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RIF watch: See which agencies are laying off federal workers

GovExec Staff — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 15:31:41 -0500

Updated Oct 24 at 10:35 a.m.

The Supreme Court earlier this year has allowed the Trump administration to resume mass reductions in force, though large swaths of the federal government are once again blocked from issuing layoffs under a new court order.

Many agencies have sent out RIF notices in the previous 10 months, with a new wave commencing during the government shutdown. These layoffs are separate from the mass firings of probationary employees in the early months of the administration, which led to the removal of at least 25,000 workers. See our tracker of those firings here.

An executive order and subsequent guidance in February from the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management called for the “maximum elimination” of federal agency functions not required by law. As a starting point for the cuts, OMB and OPM said, agencies should focus on employees whose jobs are not required in statute and who face furloughs in government shutdowns—typically around one-third of the federal workforce, or 700,000 employees.

Several agencies have eliminated offices wholesale and slashed their regional offices across the country. The administration laid off around 4,000 people on Oct. 10 across seven agencies. The cuts followed through on a threat from President Trump and Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought to inflict pain on the federal workforce as a consequence of the government shutdown.

Those RIFs, and forthcoming cuts Trump and Vought have promised, are now largely paused under a temporary restraining order issued by a federal judge in California. Her order now extends to agency components with employees in the American Federation of Government Employees; the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers; the National Federation of Federal Employees; the National Association of Government Employees; the National Treasury Employees Union; and the Service Employees International Union.

Here are the departments and agencies where Government Executive has confirmed RIFs have taken place or are about to occur. In some cases, the plans are in flux and subject to change. We will update as we learn more. More in-depth reporting is linked where available.

Agriculture Department: USDA is planning to dramatically slash its headquarters workforce through relocations into new regional hubs and, potentially, layoffs. Most employees will be given the option to either take a reassignment to one of the new hubs the department is standing up or separate from federal service. As the department cuts leases and functions across the country, regional staff will also be impacted, though some will have the opportunity to relocate to the new hubs. USDA will offload one of its two Washington headquarters buildings and consolidate dozens of additional sites. All told, 2,600 Washington-based are expected to be relocated. The department has shed 15,000 employees through its separation incentives.

Commerce Department: Commerce was originally seeking to cut its workforce by 20%, or nearly 10,000 employees, by using attrition, incentives and other measures to get to that level without RIFs. In October, however, Commerce sent RIF notices to 600 employees, including those at the Patent and Trademark Office, Census Bureau and Minority Business Development Agency. Those cuts are currently paused pending the temporary restraining order.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: CFPB first issued RIFs for approximately 1,500 personnel, roughly 88% of its workforce on April 17, while announcing 50% cuts to its inspection operations of financial services companies. Employees were told they would be locked out by 6 p.m. on April 18 and would be separated from federal service by June 16, barring qualifications for other available positions. A federal judge on April 18 paused the RIFs at CFPB, which led to the layoff notices being officially rescinded. An appeals court subsequently ruled that the RIFs could proceed, but paused their implementation while a union sought an en banc hearing before the entire appellate panel.

Defense Department: Defense said it would use RIFs or use other incentives to drive 5% to 8% of its civilian workforce, or as many as 61,000 employees, out of government. The department announced in September it successfully hit that target using various incentives.

Education Department: Education has laid off one-third of its workforce, or about 1,300 employees. The notices went out on March 11 and the department closed its offices on March 12 for the day. Education previously offered buyouts of up to $25,000 to most of its employees, who had until March 3 at 11:59 p.m. to accept the offer. About 300 employees accepted those and combined with other voluntary separations, Education's total workforce was set to be about half the size it was before Trump took office. In October, Education sent layoff notices to an additional 465 employees, which are currently paused pending the temporary restraining order.

Energy Department: Energy sent 179 employees tentative RIF notices in October, informing them that they may get laid off at a future date. Employees in the Office of State and Community Energy Programs and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy were targeted.

Environmental Protection Agency: Staff in the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights and Regional Environmental Justice Divisions on April 21 were informed that a RIF will take effect on July 31.

The RIFs began to take shape in March when Administrator Lee Zeldin moved to eliminate the environmental justice office and divisions as well as the Office of Inclusive Excellence. Prior to their shutterings, EPA said it had put about 170 employees in those offices on administrative leave.

In July, EPA announced it was eliminating its Office of Research and Development, leading to a RIF of potentially hundreds of employees. All told, the agency said it has slashed its workforce from 16,155 when Trump took office to 12,448. In October, the agency said it would lay off another 30 employees, which are currently paused pending the temporary restraining order.

Federal Trade Commission: FTC dismissed around a dozen employees on Feb. 28, impacting its Bureau of Competition, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Office of Public Affairs and Office of Technology.

General Services Administration: GSA has sent RIF notices to some employees in its Office of Human Resources Management and Office of Customer Experience and, initially, issued severe cuts to its Public Building Service.

GSA has also eliminated 18F, and laid off virtually all employees there.
On March 3, GSA began widespread RIFs focused on its Public Buildings Service. Many regions across the country were impacted. The agency subsequently canceled most of those layoffs, however, and brought the employees back to work.

Health and Human Services Department: HHS has eliminated 20,000 jobs from its workforce of 82,000, the department announced earlier this year. It sent RIF notices to 10,000 employees and used attrition for the remaining 10,000. As part of those initial layoffs, the Food and Drug Administration shed 3,500 employees, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cut about 2,400 employees and NIH has sent RIF notices to more than 1,200 workers. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services laid off 300 staff.

Eliminated offices included those tracking cancer rates among firefighters, providing veterinary care caring for lab animals, managing the nation's network of health centers that provide care to 31 million Americans, training new drug reviewers, collecting data on opioid on abuse and leading teams researching infectious diseases, among many others. Following the Supreme Court decision, HHS proceeded removing most of those impacted by RIFs on July 14. Employees at CDC, FDA's tobacco office and Head Start remain on the rolls due to an injunction in a separate case brought by a group of states.

HHS, primarily at CDC, has brought back some employees deemed essential to carry out mission-critical functions.

