Author Archive
Pay & Benefits
TSP funds posted a mixed bag in June
Only three of the five core investment offerings of the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program ended the month in the black.
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Health Administration to task over recent hiring restrictions within the department and controversial but since-rescinded bonus payments.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.
Workforce
Forest Service will partially refund federal firefighters’ rent in government-owned housing
The decision to provide a 50% refund to wildland firefighters at the GS-10 level who reside in government-owned housing will affect roughly 5,500 employees.
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.
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Workforce
Martin O’Malley is on a one-year sprint to save Social Security
Despite shaking up the culture one of Washington’s most risk-averse agencies, the former governor said his biggest task is convincing Congress to reinvest in the Social Security Administration’s administrative overhead.
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
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.
Oversight
IRS is reducing its physical footprint but needs a better long-term plan, its IG says
The IRS has reduced its office space by 2 million square feet since fiscal 2018, but the watchdog said it could save millions in real estate costs with additional steps.
Pay & Benefits
OPM’s retirement backlog hit an 8-year low last month
Efforts to streamline the processing of departing federal workers’ retirement applications continue to pay dividends, as the inventory of pending claims hit the lowest point since 2016.
Workforce
Bush-era national security officials warn against Schedule F
In a letter to congressional committee staff directors, a cadre of former Republican appointees urged lawmakers to pursue a “middle ground” of federal employee accountability that preserves merit systems principles.
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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.
Workforce
EPA union ratifies contract to protect employees’ scientific integrity
The deal also locks in a maximum of four days per week of telework, though labor leaders said that the agency will likely want to renegotiate the benefit after two years.
Pay & Benefits
TSP funds all bounced back in May
After a rough April, each of the portfolios in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program finished last month in the black.
Management
OPM reminds agencies of burrowing rules ahead of election season
All proposed appointments to career competitive service or Senior Executive Service positions must be reviewed by the federal government’s dedicated HR agency.
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.
Workforce