Tech
Emerging tech is an SBA priority for both internal systems and external assistance
The Small Business Administration is leading the charge to democratize access to emerging technologies — particularly AI — across U.S. companies.
Oversight
From shutdown prospects to anti-telework bills: 5 things to watch when Congress returns
Pending legislation could affect federal employees' work-life balance, civil service protections, TSP investment options and more.
Workforce
Biden administration soliciting volunteers throughout government to deploy for disaster response
FEMA has said the assignments from other agencies could help ensure an adequate recovery effort.
News
How to get federal disaster aid: FEMA is running out of money, but these strategies can help survivors of Hurricane Idalia and the Maui fires get aid faster
COMMENTARY | After a natural disaster strikes a community, determining and documenting the extent of damage to homes and property is a crucial step in receiving financial aid to recover.
Pay & Benefits
Most TSP portfolios stumbled in August
The only fund in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program that finished last month in the black was the G Fund, which increases at a statutorily mandated rate each month.
Management
Are we 30 days from a government shutdown?
COMMENTARY | Crunch time on the budget is pretty much here, but there are positive signs that Congress could pass a short-term budget agreement. All the pressure is on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Oversight
FDIC needs to sharpen its cyberthreat sharing with financial institutions, OIG says
Despite recent improvements, a watchdog report claims the agency still has more it can do to make threat-sharing policies more effective.
Workforce
Pregnant employees ruled eligible for class action discrimination lawsuit against CBP
The employees allege they were improperly forced to surrender duties upon notifying supervisors of their pregnancies.
Pay & Benefits
Biden formally announces 5.2% average pay raise for feds in 2024
The annual declaration of a national emergency preventing large automatic raises from taking effect solidifies that 0.5% of the total pay increase figure will go toward an average boost in locality pay.
Oversight
Special counsels, like the one leading the Justice Department’s investigation of Hunter Biden, are intended to be independent − but they aren’t entirely
Ensuring impartiality in the Justice Department can be difficult, as the attorney general is appointed by – and answerable to – a partisan president.
Tech
Biden administration inches ahead on 'life experiences' projects
The White House shared updates on cross-agency projects designed to improve and streamline government service delivery.
Defense
Veterans discharged under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ are still fighting for justice — and benefits
The military banned openly LGBTQ+ service members — and denied thousands honorable discharges, restricting their access to federal programs designed to help veterans.
Tech
The federal government's most disliked IT help desks
A survey of more than 270,000 federal employees shows DOD at the bottom when it comes to satisfaction with IT support and equipment.
Management
Coalition of unions endorses O’Malley to lead Social Security
The Federal Workers Alliance urged senators to move quickly to confirm President Biden’s nominee to run the Social Security Administration, noting that the embattled agency has been without a permanent commissioner for eight of the last 10 years.
Management
Will a shutdown’s impact on impeachment probes compel conservatives to approve funding? GOP leaders hope so
Congress faces a tight timeline to avoid a shutdown when lawmakers return to Washington in September.
Defense
‘Quite the eerie feeling’: Navy divers complete search for remains in Lahaina Harbor
The Pentagon’s task force is now distributing fuel and potable water in Maui.
Defense
TSA proposes allowing federal acceptance of digital IDs while future requirements are crafted
The coming rulemaking would waive REAL ID Act requirements so that federal agencies can still accept mobile driver's licenses when the law’s implementation starts in 2025.
Pay & Benefits
Expanded telework, a benefit now under threat, effectively boosts pay for hundreds of thousands of feds
Working from home pinches far more than pennies.
Tech