Dems Introduce Bill to Protect Feds’ Credit Scores During Shutdowns
Senate Democrats introduced the Federal Worker Credit Protection Act (S. 4478) to shield federal employees from credit‑score penalties when a shutdown forces furloughs or work without pay. The legislation bars credit bureaus from recording negative entries tied to missed payments during a shutdown of at least 24 hours and for 30 days after funding resumes, while also offering free removal requests. It would apply retroactively to Feb. 1 2026, effectively erasing the credit damage caused by the 76‑day partial shutdown. The bill enjoys support from major federal employee unions and several Democratic senators.
Agency Leader Says AI Is Helping Resource-Strained Workforce Identify More Fraud
The CMS Center for Program Integrity (CPI) is leveraging artificial intelligence to help its 500‑person workforce sift through 4‑5 million Medicare and Medicaid claims each day, aiming to curb an estimated $100 billion in fraud. With a modest $1 billion budget, AI tools...
10 Years After OPM Data Breach, Identity Protection Benefits for Affected Feds Start to Expire
A decade after the 2015 Office of Personnel Management breach that exposed more than 22 million federal employees and applicants, the government‑provided MyIDCare identity‑theft protection program is winding down. Enrollees receive rolling emails stating that credit monitoring, dark‑web scanning and insurance...
Agencies Delay Action on Trump Mail Voting Order Amid Legal Fight over Authority
Federal agencies have not yet acted on President Trump’s March 31 executive order that would limit mail‑in voting by requiring state citizenship lists and restricting ballot delivery. The Justice Department argues the lawsuit challenging the order is premature because the...
Easing USPS Handgun Shipping Rules Will Exacerbate Crime, Warns Democrat
The U.S. Postal Service has issued a proposed rule to allow lawful handguns to be mailed under the same conditions as rifles and shotguns, following a Justice Department opinion that the existing ban on mailing concealable firearms is unconstitutional. The...
TSP Funds Returned to Growth in April
The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) posted gains across every fund in April, snapping a lackluster March. The C Fund led with a 10.49% rise, while the S Fund and I Fund each climbed roughly 10%. Fixed‑income F Fund edged up...
Contracting Association Warns It Could Take DHS Until the End of the Year to ‘Get Back on Track’ Following Record-Breaking...
The Professional Services Council warned that, despite the end of the DHS funding lapse, it could take until the end of 2026 for agencies and their contractors to fully recover. The 70‑day shutdown forced cybersecurity and disaster‑response contracts to operate...
Sorting Through Medicare Myths in Federal Retirement Decisions
Federal retirees face a maze of Medicare myths that can affect their health‑care costs. Adding Medicare Part B costs a base $202.90 per month, but many FEHB plans waive deductibles, copays and coinsurance when Medicare is primary, potentially offsetting the premium....
After Reductions, VA Chief Says Facilities Can 'Hire Where They Need and What They Need'
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins told the Senate Appropriations Committee that no VA facility faces hiring constraints, despite the department’s recent staffing caps and a 30,000‑person workforce reduction. He emphasized that baseline FTE limits are administrative and will not block...
How an Obscure Federal Agency Threatens to Upend Union Disputes
The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) issued new guidance that blocks the appointment of arbitrators for federal employee grievances unless the agency management consents, effectively stalling the arbitration process for unions hit by the 2025 national‑security executive orders. The...
FDA to Pilot Real-Time Clinical Drug Trials Through Cloud and AI
The FDA announced a pilot that will stream clinical‑trial data to the agency in real time using cloud platforms and artificial‑intelligence analytics. Commissioner Marty Makary said the effort could shave up to 40% off the time between Phase 1 trials and...
EPA Workers Disciplined for Dissent Letter Get Legal Aid From Whistleblower Groups
More than 600 EPA employees signed a dissent letter criticizing Administrator Lee Zeldin, prompting the agency to suspend over 100 staff members last summer. Whistleblower groups Lawyers for Good Government and the Government Accountability Project announced they will represent dozens...