The department's Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization laid off at least 25 people at HHS headquarters and different components such as the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention on April 7. The cuts leave only executive director Shannon Jackson remaining in the office.

HHS shuttered six regional offices in its Office of General Counsel, bringing the agency from 10 OGC offices down to four. Those will be located in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Kansas City, Mo., and Denver. Impacted staff—about 200 of the 300 in the regional offices—were laid off, according to two employees affected by the changes and informed of the department’s plans.

In October, HHS laid off around another 1,000 employees. The haphazard nature of the RIFs led to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reverse more than half of the original 1,300 notices it originally sent. Additional cuts were made at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Health Resources and Services Administration, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health and Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. Those cuts are currently paused pending the temporary restraining order.

Homeland Security Department: DHS officials issued RIF notices to all employees in its Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, as well as its Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman and Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman on March 21. The roughly 150 people in the CRCL office have been placed on administrative leave, pending their terminations, as have the approximately 40 employees at CIS Ombudsman and more than 120 employees at OIDO. The department's Office of Intelligence and Analysis was planning to reduce its staffing by around 75%, cutting its workforce from some 1,000 full-time employees to 275, but as of July 10, those plans have been paused.

In October, DHS initiated RIFs for 176 employees at its Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. A spokesperson said the cuts, currently paused by the TRO, would be "getting CISA back on mission" after the Biden administration led it astray.

Housing and Urban Development Department: HUD has issued RIF notices to all employees in the Office of Field Policy and Management at the General Schedule-13 level and below, according to a memo obtained by Government Executive. The employees were set to be terminated May 18. In October, HUD sent RIF notices to 442 employees in its Office of Community Planning and Development, the regional offices of its Office of Federal Housing and Equal Opportunity and its Public and Indian Housing office. Those cuts are currently paused pending the temporary restraining order.

Interior Department: DOI is planning sweeping reductions to its administrative and support function workforce and has consolidated related offices away from component agencies. Interior has folded areas such as IT, communications, finance, human resources and contracting into the central part of the department, rather than components such as the Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service and others maintaining their own cadres of staff to provide those services. That will be followed by widespread and significant reductions in force to employees in those offices, leading in some cases to 50% cuts to the relevant workforces. The consolidations began in early May and RIFs were expected to follow in the coming weeks, but those actions were held up in federal court. Thousands of layoffs were expected.

In October, Interior laid out with specificity where 2,000 RIFs were planned across its bureaus. Significantly more cuts were expected, though those details remained under wraps. Most of those cuts are currently paused pending the TRO, though Interior left the door open to proceeding with some of the cuts not impacted by the court's order.

Labor Department: DOL had planned layoffs at the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, but on Aug. 12, it reversed those reduction in force notices. A department spokesperson said that DOL reduced its total workforce by 20% through voluntary separation initiatives and attrition.

NASA: NASA began sending RIF notices to employees on March 10. In an email to staff, acting Administrator Janet Petro told staff it was a "phased reduction in force," meaning more layoffs are expected in the coming days and weeks. She called the cuts "difficult adjustments" impacting "valued members of our team," but said the agency was viewing the changes as "an opportunity to reshape our workforce." NASA has so far laid off only around 20 employees by closing the Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy, the Office of the Chief Scientist and employees working on diversity issues. NASA's RIF and reorganization plan is still forthcoming, Petro said, though senior officials have told employees they are hopeful to avoid additional layoffs even as they pursue significant workforce reductions.

Office of Personnel Management: OPM, which is spearheading the workforce reduction effort across government, has sent RIF notices to at least its Office of Procurement Operations and communications staff. Around 80 people were let go. In late February, OPM virtually eliminated its Human Capital Data Management and Modernization office. Several dozen employees received RIF notices and only 10 were spared. OPM has also laid off employees from its privacy and Freedom of Information Act office. OPM has also eliminated its Chief Technology Office. The agency also issued RIFs to the entirety of its Congressional, Legislative & Intergovernmental Affairs office staff on April 16.

Peace Corps: The Peace Corps is expected shed 50% of its domestic staff in mid-May, according to two employees briefed on the plans. Some offices will see as many as three-quarters of its staff laid off. The agency has around 900 U.S.-based direct hire positions, though given the existing vacancies around 300 cuts are expected to occur between RIFs and incentivized departures. Employees said recruiting efforts, training programs, support functions and security and health services for for deployed volunteers will also struggle to continue, employees said.

Small Business Administration: SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler told employees in March the agency would shed 2,700 of its 6,500 employees. In April, it issued RIF notices to large number of employees in its COVID-19 loan servicing center. It subsequently laid off employees in the customer service center for disaster victims. One impacted employee said impacted communities will now either get rushed off the phone or not get assisted at all, while also facing longer wait times. "The ones being hurt by these cuts are the ones that truly do need assistance," the employee said.

Social Security Administration: SSA has shuttered two offices—its Office of Transformation and Office of Civil Rights—and initially placed those workers on administration leave. SSA's former acting Administrator Leland Dudek has said he planned to lay off 7,000 employees in total, according to three employees familiar with the plans.

State Department: After much delay, the State Department on July 11 laid off around 1,350 employees through a mass RIF. All told, State is expected to shed around 3,000 workers as part of its reorganization that will see more than 300 offices eliminated or consolidated. Around 1,100 civil service staff and 250 foreign service officers were be impacted. Impacted offices included the Bureau of Cyberspace and Policy, Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Bureau of Energy Resources, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, Multilateral Trade Affairs office, Office of Agriculture Policy and others. All employees at the refugee resettlement office and the refugee processing center were subject to RIFs.

Transportation Department: Secretary Sean Duffy said in a department town hall that reductions in force would take place at the end of May, though that timeline was pushed back by original the court injunction. The number of employees who will be laid off depends on how many workers participate in the second round of the deferred resignation program. Those cuts have yet to materialize.

