Pay & Benefits

White House Now Supports 2021 Pay Freeze, but Only for Civilians

The announcement marks a reversal for the Trump administration, which previously proposed a 1% across-the-board pay increase for all federal employees.

Defense

EXCLUSIVE: Details Revealed in Trump’s Lame-Duck Pentagon Budget Draft

Some of the numbers are “fabricated,” says one official. But they shed light on GOP lines of attack awaiting Biden.

Defense

Democrats See GOP Electioneering in Air Force Choice of Georgia for C-130 Base

A Trump appointee wants Air National Guard planes sent to the state that holds the key to Senate control.

Oversight

Trump Races to Weaken Environmental and Worker Protections, and Implement Other Last-Minute Policies, Before Jan. 20

The Trump administration is rushing to approve dozens of eleventh-hour policy changes. Among them: The Justice Department is fast-tracking a rule that could reintroduce firing squads and electrocutions to federal executions.

Management

Transition Roundup: Trump Refuses to Concede; Biden Teams Prepare to Go Into Agencies

There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s today’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.

Management

OMB Advises Agencies on Contractors’ Limiting Their Use of Foreign Workers

The agency issued a memo to supplement President Trump’s executive order in August. 

Management

A Brief History of Presidents Snubbing Their Successors – and Why the Founders Favored Civility Instead

'Mind your manners' isn't just something your mother told you. Manners – and civility – are an essential component of how things get done in government, and the Founding Fathers knew it.

Management

Biden Team Says Transition Delay Could Hinder Vaccine Distribution

“More people may die if we don’t coordinate,” with the Trump administration, said President-elect Joe Biden earlier this week.

Tech

Did Trump Delay the Arrival of At-Home Coronavirus Testing?

Some experts think that at-home testing can stop coronavirus outbreaks, and that the government should have been doing more to produce the tests.

Workforce

GovExec Daily: Schedule F, Firing and the Private Sector

Dr. Donald F. Kettl joins the podcast to discuss the White House order on firing and accountability.

Management

Over 170 Groups Call for Biden Administration to Take Up Ethics Reforms Immediately 

President-elect Biden addressed many of their concerns in his campaign platform and transition plan. 

Management

Biden’s Transition Team Brings in Diverse Coalition of Experts, at Least Half of Whom Are Women

The members of Biden’s agency review teams represent communities “historically underrepresented in federal government.”

Management

What Will Regulatory Policy Look Like Under President Biden?

Experts predict the incoming Biden administration will work immediately to undo four years of deregulation under Trump.

Management

Rolling Back Trump Workforce Policies Won’t Be As Simple As Rescinding Executive Orders

President-elect Biden has vowed to rescind on his first day a series of Trump-era directives aimed at weakening federal labor unions and politicizing the civil service, but repairing the damage could take much longer.

Defense

Foreign Leaders Congratulate Biden, Ignore Trump’s Claim to Reelection

NATO allies France, Germany, and UK quickly recognized the president-elect’s win. Turkey and Russia remain quiet.

Defense

Trump Fires Esper, Taps NCTC Director to be Acting SecDef

Christopher Miller becomes Trump's fourth acting defense secretary just 72 days before Inauguration Day.

Management

The Legal Theories at the Heart of Trump’s Order Politicizing the Civil Service

Federal employees could find it hard to challenge the White House’s move to strip civil service protections from them, since courts traditionally have sought to avoid weighing in on agency terminations.

Oversight

GovExec Daily: The Backlash to the Schedule F Order

Erich Wagner joins the podcast to discuss the lawsuit and House bill reacting to the Trump executive order.

Management

House Democrats Urge OPM to Halt Implementation of Order Politicizing Civil Service

House Oversight and Reform Committee leaders want to investigate the development and analysis of the effort to strip wide swaths of the federal workforce of civil service protections.