McMahon Distances Herself From Past Education Layoffs, Vows some Rebuilding Even Amid Elimination Effort
Education Secretary Linda McMahon defended sweeping workforce cuts and a series of interagency partnerships that move Education employees to other federal departments while keeping them on the Education payroll. The department has laid off roughly one‑third of its staff, cutting overall...
DHS Funding Bill Stalls as House GOP Seeks Changes to Senate Deal
House Speaker Mike Johnson is refusing to bring a Senate‑passed Department of Homeland Security funding bill to a vote, demanding unspecified technical changes. The delay threatens to halt paychecks for TSA and FEMA employees, echoing the March shutdown that forced...
House GOP on Trump’s 2027 Pay Freeze: ‘That’s Politics’
House Republicans on the Appropriations Committee voted down Democratic attempts to overturn President Trump’s FY2027 civilian pay freeze and to safeguard civil‑service protections. Trump’s budget omits civilian compensation, signaling a freeze, while granting 5‑7% raises to military personnel. Democrats proposed...
From Bowling Repairs to Zoology, Trump Admin Consolidates Job Titles Affecting 5,000 Feds
The Office of Personnel Management announced it will consolidate 115 federal occupational series, eliminating titles such as bartenders, meatcutters, woodworkers and even bowling‑equipment repair. About 5,000 employees will be shifted into broader job categories, with most seeing no change to...
The ‘Doers’ Need a Budget: Why a $100 Million Council Fund Can End Federal Management Failures
The article argues that the Federal Executive Councils, which bring together senior career executives from across agencies, are chronically underfunded and lack authority to address cross‑government management failures. Currently, the Office of Management and Budget’s Management side creates policy without...
NIST Is Giving Fingerprint Examiners Better Tools for a Messy Job
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has unveiled two new resources for forensic fingerprint work: an fully annotated version of its Special Database 302, containing roughly 10,000 realistic latent prints, and OpenLQM, open‑source software that rates print quality...
Executive Order on Mail Ballots Tests Limits of Postal Service Independence
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on March 31 directing the U.S. Postal Service to require states to notify the agency and provide voter‑list data for mail‑in ballots. Legal scholars argue the directive violates statutes designed to keep the USPS...
Experts Say Trump Inflated His Deregulation Numbers, but His Process Changes Are Here to Stay
Regulatory scholars agree the Trump administration overstated its deregulation achievements, inflating ratios by counting guidance, dead rules and other sub‑regulatory actions. The 10:1 directive—requiring agencies to repeal ten rules for every new one—produced a reported 129 deregulatory actions per new...
Contractors Sue to Block Trump’s Federal DEI Executive Order
A coalition led by the National Association of Minority Contractors and several higher‑education groups has filed a lawsuit to block a new Trump administration executive order that bars federal contractors from engaging in “racially discriminatory DEI activities.” The order threatens...
Senators Demand OPM Withdraw Plan to Access Feds’ Medical Records
Sixteen Democratic senators have urged the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to abandon a proposal that would require insurers to submit monthly, claim‑level health data on federal employees and retirees. The request, published in the Federal Register, lacks safeguards to...
Severe Staffing Cuts at GSA Are Harming Agencies Across Government, Watchdog Says
The General Services Administration’s Public Buildings Service slashed its workforce from over 5,600 to roughly 3,100 employees in 2025, using voluntary separations and layoffs, then rescinded about 400 reduction‑in‑force notices. A GAO report criticizes the agency for cutting staff before...
‘Shirtless in a Hot Tub with Kid Rock’: Dems Question RFK Jr. On HHS Priorities and Budget Decisions
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified before the House Ways and Means Committee, expressing displeasure with the Trump administration’s proposal to cut $15.8 billion—12.5%—from HHS, including SNAP and WIC programs. He argued the cuts would undermine efforts...