Treasury Department:

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration reported on July 18 that the tax agency’s workforce has decreased by 25% with nearly 25,390 employees taking deferred resignation, another departure incentive or otherwise separating and 294 workers being terminated in RIFs. Layoffs affected the Office of Civil Rights and Compliance, Taxpayer Experience Office and Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Taxpayer Services. The Trump administration was expected to slash as many as 20,000 jobs from IRS.
Around April 8, the Bureau of Fiscal Service began notifying employees who service bonds for investors that they would be shuttering their offices and outsourcing that work. Hundreds of employees were part of the reductions.
In October, Treasury sent RIF notices to 1,446 employees. Much those were focused on the Internal Revenue Service and the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, though the cuts are paused pending the resolution of the temporary restraining order.

U.S. Agency for International Development: In the midst of a court battle, nearly all staffers at USAID were laid off under reduction in force procedures on either July 1 or Sept. 2. The Trump administration is seeking to largely fold the agency into the State Department, which will hire a few hundred of the thousands of affected employees.

Veterans Affairs Department: VA initially suggested it would slash its workforce to fiscal 2019 levels, which would mark a reduction of more than 80,000 employees. RIFs were expected to begin this summer. VA Secretary Doug Collins announced in July, however, that the department would no longer pursue widespread layoffs and instead cut the department by 30,000 employees through attrition and separation incentives. Since 2019, VA has gone on a hiring spree to accommodate the millions of veterans newly eligible for care and benefits.

Small agencies set for elimination: Trump has signed an executive order to eliminate to the extent allowed by law seven small agencies. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service has sent RIF notices to virtually all of its staff, as has much of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. The Institute of Museum and Library Services subsequently followed suit, as did the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Commerce Department is preparing for RIFs within its Minority Business Development Agency. Trump's order also called for the elimination of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the Smithsonian Institution, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and the Treasury Department's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. Many of those actions are currently being litigated in federal court.

See something we are missing? Share your experience with us:

Eric Katz: ekatz@govexec.com; Signal: erickatz.28

Sean Michael Newhouse: snewhouse@govexec.com; Signal: seanthenewsboy.45

Erich Wagner: ewagner@govexec.com; Signal: ewagner.47

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Federal agencies are still firing probationary employees—most recently the Navy

GovExec Staff — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 14:00:15 -0500

Updated as of 3:33 p.m. on March 9

The Trump administration has begun firing federal employees who are in their probationary periods, which can include longtime government employees that were recently hired or promoted into new positions, but are typically those hired within the past one to two years. Such workers have weaker civil service job protections.

The Office of Personnel Management previously asked agencies to compile lists of their probationary employees and, in some cases, federal offices warned such individuals they could be imminently fired.

Based on OPM data, as of May 2024, more than 200,000 federal employees have been hired within the last year. Probationers can still appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board if they allege the firings took place for partisan political reasons.

Here are the departments and agencies where Government Executive has confirmed firings have taken place. We will update as we learn more. If known, we also note the approximate number of affected employees and our more in-depth reporting is linked where available:

Agriculture Department - USDA originally fired 6,000 probationary employees, but has since been ordered by the Merit Systems Protection Board to reinstate them.

Forest Service - 2,400
Food and Nutrition Service - number unconfirmed, but termination notices at FNS were obtained by Government Executive

Commerce Department

National Weather Service - number unconfirmed, but a source familiar told Government Executive the termination letters went out Tuesday.
National Institute of Standards and Technology: 73
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: 650
International Trade Administration: 46
Bureau of Industry and Security: 15

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau - More than 70 employees, according to a court filing from the National Treasury Employees Union

Defense Department - Defense plans to fire 5,400 probationary employees. As of March 7, at least the Defense Logistics Agency and the Navy had begun firing or placing on administrative leave civilian probationary staff.

Education Department - 60 members of the bargaining unit, according to the American Federation of Government Employees

Energy Department - number unconfirmed, but employees shared their notices with Government Executive.

National Nuclear Security Administration - number unconfirmed

Environmental Protection Agency - EPA fired 388 employees on Friday, according to an agency spokesperson. Employees there told Government Executive they learned of their dismissals verbally from their managers but had not received their official notices as of Friday afternoon. The agency fired less than half of its probationary staff and a spokesman said EPA completed a "thorough review of agency functions" before deciding whom to dismiss.

"President Trump was elected with a mandate to create a more effective and efficient federal government that serves all Americans, and we are doing just that," the spokesperson said, though all the termination notices across government to date have suggested the firings were for poor performance.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation - FDIC sent out termination notices beginning Feb. 17. The agency would not confirm the number of employees impacted, but one worker who was fired said it impacted all the probationary staff on their team and had not heard of any new hires being carved out. FDIC employees were presented with an option to resign instead of being fired.

Federal Housing Finance Agency - FHFA has fired 15 probationary employees, according to an employee briefed on the situation. Probationers deemed mission critical have not been impacted.

General Services Administration - at least 100

Health and Human Services Department - A spokesman confirmed the firings had taken place at the department, but declined to specify how many employees were impacted. "HHS is following the administration’s guidance and taking action to support the president’s broader efforts to restructure and streamline the federal government," said Andrew Nixon, the spokesman. "This is to ensure that HHS better serves the American people at the highest and most efficient standard."

National Institutes of Health - NIH has placed 1,100 probationary employees on administrative leave and plans to fire at least 1,000 of them by March 14.

Homeland Security Department - DHS has fired around more than 600 employees scattered throughout the department. According to DHS spokespeople, that has broken down as follows:

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency: More than 130 employees
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: Fewer than 50 employees
Federal Emergency Management Agency: More than 200 employees
Science and Technology: 10 employees
Transportation Security Administration: 243 employees. A spokesman said TSA fired the employees due to performance and conduct issues.

Housing and Urban Development Department - Number unconfirmed, but Government Executive has obtained termination notices sent to probationary HUD employees Feb. 14.

Interior Department - 2,300 employees, according to internal communications obtained by Government Executive.

Labor Department - Total number unconfirmed, but Government Executive confirmed termination notices went out to employees on Wednesday. Labor has rehired 120 of its probationary staff, according to the American Federation of Government Employees.

