Pay & Benefits

Congressional Republicans mull plans to gash feds’ pay, benefits and job security

GOP lawmakers are once again considering a litany of proposals that would require federal workers to pay more in exchange for less retirement and health care benefits.

Management

Contractors face greater scrutiny from anti-DEI executive orders

President Trump’s actions come with enforcement provisions that encourage employees to report on their companies.

Management

Congress passes migrant detention bill that DHS said it can’t enforce without more resources

The Laken Riley Act is set to be the first bill Trump signs into law after it passed the House and Senate with bipartisan support.

Tech

HHS pause on external comms delaying upcoming health summits

Two planned events have been indefinitely postponed as a result of the Trump administration’s freeze on HHS-related mass communications and public appearances.

Management

VA wants hiring freeze exemptions for 300,000 roles

The acting Veterans Affairs secretary said in a Jan. 21 memo that the requested exemptions cover positions critical to the delivery of health care services. 

Workforce

Ousted career execs at DOJ are considering options after being given vague rationale for firings

The dismissals came just hours after Trump's inauguration and raises questions of the president's legal authorities.

Management

Dems say thwarting Trump's controversial OMB pick is a top priority

The senators are still looking for a bipartisan coalition to vote down Russ Vought, a man they said "exudes hate for federal employees."

Workforce

FAA employees with disabilities targeted by Trump's anti-DEI push

Despite current policy, the FAA during Trump’s first administration actively sought to recruit workers with disabilities.

Workforce

OPM demands agencies comply with Trump’s telework order within 30 days

The State Department has already begun to implement the president’s memo cancelling telework agreements as of March 1 and remote work arrangements July 1, with exceptions for military spouses and employees with disabilities.

Workforce

Broad exemptions to Trump's federal hiring freeze begin to take shape

The Defense Department is indicating it will allow hiring to continue for all civilian positions.

Workforce

Trump administration to lay off all federal employees in DEI offices

The president has called on federal agencies to immediately cease all DEI-related activities.

Management

Do hiring freezes work? It depends...

COMMENTARY | The success of federal hiring freezes depends as much on the end goal as the method of application: the RIF scalpel versus the blunt force of attrition.

Pay & Benefits

Feds affected by L.A. fires are eligible for paid leave transfers

OPM is allowing federal employees to donate their paid leave time to fellow feds impacted by the ongoing wildfires in California, a practice becoming more commonly deployed during increasing natural disasters. 

Management

VA secretary nominee rejects privatization but wants more employee firings

Doug Collins pledges to be a 'cheerleader' for good workers and an adversary for bad ones.

Workforce

How a pair of executive orders and a memo could fast track the civil service’s politicization

Good government experts warn that President Trump’s revival of Schedule F, inserting new criteria into the hiring process and demand for a list of all feds who are still on their probationary period portend a mass firing of career workers as the new administration seeks to reshape the federal bureaucracy.

Updated Management

Coast Guard leader fired by new DHS officials

Commandant Linda Fagan had received bipartisan criticisms from members of Congress who accused the USCG of resisting oversight.

Transition

Trump wants a faster security clearance process, too

COMMENTARY | Priorities shift with every election cycle, but one remains constant: the demand for a more efficient government hiring process including security clearance eligibility and vetting.