Management

Coronavirus Roundup: Justice Department Releases Its Home Confinement Final Rule

There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s this week’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.

Management

Americans' Changing Views of the COVID-19 Pandemic

University of South Florida professor Feng Hao joins the podcast to discuss a new survey on the coronavirus.

Workforce

AFGE and VA Reach a Tentative Deal on a New Contract

The agreement comes just weeks after an arbitrator found that the Veterans Affairs Department engaged in bad faith bargaining with the federal employee union.

Management

Biden's Regulatory Update is Finally Here

“These new steps will produce a more efficient, effective regulatory review process that will help improve peoples’ lives,” said the White House regulations chief.

Pay & Benefits

Let a Thousand Investment Flowers Bloom

April is Financial Literacy Month, and a good time to get educated about your retirement savings.

Workforce

IRS to Hire 30,000 Employees Over the Next Two Years

Biden administration lays out the full spending plan for its new $80 billion cash infusion.

Management

OMB Failing to Set Cross-Agency IT Management Goals, Report Says

Administration officials disputed some of GAO's conclusions, noting that IT goals were embedded in other management agenda targets.

Management

Principal Historian Turkiya Lowe Is Reshaping How the National Park Service Tells the American Story

Lowe, the first Black person and the first woman to oversee the history taught in the parks system, is focused on everyday people and unsung heroes.

Tech

Apple VP Named New Director of Defense Innovation Unit

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also announced that the Defense Innovation Unit director will report directly to him as part of a leadership “realignment.”

Tech

Background Investigation IT Systems Software Will Now Be Bought Through One Business

Software asset management and purchases for the IT system underpinning security clearance background investigations will be consolidated under a single commercial contractor.

Management

Say Good-bye to the Security Clearance Status Quo

New reporting benchmarks and aggressive clearance processing timelines are some of the reforms underway.

Pay & Benefits

OPM Starts the Process of Booting USPS Employees to a New Health Care Program

Health care premiums will likely go down for feds across the board as Medicare absorbs more costs, Biden administration predicts.

Workforce

Job Programs Help Communities During Tight Labor Markets

Katherine S. Newman and Elisabeth S. Jacobs join the podcast to discuss their new book.

Oversight

DHS Watchdog Alleges Harassment, Chilling Effect and Constitutional Violations

A lawsuit filed this week alleges the Homeland Security inspector general and his office have been harassed by the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency’s investigations, among other things.

Tech

Lawmakers Move to Elevate Leadership of Energy’s Cyber Office

Citing the threat posed by foreign adversaries, four Republican senators are pushing for a Senate-confirmed assistant secretary to helm Energy’s office tasked with cybersecurity.

Management

Here Are the Climate Programs Tribal Nations Can Access

A new guide from the White House outlines funding options available under the Inflation Reduction Act.

Tech

Meet the Next Four People Headed to the Moon – How the Diverse Crew of Artemis II Shows NASA's Plan for the Future of Space Exploration

The Artemis II mission is scheduled for launch in late 2024 and is a critical step towards NASA’s goals of establishing a permanent human presence on and near the Moon.

Pay & Benefits

This Is What the Proposed 5.2% Fed Pay Raise Might Look Like With Inflation

Even with a largest in decades pay raise, inflation could keep fed salaries trailing behind the private sector.

Defense

Military Readiness, the Pentagon and DEI Programs

Defense One's Kevin Baron joins the podcast to discuss recruiting.

Workforce

Union Accuses Defense Management of Imposing an Illegal Contract

Officials with the American Federation of Government Employees said the Defense Department unilaterally imposed a new contract on employees at an Illinois facility after refusing to bargain over issues made negotiable by a Biden executive order.