Office of Personnel Management - number unconfirmed

NASA - NASA began firing employees on Tuesday, according to multiple sources. Cheryl Warner, a NASA spokesperson, said it was "premature" to discuss the exact impact on the agency. NASA has temporarily exempted employees at some of its facilities, including the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland and the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, according to a source familiar with the matter.

National Archives and Records Administration - NARA has fired 64 probationary employees, according to a staffer briefed on the terminations. Twenty-nine of those employees worked at presidential libraries, and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum was forced to briefly close Tuesday. Facilities will be short staffed, museum programming will be limited and record retrieval—such as those for veterans—is likely to see backlogs, the employee said, noting more than 15% of the workforce has left in recent weeks due to the firings, retirements or deferred resignations.

National Science Foundation - NSF took sweeping action to dismiss its probationary employees on Tuesday, according to multiple employees and internal communications obtained by Government Executive. The agency has confirmed 168 employees were fired on Tuesday. NSF has begun to walk back about half of those firings.

Small Business Administration - number unconfirmed

Transportation Department

Federal Transit Administration - multiple FTA employees told Government Executive they had been informed by their managers they would be let go Friday, though they had yet to receive their official notices.
Federal Aviation Administration - somewhere between 200 and 300 employees have so far been fired, according to the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union that represents some of the FAA workforce, including maintenance mechanics, aeronautical information specialists, environmental protection specialists, aviation safety assistants and management and program assistants. The termination notices arrived from a non-.gov email address on Friday evening starting at 7 p.m. PASS President David Spero called the firings "dangerous" and "especially unconscionable in the aftermath of three deadly aircraft accidents in the past month."

Treasury Department

Bureau of Engraving and Printing - Total unconfirmed, but Government Executive received a copy of a termination notice from the bureau.
Internal Revenue Service: IRS is planning to fire 6,700 probationary employees, beginning Feb. 20. Employees were instructed to report to their offices beginning Thursday with all of their government equipment and documents.

U.S. Department of Government Efficiency Service (formerly U.S. Digital Service) - number unconfirmed

Veterans Affairs Department - 2,400

This story has been updated with information throughout and to reflect a revised number of impacted EPA employees, according to the agency.

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GovExec Staff — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 10:00:00 -0400

Starting December 5, 2023, the GovExec app will no longer be supported, as we’re prioritizing our mobile web presence and email newsletters.

The best ways to continue following our journalism are to:

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Thank you for being a loyal GovExec reader. We look forward to continuing to provide our audience with market-leading coverage on the business of the federal government.

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GovExec Daily Comes To An End

GovExec Staff — Wed, 24 May 2023 05:59:00 -0400

Thank you so much for being a loyal GovExec Daily podcast subscriber. It has been a pleasure providing you with federal workforce and benefits information over the last few years. However, the May 24 episode was the final installment of GovExec Daily.

Although this marks the end of our daily podcast, Government Executive continues to provide deep daily coverage of these important issue on our website at www.govexec.com. We hope to see you again soon.

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The Senate Confirms a Supreme Court Nominee With Experience on Federal Employee Issues

GovExec Staff — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 15:37:00 -0400

The Senate voted 53-47 on Thursday to confirm U.S. Circuit Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who has previously weighed in on federal employee issues, to fill retiring Justice Stephen Breyer's spot on the Supreme Court

Jackson, a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, is the first Black woman nominated to serve on the high court. She was confirmed to her appellate court post last June by a 53-44 vote, winning the support of Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., in addition to every Democrat. Overall, she’s been confirmed by the Senate three times before Thursday's historic vote.

Biden made remarks when he nominated Jackson, noting why she was his choice for the high court.

“Today as we watch freedom and liberty under attack abroad, I'm here to fulfill my responsibility under the Constitution to preserve freedom and liberty here in the United States of America,” the president said. “For too long our government, our courts haven't looked like America. I believe it's time we have a Court that reflects the full talents and greatness of our nation with a nominee of extraordinary qualifications and that we inspire all young people to believe that they can one day serve their country at the highest level.”

The White House said in a statement that Jackson “is one of the nation’s brightest legal minds” and is “ an exceptionally qualified nominee as well as an historic nominee, and the Senate should move forward with a fair and timely hearing and confirmation.”

The Nominee and Federal Employees

Before joining the appeals court, Jackson, 51, was a judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, a public defender and a clerk for Breyer. She is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School.

Jackson’s decisions may be familiar to federal employees. During her tenure on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, she presided over federal employee unions’ lawsuit challenging the legality of a trio of executive orders aimed at making it easier to fire federal employees and significantly restraining how unions can collectively bargain and represent employees, signed by President Trump in May of that year.

In her decision, Brown Jackson concluded that the executive orders conflicted with the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act, because they disregarded Congress’ conclusion that good-faith labor-management relations are in the public interest and improperly “eviscerated” feds’ collective bargaining rights.

"As to the merits of the unions’ contentions, while past precedents and pertinent statutory language indicate that the president has the authority to issue executive orders that carry the force of law with respect to federal labor relations, it is undisputed that no such orders can operate to eviscerate the right to bargain collectively as envisioned in the [statute]," she wrote. "In this Court’s view, the challenged provisions of the executive orders at issue have that cumulative effect."

The Trump administration appealed the ruling, and in 2019 a three-judge panel reversed the decision on procedural grounds, finding instead that unions must first challenge the executive orders before the Federal Labor Relations Authority. When Biden took office, he rescinded the edicts and expanded agencies’ collective bargaining obligations to include permissive, non-mandatory subjects.

American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley applauded Biden’s decision, noting in a statement that Jackson’s ruling on the Trump executive orders “safeguarded federal workers’ union rights and demonstrated the limits of a corrupt administration. Her reasoning demonstrated exactly the kind of principled, independent judicial thinking that should be a hallmark of the highest court in our land.”

Erich Wagner and Courtney Buble contributed to this report.

