Lawsuit Claims DOJ Is Retaliating Against Employees with Disabilities Who Request Telework
A federal discrimination lawsuit alleges the Justice Department systematically denied telework accommodations to two disabled employees after President Trump’s January 2025 return‑to‑office directive. Both Joshua Mauldin, a veteran with PTSD and cardiac issues, and IT manager Tarik Smajic, who suffers chronic spinal pain, saw their telework requests met with interim arrangements, demotions and performance penalties. The suit seeks compensatory damages, reversal of adverse actions, and a change to DOJ’s telework accommodation practices. The department has not commented on the filing.
Cyber Force? Senator Pushes to Create Service Branch Under the Army
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has introduced a markup amendment to the FY2027 National Defense Authorization Act that would create a dedicated Cyber Force as a new service branch under the Army. The proposal follows similar bipartisan efforts in the House and...
Supreme Court Rejects Lower Court Bid to Review Immigration Judge Gag Order
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the Fourth Circuit’s broader challenge to the Civil Service Reform Act, sending the case back for further proceedings. The Court held the appellate panel overstepped by addressing a statutory issue that neither party...
Disability Advocates Sue over Website Accessibility Delays
The National Federation of the Blind has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services, challenging a one‑year extension granted for state and local government website accessibility compliance. The rule, rooted in the Americans...
Agency Partnerships Are a Potential Financial Lifeline for USPS, Watchdog Reports
The USPS inspector general warned the postal service could exhaust its cash reserves by fall 2026 and outlined a series of inter‑agency partnership opportunities to shore up finances. Non‑postal government services generated $387 million in FY 2025, but expanding offerings such as...
TSA Workforce, Aviation Leaders Challenge Trump Push to Expand Privatized Airport Screening
President Trump is pushing legislation to make the Screening Partnership Program (SPP) mandatory for small airports, a move that would expand the privatized screening model from the current 20‑plus airports to hundreds nationwide. The proposal includes $477 million in funding for...
USDA Is Using AI, but Doesn’t Have the Required Controls to Manage Risks, Watchdog Finds
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has deployed artificial‑intelligence tools to forecast corn and soybean yields, spot supply‑chain risks, and streamline permitting decisions. An Office of Inspector General report reveals the agency lacks essential cybersecurity and governance controls, including a generative‑AI...
More GLP-1 Options Are Coming for Federal Retirees, but They Come with a Catch
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is launching the Medicare GLP‑1 Bridge program on July 1, extending coverage of select weight‑loss GLP‑1 drugs to eligible Part D beneficiaries regardless of medical condition. Federal retirees with FEHB‑linked Part D plans can now request...
Waiting to Retire Could Be Worth Thousands of Dollars
Federal employees face a complex decision about when to retire, balancing FERS pension growth, Social Security timing, and TSP withdrawals. Delaying retirement past age 62 can increase the FERS annuity multiplier to 1.1% and boost the high‑3 salary base, while...
'Going to Be a S***show': Parks, Interior Struggle to Hire Temporary Staff Ahead of Busy Season
The Interior Department is lagging behind its seasonal hiring goals, with only about 4,200 temporary workers in early April—a 14% drop from 2024 and 33% short of the National Park Service’s target of 7,700. The agency has shed roughly 11,000...
‘Sermonizing’ Easter Email Prompts USDA Employees to Sue Agency
A group of USDA employees and the National Federation of Federal Employees filed a lawsuit after Secretary Brooke Rollins sent an Easter email that framed the holiday in explicitly Christian terms. The plaintiffs argue the message violates the First Amendment’s...
Federal Discipline Was Never Supposed to Be Punitive. The MSPB Appeal Framework Reflects That
Federal discipline is legally framed as rehabilitative, not punitive, under the Douglas factors established by the 1981 MSPB decision. The twelve‑factor analysis, especially Factor 10 on rehabilitation potential, guides whether penalties are proportionate and consistent. In FY 2025 the MSPB handled a...
‘This Will Cost Lives’: Researchers Slam Trump Cuts to Addiction Programs and Staffing
A coalition of scientists released a report condemning the Trump administration’s cuts to addiction research, citing massive staff reductions at NIH’s NIAAA and NIDA and the termination of over $1.9 billion in SAMHSA grants. The report shows FY 2025 grant funding hit...
A USDA Cow Scientist Won an Award for Helping Dairy Farmers Produce More Milk. He’s Worried About the Future of...
Paul VanRaden, a USDA dairy‑genetics scientist, received the 2026 Service to America medal for developing a genomic prediction system that lets farmers pinpoint high‑milk‑production calves. His methodology helped raise U.S. milk output since the 1980s even as the national herd...
Feds Wary of Skills-Based Hiring Survey After 15 Months of Attacks
The Office of Personnel Management rolled out its federal workforce competency initiative survey to roughly 550,000 employees, marking the latest phase of a bipartisan push toward skills‑based hiring. Within days, OPM logged about 21,000 responses, but many workers expressed distrust,...