Management

USPS eyes expansion of a potentially major insourcing initiative

The program is in its infancy, but could lead to many thousands of jobs going from external contractors to internal agency employees.

Pay & Benefits

IRS announces two-year delay to TSP catch-up contribution changes

New rules requiring high-income 401(k) participants to make catch-up contributions only to Roth accounts will not take effect until 2026.

Management

Federal call center workers join March on Washington call attention to workplace inequities

A 2023 report found only 2% of managers with frontline customer service experience were internally promoted.

Tech

NBIS says it will deliver continuous monitoring for all customers by December

The National Background Investigation Services system was initially scheduled to be up and running in 2019.

Tech

Government websites are loaded with misinformation, and that’s a big problem for AI

Sometimes information that looks reliable because it’s from a federal agency website has not in fact been vetted, and AI systems are only as trustworthy as the data they’re fed.

Pay & Benefits

TSP contribution limits will increase again next year, consultants predict

This would mark the third straight year that the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings plan and similar private sector programs see a boost in their annual contribution limits.

Defense

Navy divers begin search and underwater survey in Maui

The Defense Department now has 572 people supporting relief efforts after devastating fires.

Management

Biden looks to ramp up federal involvement in extreme heat response

Amid record heat waves and calls for more federal action, FEMA will host an extreme heat summit next week.

Management

EEOC finalizes electronic filing options for feds

Although the agency that investigates complaints of workplace discrimination has offered the option to file documents and track cases online for years, its regulations now finally endorse the current system.

Defense

Despite major reform to military justice system, Navy still leaves public in dark

A new law enacts sweeping changes to make prosecutions for serious offenses like sexual assault or murder more fair. The Navy is still fighting a ProPublica lawsuit to make those court cases public.

Tech

The Agriculture Department is taking a ‘cautious’ approach to generative AI

The agency’s data “also needs to be in a condition… to support those kinds of tools,” according to USDA chief data officer and responsible AI officer, Chris Alvares.

Oversight

DEA has regularly hired applicants it flagged as lying on their polygraphs

The agency also faces allegations of nepotism in its lie detector testing and a watchdog is saying the issues require "immediate attention" from management.

Pay & Benefits

Lawmakers urge OPM to expand FEHBP infertility coverage for LGBTQ+ feds

A group of 30 congressional Democrats called out “outdated” gaps in how the federal government’s employer-sponsored health insurance program covers infertility treatments, particularly for employees in the LGBTQ+ community.

Management

The painful pandemic lessons Mandy Cohen carries to the CDC

Cohen has been criticized for North Carolina's failure to get COVID tests to the most vulnerable residents, during her leadership of the state's pandemic response.

Management

CISA director touts hiring progress

The agency’s culture has been key to its hiring successes, Jen Easterly says.

Pay & Benefits

Do you know what your TSP is for?

When you were first hired, your retirement benefit may have been described to you as a three-legged stool: pension, Social Security, and TSP savings. One financial planner advises feds not to shortchange the last leg.