Updated, Thursday, April 7, 3:35 pm ET

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Tell Us How the Pandemic Has Changed Your Job and Life

GovExec Staff — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 14:16:24 -0500

It’s been almost two years since the White House declared a state of emergency due to COVID-19, and federal employees were sent home to remain on maximum telework for what many thought would be just a few weeks. Some have yet to return to their physical workspace, while others have gone back amid uncertainty and new safety protocols. Still others–prison guards, Veterans Affairs nurses and doctors, mail carriers, air traffic controllers, Transportation Security Administration screeners, Border Patrol agents and many more–had no choice but to keep reporting to work in person.

We are looking for federal employees from a range of agencies to share their experiences of the pandemic at the two-year anniversary. We’d like to know in your own words how your jobs have changed (or stayed the same), how you have balanced your work and your personal life during this time, how the reality of the pandemic matched your expectations at the beginning, and whether you have learned any unexpected lessons (good or bad) along the way. We would interview readers about their experiences for short profile pieces on GovExec.com, and some may be included on an episode of our GovExec Daily podcast – both to coincide with the anniversary.

Please send us a message at newstips@govexec.com if you are willing to talk to a reporter or editor, and include your name, agency and the best method and time(s) to contact you.

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Capital Region Federal Offices to Close Again on Friday for Snow

GovExec Staff — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 21:59:22 -0500

Federal offices in the Washington, D.C. region will be closed for the second time this week on Friday due to expected snow, the Office of Personnel Management announced.

The closure announcement came as the National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory predicting 2-4 inches of snow overnight in D.C. and nearby locations. This would be the second snowstorm in the area this week, with 7 or more inches of snow forcing closures of federal offices on Monday and a 3-hour delay on Tuesday.

Emergency employees will still be required to report to work on Friday, as will the many federal employees who are already teleworking due to the coronavirus pandemic. Non-emergency employees who had been scheduled to go into the office will receive weather and safety leave.

OPM issued guidance this fall on how weather and safety leave works during a pandemic. Click here for Government Executive's coverage of that guidance.

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Federal Agencies in the Washington, D.C. Area to Open 3 Hours Late Tuesday

GovExec Staff — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 22:10:07 -0500

Federal agencies in the Washington, D.C. area will open three hours late on Tuesday, the Office of Personnel Management announced Monday evening.

The delay is due to a winter storm that left seven inches of snow or more across the region. As with Monday's closures, the delay will not apply to the many employees who were already teleworking due to the coronavirus pandemic and recent surge in cases. Emergency employees will be expected to report to work on time.

Non-emergency workers who had been going into the office will be expected to show up no more than three hours later than usual on Tuesday. They may use unscheduled leave or telework if necessary.

OPM issued guidance this fall on how weather and safety leave works during a pandemic. Click here for Government Executive's coverage of that guidance.

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Federal Offices in the D.C. Area Will Be Closed Monday Due to Winter Storm

GovExec Staff — Sun, 02 Jan 2022 23:58:41 -0500

Federal offices in the Washington, D.C., area will be closed on Monday, the Office of Personnel Management announced Sunday evening, as a winter storm is expected to bring 3 to 7 inches of snow and winds up to 35 miles per hour.

Many employees in the area are still teleworking due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, and they will be expected to continue working. Emergency employees will be expected to report for duty.

D.C. area non-emergency employees who had been scheduled to report to the office on Monday will receive weather and safety leave. Those who had been scheduled for vacation time or who were not planning to work on Monday due to alternative work schedules will not receive leave.

OPM issued guidance this fall on how weather and safety leave works during a pandemic. Click here for Government Executive's coverage of that guidance.

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Yes, We Can Collect More Unpaid Taxes and Better Serve Taxpayers. Here’s How.

GovExec Staff — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 11:21:57 -0400

In a new ebook, former IRS Commissioner Charles Rossotti and Fred Forman, former associate commissioner for modernization, chart a new course for the agency.

Download ebook: The Business Case for IRS Transformation

“The IRS’s existing technology does not prevent more rapid progress in achieving two key goals: providing top-quality service and reducing the tax gap,” they write. “IRS already has delivered important, successful projects that produce large efficiency gains using modern technology. The path forward for the IRS is to build the next generation of tax return analysis, audit support and taxpayer service systems using techniques that have already succeeded.”

There are five key principles involved in following that path, Rossotti and Forman argue:

The IRS’s existing technology does not prevent more rapid progress in achieving two key goals: providing top-quality service and reducing the tax gap.
The strategy for reducing the tax gap is clear: Use all available information and modern machine learning technology to make taxable income more visible and to make enforcement more efficient.
Providing top-quality service to taxpayers is essential and achievable.
Reducing the tax gap and improving customer service will require the IRS to change the way it does business.
The revenue gains and service improvements from a technology-enabled program can be reasonably estimated.

Download ebook: The Business Case for IRS Transformation

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Trump Signs Order Formalizing 1% Pay Raise for Federal Civilians In 2021

GovExec Staff — Thu, 31 Dec 2020 21:15:15 -0500

President Trump on Thursday issued an executive order making official his recommendation for a 1% pay raise for civilian federal employees in 2021.

Locality pay for civilians will remain at 2020 levels. Trump had proposed the 1% raise as part of his fiscal 2021 budget, but his administration more recently had expressed support for a pay freeze proposed by Senate Republicans.

“In the context of budgetary constraints and recent, pandemic-related impacts on non-federal labor markets, the administration supports the policy in the bill to maintain for 2021 the current level of federal civilian pay,” Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought wrote in a Nov. 30 letter to the head of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Lawmakers ended up remaining silent on the 2021 raise in the omnibus spending package they approved before Christmas, however, leaving Trump’s 1% proposal intact. Federal civilians received an average 3.1% pay increase for 2020.

Members of the military are slated to receive a 3% pay raise for 2021.

