Tech

DHS releases guidance for AI in critical infrastructure

The Homeland Security Department worked with its diverse AI Safety and Security Board to develop a holistic approach for securing critical infrastructure that leverages AI technologies.

Management

USPS loses $9.5B in FY24 and says another red year is coming

Postal management remains committed to DeJoy's reforms, saying it is showing positive signs.

Management

CISA Director Jen Easterly to depart on Inauguration Day

Easterly and Deputy Director Nitin Natarajan are set to leave as an administration change casts doubt on the agency’s future. 

Pay & Benefits

Retirement decisions that can't be reversed

Here are the retirement decisions that require careful consideration since they cannot be changed.

Oversight

Oversight of contract security guards at federal buildings is lacking, OIG says

In one notable example from a recent report, a guard at a federal facility told a visitor to place their firearm in a bush to access the building.

Management

Senate confirms Biden’s ethics czar, who will remain under Trump

Senate Democrats use dwindling floor time to confirm a new head for the government's ethics office, with whom Trump administration often butted heads in his first term.

Workforce

EPA employees are ‘freaking out’ over Trump’s return

Trump targeted EPA for cuts and deregulation in his first term. Employees are gearing up for a redux.

Updated Management

Who has Trump nominated to serve in his Cabinet?

These nominees will hold huge sway in enacting the president-elect’s policies toward federal employees.

Management

Could a new Trump administration push for another federal hiring freeze?

The president-elect's previous experience with a governmentwide 79-day halt to agency hiring could inform his new approach to the federal workforce, if those lessons still apply. 

Pay & Benefits

House passes a bill eliminating tax provisions that harm some federal retirees

Despite solid bipartisan support, the Senate could run out of time to approve the legislation.

Management

Satisfaction with government hits record high just before a new Trump admin 

The incoming Trump administration casts an uncertain light on the customer experience gains made in recent years.

Pay & Benefits

OPM’s retirement backlog ticked up slightly last month, though other metrics improved

Statistics measuring the federal government HR agency’s performance in processing departing federal workers’ retirement claims remained stable following the backlog’s removal from OPM’s list of top management challenges.

Management

One federal agency hasn’t ensured its employee gyms are safe and secure, OIG says

The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s inspector general sent out a management alert warning that the agency’s fitness facilities were in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as multiple OPM and GSA regulations. 

Management

House Republicans say they’ll confer with Trump on shutdown avoidance plans

Republican leaders are weighing another stopgap bill, but want to consider Trump's preference.

Pay & Benefits

Feds find open season 'unpleasant'—but may miss thousands in savings

Federal enrollees have until Dec. 9 to make changes to their health coverage ahead of substantial premium increases.

Tech

Veterans’ military skills can help them fill cyber vacancies, State official says

The White House’s national cybersecurity strategy said that greater veteran participation in the U.S. cyber workforce can help enhance critical digital defenses.

Exclusive Tech

DHS issues internal comms guidance amid telecom breach investigation

The DHS Cyber Safety Review Board is already slated to investigate the hacking collective, dubbed Salt Typhoon, and its intrusion into telecommunications firms and wiretap infrastructure.

Defense

Pentagon puts a dent in cyber workforce vacancies

Nearly a quarter of the Defense Department’s cyber jobs went unfilled last year.

Management

USPS is still rushing ballot delivery in 18 states still accepting them

The Postal Service is continuing to take special steps to ensure valid ballots can still be counted.