Management

Democrats urge the White House to bind agencies to the AI Bill of Rights

“The federal government’s commitment to the AI Bill of Rights would show that fundamental rights will not take a back seat in the AI era,” the lawmakers argue.

Workforce

IRS says 33% staff increase over two years will help address growing unpaid tax total

The tax agency will need to hire as many as 52,000 employees by 2025 to reach its staffing goals.

Pay & Benefits

Survivor Benefit confusion: part one

Choosing a survivor benefit should be a very simple decision, but often it can be complicated.

Pay & Benefits

COLA adjustments will slim for federal retirees in 2024

The annual announcement that some retired federal workers will receive a 3.2% increase in their annuity payments, while others will get only a 2.2% boost, has revived calls to standardize annual adjustments across retirement systems.

Management

Continuous vetting identifies risks earlier, and is getting ready to roll out across government

COMMENTARY | If there is an issue that could be flagged, federal employees should report it now, and get help, an expert says.

Defense

The Army doesn’t know where a lot of its excess arms and gear are

As allies' needs soar, officials are racing to get a clearer picture of what's available.

Tech

The money's out the door in nationwide unemployment insurance modernization push

A Labor Department official said efforts to help states modernize their UI systems are trending in the right direction, but funding may be insufficient.

Management

Biden calls on agencies to spur more competition with their regs

The president wants an "all-of-government approach" to expanding choice for consumers and workers.

News

Scalise nominated by U.S. House GOP as speaker in closed-door meeting

The nominee picked in the conference meeting only needed to get the backing of a majority of the 221 House Republicans, but Scalise will need about 217 on the floor before he can hold the gavel.

Pay & Benefits

President’s Pay Agent OKs another tweak to locality pay areas

The counties of Clallam and Jefferson in Washington state could be included in the Seattle-Tacoma locality pay area as early as 2025.

Management

Underfunding presents operations and cybersecurity challenges for FLRA in fiscal 2024, OIG says

The independent agency tasked with overseeing labor issues within the federal government is currently operating at the same budget level it was 20 years ago, while its unfair labor practice case load has risen 62% in the last four years. 

Tech

IRS won't add Login.gov without changes

A watchdog report reveals what led the IRS to scrap plans to use the government-backed identity service during the 2023 tax season.

Defense

‘What am I here for?’: Military families frustrated by delayed promotions, withheld raises and lives put on hold

For more than half a year, one Republican senator has blocked military promotions on the Senate floor over his disapproval of the Defense Department’s abortion policy.

Oversight

USPS says mail theft is getting worse, but its plans are so far incomplete and yielding few results

The mailing agency must flesh out its strategies to address rising crime rates, Postal Service watchdog says.

Pay & Benefits

The federal retirement backlog just hit another recent record low

The Office of Personnel Management’s inventory of pending retirement claims from former federal workers reached its lowest level since 2017 for the second time this year.

Management

Agencies can begin submitting congressionally mandated reports to online system this month

Reports mandated by federal law will be uploaded to a centralized online portal maintained by the Government Publishing Office on Oct 16.  

Tech

New CISA, NSA guidance highlights pain points in identity and security management

A public-private working panel recommends vendors invest more in security measures like multifactor authentication.