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The Next Four Years

GovExec Staff — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 00:00:00 -0400

Every presidential election feels momentous, but the choice Americans face this year between Donald Trump and Joe Biden feels particularly so. President Trump and former Vice President Biden offer radically different prescriptions for what ails the country—the pandemic, a recession, widespread civil unrest, a slate of natural disasters exacerbated by climate change and a host of national security challenges. For federal employees, the outcome will be felt personally and professionally in the candidates’ different approaches to managing the workforce and asserting executive power. In the following feature stories, Government Executive’s reporters explore what Trump’s first term tells us about how he would govern in a second term, and what Joe Biden’s deep experience in Washington tells us about how he would lead the executive branch. Read our profiles here:

The Incumbent: Bending the Bureaucracy

The Rival: Rebuilding the Bureaucracy

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OPM Issues Guidance on Christmas Eve Closure

GovExec Staff — Wed, 18 Dec 2019 13:55:20 -0500

President Trump’s surprise order closing the federal government on Dec. 24 gave most workers the gift of an extra day off over the holidays. But for some, it also raised questions about how the order would affect pay and annual leave benefits. On Wednesday, the Office of Personnel Management had answers.

Most feds—full-time employees on a standard work schedule—will receive their usual basic pay and employees who previously planned to take the day off will not be charged for leave.

OPM Director Dale Cabaniss issued guidance for the heads of executive departments and agencies, spelling out the order’s impact on pay and leave benefits:

If an employee has scheduled “use or lose” annual leave for December 24, 2019, and is unable to reschedule that leave for use before the end of the leave year (i.e., for most employees, January 4, 2020), the leave will be forfeited. When “use or lose” leave is forfeited under these conditions, the law (5 U.S.C. 6304(d)) does not permit restoration of the leave.

For employees who work an alternative work schedule or work part time, the rules may vary depending on the circumstances. For details, see the fact sheet issued by OPM. Postal Service employees and contractor employees should contact their supervisors for information about how the order may affect them, Cabaniss said.

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GovExec Wins Eddie Award for 2018 Immigration Crackdown Series

GovExec Staff — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 14:35:42 -0500

Government Executive received an Eddie award for Best Series of Articles for its 2018 coverage of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration at the southwest border. Written by Senior Correspondent Eric Katz, the stories chronicled the Homeland Security Department’s challenges in ramping up staffing at Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The award was one of several picked up by Government Executive Media Group publications.

A joint Defense One and Nextgov investigation into the behind-the-scenes battle for the Pentagon’s $10 billion JEDI cloud contract was named Best Single Article. In “Someone Is Waging a Secret War to Undermine the Pentagon’s Huge Cloud Contract,” Defense One Executive Editor Kevin Baron, Technology Editor Patrick Tucker, and Nextgov Executive Editor Frank Konkel revealed that a private investigative firm was distributing inaccurate information about competitors, then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, and his Pentagon staff.

Defense One Radio was named Best Podcast for “Beyond South China Sea Tensions,” a two-episode series that explored the history and geopolitics of the disputed territory in “The Tinderbox” and “The CCP Vision and the Future of Chinese History.” Produced and hosted by News Editor Ben Watson, Defense One Radio shared the award as co-winner with Dear HBR, produced by Harvard Business Review.

Run by the Folio: media group, the 2019 Eddie & Ozzie Awards competition received some 2,500 entries from print and digital publications in 33 categories, including breaking news coverage, critical analysis and investigative reporting.

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A Close Call for Paid Parental Leave, a Chance to Share Your Views on Benefits and More

GovExec Staff — Wed, 02 Oct 2019 15:47:19 -0400

New federal parents looking for paid time off to care for their infants are almost in luck.

The Senate last week came very close to following in the House’s footsteps and embracing paid parental leave for federal employees. The chamber rejected by just one vote (47-48) language by Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, instructing senators to add paid parental leave for feds to the final fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.

The House has already included in its version of the bill 12 weeks of paid family leave related to the birth, adoption or fostering of a child, or to help care for a child, parent or spouse with a serious health condition. The Senate version doesn’t have that provision, and the measure is now in conference committee negotiations to iron out differences.

Even though Schatz’s attempt to secure paid leave failed, the conference committee could still decide to include the benefit in the Defense policy bill, and the American Federation of Government Employees urged negotiators to do so.

“Federal employees currently receive no paid time off for the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child, or to address other family medical emergencies,” said AFGE National President J. David Cox, in a statement. “Providing paid family leave to federal employees is a logical first step that will help build support for extending this benefit to all American workers and their families, and we encourage the Senate to make Federal Employee Paid Family Leave a priority as they finalize the [fiscal] 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.”

House lawmakers have for years introduced standalone legislation to grant feds paid parental leave, but the measures have stalled in the Senate or earlier. Attempting to attach the language to the broader Defense Authorization bill gives it perhaps the best chance yet of becoming law.

Meanwhile, federal civilians on Wednesday got their first look at how their health insurance offerings and premium payments will change next year. Federal employees on average will pay 5.6% more toward their Federal Employees Health Benefits Program premiums in 2020, the Office of Personnel Management announced.

There will also be two new plans for employees nationwide, as well as 16 new options in local areas, as a result of its offering an indemnity benefit plan for the first time in 30 years. Those “fee-for-service” plans allow enrollees to go to virtually any health care provider and receive reimbursement for a set percentage of their costs. After a competitive bidding process, GEHA won the opportunity to provide the indemnity plans.

Employees will have a chance to enroll in FEHBP or change their insurance elections during open season, which will run from Nov. 11 through Dec. 9. For more information on premium rates and new offerings next year, click here.

Federal civilians are not the only ones with an open season approaching. Open season for military families to enroll in a new Tricare plan or make changes to their coverage will begin on Nov. 11 and run through Dec. 9. Click here for more information on your options. As with the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, changes to your elections must take place within open season unless you experience a “qualifying event,” such as marriage or the birth of a child. If you take no action, you will remain enrolled in your current plan.

Not satisfied with your benefits? You may soon have a chance to let the Office of Personnel Management know how you feel. OPM on Monday informed agency heads that this fall it will distribute a benefits survey via email to a random sample of about 50,000 federal employees.

“The purpose of the [Federal Employee Benefits Survey] is to measure the importance, adequacy and value of employee benefits to assess if employees believe that the available benefits meet their needs,” wrote recently confirmed OPM Director Dale Cabaniss, in the memo. “The FEBS will also help to evaluate whether or not federal employees understand the flexibilities and benefits available to them.”