When Retirement Calculations Don’t Move on the Same Timeline
Federal retirement counselors face mounting pressure as OPM’s high‑3 calculations lag behind retroactive pay adjustments, sometimes taking up to a year to process. A recent case involving a postal worker illustrates the delay after the 2025 USPS contract added back‑pay...
Hegseth Orders Termination of Union Contracts
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memo ordering the termination of most Department of Defense collective bargaining agreements within 24 hours, invoking Executive Order 14251 that limits federal unions on national‑security grounds. The directive exempts Federal Wage System workers at...
OPM Cuts Degree Requirements for Government Tech Jobs in New Standards
The Office of Personnel Management announced new classification standards that remove bachelor’s‑degree requirements for federal technology jobs. Hiring and promotion will now hinge on formal skill assessments rather than education or years of experience. The overhaul covers all 604 occupational...
Dem Senators Boost Effort to Reinstate Two Immigration Judges
Democratic senators have asked the Federal Circuit to expedite an appeal by two former immigration judges who were fired under an at‑will authority asserted by the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). The MSPB’s ruling, based on a half‑sentence dictum from...
FEMA Came up with a Goal to Cut Half Its Staff without a Plan to Get There, Records Show
FEMA was tasked by the Department of Homeland Security to devise a staffing scenario that would cut its workforce by roughly half, targeting 11,383 employees, before any concrete implementation plan existed. Agency head Karen Evans acknowledged the goal was set...
Fewer Federal Employees Are ‘Thriving’ and More Are ‘Struggling’, According to New Survey
A Gallup survey shows the share of federal employees who consider themselves "thriving" fell from 58% in 2024 to 48% in 2025, a ten‑point drop. At the same time, the proportion classified as "struggling" rose from 37% to 47% and...
VA's Failure to Use Its New Authority to Boost Pay for Doctors Draws Bipartisan Criticism
Veterans Affairs doctors remain capped at $400,000 a year despite the Dole Act, a bipartisan law signed by President Biden that allows 300 pay‑waiver exceptions and retroactive compensation. The VA has not issued guidance to implement the authority, even though...
A Hiring Rule Meant to Help People with Disabilities Get Federal Jobs Instead Left Them More Vulnerable to DOGE Mass...
At the start of President Trump’s second term, the administration dismissed thousands of probationary federal employees, including many hired under Schedule A—a hiring authority for people with severe disabilities that carries a two‑year probation period. In 2025, agencies such as HHS...
Why the Federal Government Needs to Stop Obsessing over Process
Federal managers are increasingly judged on process compliance, but this focus is creating an administrative paradox that hampers program effectiveness. The GAO reports that Americans forgo over $140 billion in benefits each year because of burdensome paperwork, highlighting how procedural rigor...
OPM to FEHB Carriers: Cut Costs, MAHA Style
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sent its 2026 call letter to Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) and Postal Service Health Benefits carriers, urging a shift toward "well‑care" initiatives that emphasize preventive health, mental wellness, and patient‑centered decision‑making. The notice...
DHS Employees to Begin Receiving Paychecks This Week
Homeland Security Department employees will receive back pay this week, ending nearly two months of unpaid work after funding lapsed on Feb. 14. President Trump signed a memorandum authorizing DHS to tap previously appropriated funds, allowing paychecks to be issued between...
Ex-VOA Employees Challenge Last Year’s Buyout and Retirement Offers
Four former Voice of America employees have petitioned the Merit Systems Protection Board to void the early‑retirement and buyout agreements they signed in 2024 under the Deferred Resignation Program, Voluntary Early Retirement Authority and Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments. Their request...
Trump Vows to Find ‘Leaker’ Who Publicized Search for Second Downed Airman in Iran
President Donald Trump warned he will pursue the media outlet that first reported a second Air Force officer missing after an F‑15E Strike Eagle crashed in Iran. The weapons‑system officer evaded capture for more than a day before U.S. special‑operations...
