPM policy or the wealth of research finding that forced distribution models for performance appraisals is counterproductive to organizational health.
A federal office designed to stave off the next financial crisis is being dismantled by the Trump administration
Upcoming layoffs at the Treasury Department agency will result in an overall workforce reduction of 64%.
‘Blatant disrespect’: Judge contemplates contempt proceedings after VA re-terminated union contract
A federal judge in Rhode Island denied a request from the Trump administration to “moot out” a preliminary injunction preserving the American Federation of Government Employees’ contract with the Veterans Affairs Department.
Federal labor board asserts political control over union elections
Union experts warned the move could set the stage for interference in union elections and determining the size of agency bargaining units.
VA: Court order requires we reinstate union contract, not honor its terms
The Veterans Affairs Department said the American Federation of Government Employees must file grievances for each instance of the VA ignoring its CBA, though management also refuses to participate in such proceedings.
Exclusive
The Trump administration paid these employees not to work for more than a year. It just called them back
Some employees sidelined for their diversity and inclusion jobs received a one year, stress-ridden sabbatical, but are now returning to similar jobs.
MSPB relinquishes jurisdiction over some federal worker appeals
The agency tasked with adjudicating appeals of federal employee firings upended decades of precedent in ruling that agencies may challenge its jurisdiction on constitutional grounds.
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.
Defense workers' morale has plunged under Trump, survey finds
Only 9% of Army civilians found Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s leadership motivating.
Updated
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.
Survey of 11,000 feds underscores ‘layer cake of trauma’
A new survey from the Partnership for Public Service, aimed at replicating the cancelled 2025 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, reveals just 7% of federal workers believe their political leaders engender high motivation.
Judge orders VA to restore collective bargaining
U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose found that VA Secretary Doug Collins violated the First Amendment and the Administrative Procedures Act last August when he terminated the American Federation of Government Employees’ union contracts.
Performance prioritized over seniority in proposed RIF rule, OSC says
COMMENTARY | The Office of Special Counsel says proposed reduction-in-force changes would give more weight to employee performance and offers its own perspective on how agencies might apply the new rules.
Arbitrator orders restoration of telework at Social Security
Though the Social Security Administration couched its mass cancellation of telework for employees as a temporary one based on “operational needs,” it has never provided a time frame or criteria for the workplace flexibility’s restoration.
EPA says it will slash workload after IG flags slashed workforce as overburdened
The environmental agency is struggling to handle its grants work after cutting its workforce last year.
Veterans who depend on mental health care keep losing their therapists under Trump
Since the start of the second Trump administration, departures of VA psychologists have been outpacing hires, and the department's cohort of social workers declined by nearly 700 staffers.