The last such survey was given in 2017, according to OPM. It has also been conducted in 2015, 2013, 2011, 2006 and 2004.

OPM also is busy trying to help federal employees who are victims of Hurricane Dorian, which devastated parts of the Bahamas in early September and also caused severe flooding in areas of North Carolina and the Southeast coast. Cabaniss released a memo late last week with guidance on emergency leave transfers to help affected feds. The program allows federal employees to donate leave to their colleagues recovering from the storm who may need additional time off from work.

The memo leaves it up to agencies to develop their own leave transfer programs based on their needs, with OPM playing a coordinating role. “Employees who wish to donate annual leave must contact their own agencies, not OPM, to determine if there are any affected employees in their agency and how to donate annual leave to them,” the memo stated. “Agencies should contact OPM for assistance in receiving additional donated annual leave from other agencies only if they do not receive sufficient amounts of donated annual leave to meet the needs of emergency leave recipients within the agency.”

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President Trump Signs Stopgap Spending Measure, Keeping Agencies Open for 7 Weeks

GovExec Staff — Fri, 27 Sep 2019 18:12:38 -0400

President Trump late Friday signed a stopgap spending measure that will keep government agencies open through Nov. 21. The measure will give lawmakers seven additional weeks to sort out full-year appropriations bills that set line-by-line spending levels at agencies across government.

The seven-week stopgap bill will largely keep agencies funded at their current levels, but it provides for some specific changes. The Office of Personnel Management, for example, would receive a slight funding boost to offset fees it surrendered when it transferred background investigation functions to the Defense Department. OPM had threatened to furlough employees due to the funding shortfall. The stopgap measure also would give a spending increase to the Census Bureau to enable it to proceed with preparations for its decennial count.

While Capitol Hill has been largely consumed this week by a whistleblower complaint alleging wrongdoing by the president and the subsequent announcement by House Democrats of an impeachment inquiry, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the everyday work of Congress must continue.

“The business of the American people and the responsibilities of Congress do not pause while the House prepares to formally begin an impeachment inquiry,” Schumer said. Schumer cautioned, however, that the CR was “the easy part.” Passing actual appropriations, he said, would prove more difficult if Republicans insist on including funding for a border wall.

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Federal Travelers Will Get a Small Per Diem Boost in 2020

GovExec Staff — Thu, 08 Aug 2019 15:46:20 -0400

Federal employees who travel for their jobs will be reimbursed at a slightly higher rate for lodging in fiscal 2020, the General Services Administration announced Thursday.

Beginning Oct. 1, the standard lodging rate will increase from $94 to $96. The new fiscal 2020 rate applies to approximately 2,600 counties in the continental United States. The standard reimbursement rate for meals and incidental expenses will remain the same at $55 per day.

There are, however, 322 non-standard areas designated in 2020 that will have higher per diem rates. For example, the per diem lodging rate in the Washington, D.C., metro area (depending on location in the metro area and month of the year), ranges from $184 to $256 in 2020. That compares to a range of $181 to $251 in 2019.

Among the 2020 changes in areas designated as non-standard:

Boise, Idaho, is a new non-standard location.
Park County, Montana has been added to the Big Sky, Montana, non-standard area.
Missoula and Flathead counties in Montana were separated into their own non-standard areas instead of a combined non-standard area.
A number of counties will lose their former non-standard designation: Dover, Delaware; South Bend, Indiana; Benton Harbor, St. Joseph, Stevensville, Missouri; Lake County, Montana, Medina County, Ohio; Aiken County, South Carolina; Sheboygan County, Wisconsin.

For more detailed information, GSA has a per diem map where users can look up specific rates. The agency also offers a mobile app for users.

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Retirement Claims Backlog Inches Down in May

GovExec Staff — Thu, 06 Jun 2019 14:43:38 -0400

The backlog of federal retirement claims that have yet to be processed decreased slightly in May, following a bigger dropoff the month before.

The pile of pending claims shrunk by 574 in May, falling from 17,802 to 17,228, according to new numbers from the Office of Personnel Management. The new backlog, while still far above the goal of 13,000, was less than the backlog of 18,024 at the same time last year.

The retirement claims backlog typically peaks in January and February and then falls steadily throughout the rest of the year, though this year the surge extended into March. During the 35-day partial government shutdown, OPM and unfunded agencies’ HR departments were closed, effectively delaying the retirement of employees who had not scheduled their last day before the lapse in appropriations began last December.

The chart below from OPM shows how average processing times for retirement claims have fluctuated since October 2017.

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Washington-Area Agencies Closed Wednesday

GovExec Staff — Tue, 19 Feb 2019 21:24:38 -0500

Federal agencies in the Washington, D.C. area will be closed Wednesday due to expected snow, the Office of Personnel Management announced Tuesday evening.

The move came as forecasters were calling for a winter storm to hit the D.C. metro area Wednesday morning. Many local school systems had already announced that classes would be canceled.

Emergency employees are expected to report for duty unless otherwise directed by their agency, and telework program participants are expected to work.

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Bill Would Pay Shutdown-Affected Feds Interest on Back Wages

GovExec Staff — Thu, 31 Jan 2019 15:15:58 -0500

For the 800,000 federal workers who worked without pay or were furloughed during the 35-day shutdown that ended last Friday, the missed paychecks were more than an inconvenience.

Many were forced to tap retirement accounts, move money from savings or investments, rack up credit card debt or take out loans to cover rent, tuition, child care and other monthly expenses. Some Senate Democrats want to help offset those costs by paying impacted federal employees interest on their back wages.

“If the federal government can charge you interest for being late on your taxes, then it should be paying interest on late paychecks,” said Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., who introduced the Back Pay Fairness Act (S. 222) to reimburse federal employees with interest.

The legislation has nine co-sponsors, all Democrats.