Scammers Posing as Federal Officials Drive Complaints up and Rack up $800 Million in Losses
The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Complaint Center report shows government‑impersonation scams nearly doubled from 2024, with complaints rising from about 17,300 to 32,500. Victims lost roughly $797 million in 2025, up from $405 million the year before, placing this fraud among the...
OPM Leans Into 'Well Care' As It Reshapes Federal Health Plans for 2027
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) unveiled its 2027 Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) agenda, branding it “well care” to broaden focus on physical and mental wellness. Key mandates include free access to all CDC‑recommended vaccines, required coverage of at...
Interior Incentivizes More Staff Departures After Already Cutting 20% of Its Workforce
The Interior Department, after cutting about 20% of its workforce over the past 15 months, has launched a new Deferred Resignation Program that lets most full‑time employees take paid leave through September before exiting government service. The program, which previously...
Traveling Soon? What Federal Health Plans Actually Cover
Federal employee health plans, including FEHB and related options, provide varying levels of overseas medical coverage as travel season peaks. Most plans reimburse at in‑network levels but require members to pay upfront and submit claims with translation and currency conversion....
A Call to Action: Shining the Spotlight on Public Building Utilization
The General Services Administration oversees roughly 8,000 federal buildings, yet no agency meets the 60% occupancy benchmark set by the USE IT Act. A newly released utilization report shows widespread underuse and a maintenance backlog valued between $26 billion and $50 billion....
Top Oversight Dem Criticizes OPM’s Forced Distribution Plan for Federal Worker Appraisals
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has proposed lifting its ban on forced distribution, allowing agencies to set quotas for top, average and low performance ratings. The rule echoes a similar shift introduced during the Trump administration for the Senior...
As the Number of Political Appointees Surge and Career SES Ranks Shrink, One Nonprofit Warns of ‘Institutional Consequences’
The Partnership for Public Service reports that political appointees in the federal government have surged to their highest level in decades, while career Senior Executive Service (SES) positions have shrunk by nearly 30% since the start of the second Trump...
New Contract for Background Investigations Raises Concerns About Scale and Risk
The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) has released a draft solicitation for the next‑generation Case Processing Operations Center (CPOC 2.0), expanding its workload to include Continuous Vetting for real‑time monitoring of cleared personnel. Historically, CPOC processes over a million background...
A Federal Office Designed to Stave Off the Next Financial Crisis Is Being Dismantled by the Trump Administration
The Treasury Department’s Office of Financial Research (OFR) is slated to shrink from 196 employees to roughly 70, a 64% reduction announced by its director in early March. Created under the 2010 Dodd‑Frank Act to gather data and issue early...
Federal Labor Board Asserts Political Control over Union Elections
The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) issued two final rules that move decision‑making on federal union elections and bargaining‑unit definitions from career regional directors to the politically appointed three‑member authority. Effective April 23, the authority will work collaboratively with regional...
New Bills Would Extend Whistleblower Protections to More Feds
Sen. Chuck Grassley introduced two Senate bills to broaden whistleblower protections for federal employees. S.4100 would extend the same safeguards to civil servants whose primary duties involve investigating wrongdoing, countering recent Merit Systems Protection Board rulings that raised the retaliation...
Stalled Onboarding of Foreign Service Fellows Draws Questions From Lawmakers
Senators, led by Chris Van Hollen, have written to Secretary Marco Rubio demanding an explanation for the months‑long onboarding delay affecting more than 50 Thomas R. Pickering and Charles B. Rangel fellows from the 2023 and deferred 2022 cohorts. The...
Survey of 11,000 Feds Underscores ‘Layer Cake of Trauma’
The Partnership for Public Service released its own Public Service Viewpoint Survey after OPM cancelled the statutory Federal Employees Viewpoint Survey, gathering responses from over 10,000 federal workers. Engagement plummeted to 32 out of 100, with 58% saying morale worsened...