Workforce
Labor groups sue to block FLRA’s political seizure of union elections
Federal employee unions warned that fast-tracked changes centralizing control of union representation petitions with the agency’s political appointees will bog down, rather than streamline, the election process.
Hegseth orders termination of union contracts
Though some unions within the Defense Department are protected from the action by federal court orders, the American Federation of Government Employees’ locals remain vulnerable.
OPM cuts degree requirements for government tech jobs in new standards
The changes have been years in the making and represent a federal hiring apparatus more focused on applicable skills than specific backgrounds.
Dem senators boost effort to reinstate 2 immigration judges
Last month, the Merit Systems Protection Board upended decades of precedent when it ruled that the attorney general has constitutional authority to fire immigration judges on an at-will basis.
CyberCorps summer internships canceled by cybersecurity agency amid DHS funding lapse
The decision reverses earlier plans to bring on roughly 100 student interns through the federal cyber scholarship program, leaving participants in limbo after months of shifting guidance and adding new uncertainty around job placement requirements tied to the award.
OPM seeks cybersecurity talent to join Tech Force
"Through Tech Force, we’re recruiting highly skilled cybersecurity professionals to take on real challenges and strengthen the government’s defenses where it matters most,” OPM director Scott Kupor said in a statement.
Trump’s federal workforce changes cost the economy more than $165.6B, analysis finds
The Partnership for Public Service report includes the costs of the deferred resignation program, severance pay for laid-off civil servants and federal employees who were on paid administrative leave while their firings were challenged in court.
FEMA came up with a goal to cut half its staff without a plan to get there, records show
The total was prescribed by DHS officials and sent to the White House.
Fewer federal employees are ‘thriving’ and more are ‘struggling’, according to new survey
The Trump administration in 2025 nixed an annual survey of federal employee engagement and morale, but polls from other organizations provide insights.
A hiring rule meant to help people with disabilities get federal jobs instead left them more vulnerable to DOGE mass firings
Several fired Schedule A employees who spoke with Government Executive say they’re still struggling to find new full-time employment after losing their federal jobs.
OPM wants federal workers’ medical records
A proposal would require insurers to turn over detailed, identifiable health data on 8 million feds and their families.
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.
