Defense

Homeland Security opens with a lean headquarters operation

Only about 100 employees of the Homeland Security Department will immediately relocate to the agency’s temporary headquarters in Washington, Secretary Tom Ridge said Friday.

Pay & Benefits

Key civil service lawmaker unseated; others cruise to victory

Key lawmakers on civil service committees overwhelmingly retained their seats Tuesday in this year’s House and Senate elections. The lone exception was in Maryland's 8th District, where Democratic state Sen. Chris Van Hollen upended Rep. Connie Morella, an eight-term Republican.

Management

Agencies report 75,000 jobs could be outsourced

More than 75,000 federal jobs in nearly two dozen agencies could be performed by private-sector workers, according to job inventories released Thursday.

Defense

Terror threat rises, but employees stay on the job

Attorney General John Ashcroft on Tuesday raised the threat level of possible terrorist attacks against the United States from “elevated” to the “high,” orange level, but directed federal employees to report to work as usual.

Management

Patent office to begin testing examiners’ skills

The Patent and Trademark Office plans to start testing its patent examiners and managers, and will make them take refresher courses if they fail.