Pay & Benefits

Senate Democrats Introduce Bill to Make Payroll Tax Deferral Optional

Legislation requiring workers, including federal employees and military service members, to consent in writing to have their Social Security taxes deferred between now and the end of the year has the support of nearly 20 employee groups.

Workforce

GovExec Daily: The White House COVID-19 Outbreak

 Katherine McIntire Peters joins the podcast to discuss the president's diagnosis and the workplace safety measures at the White House.

Defense

Can Dr. Conley — a Military Doctor — Say 'No' to the President?

Yes, but he’s under a lot of pressure that other physicians caring for VIP patients might not be.

Pay & Benefits

Lawmakers Revive Push to Make Feds’ Payroll Tax Deferral Optional

The effort to pressure the Trump administration into allowing federal employees to opt out of the controversial initiative to delay collection of Social Security taxes until next year is now bipartisan.

Oversight

GovExec Daily: The Transition Work Before the Presidential Election

Courtney Bublé joins the podcast to discuss the preparations being made already for the presidential transition.

Oversight

GovExec Daily: The White House Diversity Order and Memos

Eric Katz joins the podcast to talk about the Trump administration's latest moves to curb certain types of training at agencies.

Pay & Benefits

More Feds Subject to Mandatory Payroll Tax Deferral Than Initially Thought

The National Treasury Employees Union on Friday said that the Trump administration failed to clarify that the controversial initiative applies to those making $4,000 or less after several pre-tax deductions, not their gross pay.

Management

White House Expands Crackdown on Certain Diversity and Inclusion Training

President Trump signed an executive order that covers federal agencies, contractors, grantees and the military. 

Management

GovExec Daily: Bending or Rebuilding the Bureaucracy in the 2020 Election

Courtney Bublé, Eric Katz and Erich Wagner join the podcast to discuss their election stories on Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

Workforce

Women in President Donald Trump’s White House Earn 69 Cents for Every $1 Paid to Male Staffers

The gender pay gap is wider than the national pay gap and wider than the gap in the Obama White House.

Management

OPM Moves to Formally Shift Administrative Law Judges Out of Competitive Service

Proposed regulations implementing a 2018 executive order confirm that existing judges at federal agencies will not be subject to the change unless they transfer to another agency or leave and return to federal service, but they will no longer be eligible for a number of financial incentive programs.

Management

Gauge of U.S. Democracy Hits Its Lowest Score Yet

The latest survey results from the political science research project Bright Line Watch are in: U.S. democracy gets just 61 out of 100.

Pay & Benefits

OMB Fails to Offer New Info in Payroll Tax Deferral Memo

Federal payroll processors are pushing ahead with the mandatory deferral of Social Security taxes between now and the end of the year, while warning employees that they will have to pay them back next year.

Pay & Benefits

Lawmakers Make Last Ditch Push for Payroll Tax Deferral Opt-Out

Despite efforts, it appears unlikely the administration will reverse course on forcing federal workers to temporarily skip paying taxes that go toward Social Security.

Defense

Army Chief Denies Trump’s Claim That Generals Make War for Arms Makers

“We take this very, very seriously,” Gen. James McConville said in an interview with Defense One.

Management

White House Moves to Redirect Funding for Some Diversity Training at Agencies

Citing unnamed “press reports,” OMB said some training conducted by agencies is “un-American” and sows division in the federal workforce.

Pay & Benefits

Payroll Tax Deferral Will Be Mandatory for Eligible Feds, Service Members

The Trump administration has ignored calls to allow federal employees to opt out of the planned deferral of Social Security taxes from lawmakers and federal employee groups.

Oversight

Democrats Request Probe of Alleged Hatch Act Violations at Republican Convention

“We are particularly concerned with the consequences of White House actions on career employees who may have felt pressured to help organize and put on these events,” they wrote.