Oversight
House GOP official bashes VA leader for ‘budgetary mismanagement’
House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost’s letter to VA Secretary Denis McDonough takes the leader of the Veterans Health Administration to task over recent hiring restrictions within the department and controversial but since-rescinded bonus payments.
Workforce
Social Security in line for half-billion dollar cut in House GOP funding bill
Republican appropriators blamed “reduced in-person staffing” at headquarters to slash the already overworked and under-resourced agency’s budget.
Oversight
Why do federal employee background checks take so long? Panel points to delayed IT system
The Defense Department agency responsible for vetting workers at most federal agencies originally planned to have a new background check system fully functional in 2019.
Management
Lawmakers press VA to report on the delays in its burn pit registry revamp
An October 2022 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine said VA should “initiate a new phase” of its Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry to make it “a user-friendly, efficient and effective resource.”
Workforce
The House’s DHS funding bill preserves TSA’s recent pay increases
Although lawmakers have yet to act on a bill to codify the Biden administration’s decision to provide Transportation Security Administration employees with Title 5 protections and compensation, Congress is poised to continue funding the initiative.
Management
Senate bill aims to streamline how agencies respond to wildfires
Much like the workforce-focused wildfire bill introduced last week in the House, the EMBER Act draws its provisions from the recommendations of a recent bipartisan commission report.
Pay & Benefits
Biden’s 2% raise more likely upon advancement of Senate defense policy bill
The Senate Armed Services Committee last week advanced its version of the fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, endorsing a 2% average pay raise for civilian federal workers alongside a 4.5% increase for military service members.
Workforce
Dems warn of agency furloughs, layoffs if spending caps are not lifted
FBI agents, meat inspectors and others could face job cuts under the current fiscal 2025 spending plan, Democrats say.
Pay & Benefits
Feds are still slated for a 2% average pay raise in 2025 per House appropriations bill
The House Appropriations Committee advanced legislation Thursday that failed to override President Biden’s 2025 pay plan.
Workforce
Republicans block expanded in vitro fertilization coverage for feds in House and Senate
Senate Democrats failed to secure the 60 votes needed to bypass a GOP filibuster, while House Democrats saw a similar provision defanged in appropriations talks.
Workforce
Republicans look to 'dismantle' DEI efforts at federal agencies
New bill would strike down President Biden's diversity efforts and create strict rules preventing such initiatives.
Oversight
Coast Guard's handling of misconduct allegations draws increased scrutiny from Congress
Congressional inquiries were spurred by a media report that the Coast Guard kept hidden a multi-year investigation into sexual assault at its service academy.
Tech
Senators look to mitigate risks in AI procurement
Sens. Gary Peters and Thom Tilis introduced new legislation that would codify safety measures in government contracts for artificial intelligence products and services.
Workforce
Lawmakers unveil a new plan to revamp federal wildfire prevention and mitigation
The Modernizing Wildfire Safety and Prevention Act would create a new Middle Fire Leaders Academy to rapidly bolster the ranks of federal wildland firefighters.
Pay & Benefits
Senate plans swift action on IVF bill containing new requirements for FEHBP
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday that he had already begun the process of bringing a legislative package aimed at protecting Americans’ access to assistive reproductive technology to the floor for a vote.
Oversight
Fauci defends his work on COVID-19, says he has an ‘open mind’ on its origins
The former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases explained to members of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic why guidance shifted so much during the first several months of the pandemic.
Management
Biden issues veto threat as GOP outlines proposed cuts for FY25
House Republicans are teeing up party-line votes on spending bills that include cuts Biden and Democrats will not accept.
Pay & Benefits
Problem Solvers Caucus throws its weight behind an effort to kill the windfall elimination provision
Some lawmakers have spent years garnering support to repeal a controversial tax rule that cuts Social Security benefits for some public servants.
Exclusive
Management
Lawmakers are asking the USPS regulator to block DeJoy's latest price hikes
USPS is pursuing its largest rate increases since Louis DeJoy became postmaster general.
Management
House takes a bipartisan vote to hold agencies accountable for better customer service
The measure would make improvements to an "unaccountable, antiquated and Byzantine" federal bureaucracy.
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