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DC-Area Agencies to Open Three Hours Late on Wednesday

GovExec Staff — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 20:54:25 -0500

Rain and snow, followed by plummeting temperatures in the Washington metropolitan area prompted the Office of Personnel Management to grant federal agencies a three-hour delayed opening on Wednesday. Employees have the option to take unscheduled leave or unscheduled telework.

While snowfall ranged from only 1-to-3 inches, hazardous conditions were expected overnight and many Washington-area schools were to be closed on Wednesday.

Non-emergency employees who report to work will have an additional three hours to get there. Emergency employees are expected to report to work on time unless otherwise directed by their agencies.

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D.C. Area Agencies to Close 2 Hours Early Due to Possible Snow

GovExec Staff — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 10:09:54 -0500

Federal offices in the Washington, D.C., area are closing two hours early today due to an impending snow storm.

Employees may request unscheduled leave if they need to get home even earlier, the Office of Personnel Management said. The storm is only expected to deliver an inch of snow, but it is forecast to hit during the normal evening commute hours and, along with falling temperatures, could make roads slippery.

OPM noted that employees who are able to telework are only permitted to take time off for their commute home, and must finish their day from home. Emergency employees must remain at work for the full day.

The early dismissal comes just as many employees are getting back to work for the first time after the 35-day partial shutdown.

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OMB Asks Agencies to Prepare for 'Orderly Reopening'

GovExec Staff — Fri, 25 Jan 2019 16:47:54 -0500

The Trump administration's management chief on Friday directed the federal agencies that have been closed during the 35-day partial shutdown to prepare for "an orderly reopening."

Office of Management and Budget Deputy Director for Management Margaret Weichert in a memo to agency heads told them to take steps in anticipation of reopening. Priorities include recalling furloughed employees, "restoring pay and benefits for employees" and ensuring access to equipment and information technology systems, she said.

President Trump on Friday announced a short-term deal on a three-week continuing resolution that will fund agencies until Feb. 15, and Congress passed the measure later that day. Trump praised the federal employees who worked during the shutdown and promised back pay for those who were furloughed “very quickly, or as soon as possible.” The lapse in appropriations affected about 800,000 federal employees, with more than half of them required to work without pay and the others furloughed. Both groups will receive compensation once government reopens.

Later on Friday after Trump signed the continuing resolution into law, OMB acting Director Russell Vought issued a memo officially declaring the government open. "All employees who were on furlough due to the absence of appropriations may now return to work," the message to agency heads stated. "You should reopen offices in a prompt and orderly manner. We appreciate very much your cooperation and efforts during this difficult period."

OMB also issued a checklist to help agencies facilitate the resumption of operations.

“The items in the checklist are high priority issues that agencies should consider in planning for orderly startup. This list is not an exhaustive list nor is it intended to be a directive,” OMB noted. The list details considerations related to communications with employees, getting employees paid as quickly as possible, prioritizing the workload and handling contracts.

This story has been updated.

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It's Official: Furloughed Feds Will Receive Back Pay Once the Shutdown Ends

GovExec Staff — Wed, 16 Jan 2019 15:50:53 -0500

President Trump on Wednesday signed into law a bill that guarantees about 350,000 furloughed federal employees back pay once the partial shutdown ends.

The House and Senate last week passed the 2019 Government Employee Fair Treatment Act, which ensures back pay for furloughed workers and mandates that the roughly 500,000 employees working without immediate pay during the shutdown are able to take previously scheduled leave without consequence. Governmentwide guidance had required agencies to cancel leave for those workers.

Excepted and exempted federal employees who work during a shutdown are already guaranteed back pay by law. Furloughed workers have historically always received their paychecks retroactively, but Congress must act affirmatively to ensure that happens.

The measure requires agencies to make employees whole “at the earliest date possible after the lapse in appropriations ends,” regardless of the timing of the next pay period or when the next round of paychecks is scheduled to go out. The bill was written to ensure back pay for furloughed feds in future shutdowns as well.

Maryland Democratic Sens. Ben Cardin, who introduced the measure, and Chris Van Hollen led the charge for passing the bill.

“Federal employees should not be punished—and their paychecks held hostage—by the government dysfunction that leads to a shutdown,” Van Hollen said last week. “As we work to end this shutdown, providing our federal workforce with the certainty that they will receive their paycheck is the right thing to do.”

Trump has repeatedly sought to minimize the impact the shutdown is having on federal workers, saying they will “make an adjustment,” can ask for relief from their landlords and don’t mind missing paychecks because they support his proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. He has alternatively said they support his shutdown fight (despite data to the contrary) and that virtually all of those affected are Democrats.

Some lawmakers are pushing for additional back pay legislation to ensure that contractors going without pay also receive compensation for their time off. The 2019 Low-Wage Federal Contractor Employee Back Pay Act (H.R. 339), introduced by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., would compensate contractors who provide retail, food, custodial and security services at federal agencies shuttered during the partial government shutdown. Norton introduced similar legislation after the 2013 government shutdown, but it never received a vote. A similar bill has been introduced in the Senate.

Thirty-three Democratic senators wrote to Office of Management and Budget acting Director Russ Vought last week, pushing him to direct agencies to work with contractors to ensure those workers receive back pay when the government reopens.

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D.C. Area Agencies That Weren't Already Shuttered Will Close Monday Due to Snow

GovExec Staff — Sun, 13 Jan 2019 21:51:02 -0500

Federal employees in the Washington, D.C., area who weren't already home due to the partial shutdown will get a snow day on Monday.

The Office of Personnel Management announced Sunday evening that federal offices in D.C. will be closed after the region received 8-12 inches of snow, with some additional accumulation expected. The storm, nicknamed "Snurlough," comes as a number of agencies are facing their longest ever lapse in appropriations.

"This announcement does not apply to furloughed employees impacted by the lapse in appropriations, as they are already in a non-work status," OPM stated.

Excepted employees who have been working during the shutdown should follow the operating status announcement, OPM said. Those who do not end up working during the weather-related closure will be considered in furlough status for the day.

For employees at funded agencies, Monday will operate like a normal snow day. Emergency workers will still be expected to show up, and those who can telework will be expected to do so. For more information visit OPM's site.

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