Oversight
Education Department spent up to $38M paying employees not to work before reinstating them, watchdog reports
The Government Accountability Office also reported that the caseload for the department’s Office for Civil Rights increased by an average of 98 cases per week during part of the time that these staffers were on paid leave.
Management
Lawsuit seeks to stop FEMA from cutting its workforce in half
Staff reductions at the disaster agency were put on hold last week, as it faced the recent winter storm.
Management
Some FEMA employee layoffs put on hold, while reform council renewed
The pause in reducing Cadre of On-Call Response and Recovery (CORE) employees comes as the U.S. faces a winter storm.
Workforce
Laid off HHS employees win judge approval to seek class action suit
Employees say they are entitled to financial compensation for the errors HHS made when trying to force them out.
Workforce
Out of government, former USAID employees continue to offer their expertise
Former development workers founded Aid on the Hill to lobby members of Congress about international assistance.
Workforce
CFPB staves off furloughs after receiving funding, but still pushes to shut itself down and squeeze staff
The Trump administration is complying with court orders but cutting pay and benefits for employees as it seeks to lay virtually all of them off.
Management
Dueling HHS reversals whipsaw federal employees, grant recipients
Hundreds of laid off employees were recalled to work, but thousands of grant recipients had their funds rescinded with no notice.
Workforce
After confusion, State will move forward with hundreds of layoffs
A judge said a statutory moratorium on RIFs does not require they be withdrawn entirely.
Management
The 5 biggest stories federal agencies and employees need to watch in 2026
Trump will look to finalize his government overhaul efforts next year.
Workforce
GSA backs off planned layoffs within its technology team after court order
The Technology Transformation Services has lost 67% of its staff since Jan. 25.
Updated
Workforce
Additional shutdown layoffs must be rolled back, judge rules
The order is set to impact around 700 workers at four agencies.
Workforce
At least one agency is making a renewed, less generous ‘deferred resignation’ offer to staff
The Trump administration is continuing efforts to cut the federal workforce.
Oversight
Some indoor federal gun ranges are operating under unsafe conditions due to lack of oversight, watchdog reports
General Services Administration employees interviewed for the investigation reported issues gathering necessary information, in part, due to workforce reductions at the agency.
Workforce
Education Department civil rights staff returning to work to tackle complaint backlog
More than 200 Office for Civil Rights employees targeted as part of a larger RIF effort at the Education Department in March, they are now being brought back to the office.
Workforce
Ex-feds axed in DEI purge file class action suit
A group of four former federal employees described the mass reduction in force of those in purportedly “diversity”-related jobs as a means for the Trump administration to “punish perceived political enemies” and disproportionally targeting protected-class employees for dismissal.
Updated
Workforce
Judge temporarily blocks layoffs at State as unions seek to apply shutdown deal pause at 4 other agencies
The Trump administration had argued the blanket RIF moratorium does not apply at five agencies.
Workforce
State becomes the latest agency to proceed with RIFs despite statutory pause
The deal to end the shutdown placed a moratorium on any action to implement layoffs, but some agency are moving forward anyway.
Defense
NSA has met 2,000-person workforce reduction goal, people familiar say
A broader Pentagon goal to shrink the nation’s defense budget over the coming five years could potentially subject the agency to further downsizing.
Management
Agency layoff rules to get an overhaul under nearly finalized Trump administration proposal
OPM’s reduction in force revamp plan will put performance ratings over tenure and strip some employees of protections.
Management