Workforce
Judge again orders reinstatement of Bureau of Prisons union contracts, but stops short of contempt
U.S. District Judge Jordan Oliver found that the agency’s re-termination of its collective bargaining agreements last week violated last month’s preliminary injunction but said he would not police individual contract infractions.
Management
USPS ‘ready to deliver’ ballots in midterms without mail-in voting EO restrictions
The Postal Service's law enforcement agency is investigating suspicious letters sent to several state officials who oversee election operations.
Tech
CMS hopes to quadruple provider suspensions over next 6 months, official says
A new exclusion authority is the Trump administration’s latest step in a technology-enabled drive to restrict fraud, waste and abuse.
Updated
Oversight
HUD’s staffing cuts hurt certain housing services, watchdog finds
Housing organizations told the Government Accountability Office that they now face more obstacles getting in touch with department employees in a timely manner.
Sponsor Content
GDIT unveils revolutionary modular approach to zero trust
Zero trust is entering a new era. Discover how modular security and AI are transforming federal cyber defense and mission readiness.
Tech
AI offers Secret Service unique mission enhancements, official says
Threats against the Secret Service’s full-time protectees are up over 40% since last year. The service’s CIO and CAIO Chris Kraft said AI “can help us as we investigate those threats, monitor those threats [and] bring together correlations between seemingly disparate information.”
Pay & Benefits
Federal retirees face more than a COLA change in 2027
From Medicare premiums and Social Security earnings limits to a federal pay freeze, several changes could affect retirees’ finances and the benefits available to them next year.
Defense
The next counterintelligence threat may be hiding in federal hiring
COMMENTARY | Foreign adversaries are exploiting resumes, recruiting and professional relationships to pursue sensitive information. Federal agencies need to recognize the risks without making it harder to recruit the talent they need.
Sponsor Content
Florida Prepaid’s Call Center Never Closes Thanks to Agentforce Voice
Florida Prepaid transformed customer service with AI, now handling 75% of business-hours calls and 100% after hours—without sacrificing human trust.
Tech
OPM revamps online pay tables, spearheads AI adoption across federal workforce
The agency's CIO Adam Starr described the pay table refresh as part of a broader plan to “make every part of the federal experience tech-first."
FEATURED INSIGHTS
Management
Trump quietly hired political appointees under a new job classification, good government group reports
While Schedule G is not officially set up in regulation, the Office of Personnel Management emphasized that the position category for political appointees was established by executive order and that the agency issued implementing guidance.
Pay & Benefits
Cost-of-living adjustments for federal retirees to increase next year
Former federal workers are set to receive between 2.6% and 3.6% more from their retirement annuity next year, according to new numbers from the Social Security Administration.
Management
ICE resists automatic activation of body cameras despite oversight concerns
Federal investigators found gaps in guidance for immigration officers’ use of body-worn cameras, raising concerns about whether the agencies can ensure the devices are used as required.
TSP TICKER
FUND
G
F
C
S
I
OCT 15 CLOSE
$20.3012
$20.5741
$125.0046
$111.7269
$63.5113
DAILY CHANGE
0.0030
0.1104
0.4136
1.5059
0.0732
THIS MONTH (%)
0.22
1.31
1.25
-0.31
-1.71
FUND
L 2070
L 2060
L 2050
L 2040
L 2030
L INCOME
OCT 15 CLOSE
$14.4588
$24.4000
$46.4393
$75.0747
$63.3943
$31.0804
DAILY CHANGE
0.0560
0.0943
0.1648
0.2378
0.1522
0.0459
THIS MONTH (%)
0.02
0.02
0.13
0.15
0.18
0.23
FUND
OCT 15
CLOSE
CLOSE
DAILY
CHANGE
CHANGE
THIS
MONTH
MONTH
G
$20.3012
0.0030
0.22
F
$20.5741
0.1104
1.31
C
$125.0046
0.4136
1.25
S
$111.7269
1.5059
-0.31
I
$63.5113
0.0732
-1.71
L 2070
$14.4588
0.0560
0.02
L 2060
$24.4000
0.0943
0.02
L 2050
$46.4393
0.1648
0.13
L 2040
$75.0747
0.2378
0.15
L 2030
$63.3943
0.1522
0.18
L INCOME
$31.0804
0.0459
0.23
Breaking News
Management
A judge just put USDA’s employee relocation plans on ice
The order blocks the department from moving about 2,600 employees or closing affected offices while a legal challenge to its reorganization proceeds.
Management
Disability accommodations at Labor get extra scrutiny with annual reviews
The department plans to review existing accommodations for disabilities and pregnancy-related conditions, with employees potentially asked to provide updated medical documentation.
Management
Fraud-prevention work stalled at USDA amid staffing cuts and funding disputes
Federal officials have identified ways to curb theft of SNAP benefits, but staffing losses, funding decisions and congressional inaction have slowed efforts to protect recipients.
Oversight
Labor has mostly stopped checking whether federal contractors are following disability rules
A watchdog found that the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has no plans to restart routine audits, leaving less oversight of protections for workers with disabilities.
Management
USDA reshapes its food assistance agency, but employee relocations remain on hold
The Food and Nutrition Service is moving ahead with its reorganization, but plans to relocate most of its employees remain on hold for now.
Defense
The Pentagon gave $350 million in contracts to a firm closely tied to a senior Defense Department official
The contracts raise questions about whether personal and professional ties to senior defense officials gave the firm an advantage in securing Pentagon business.
Management
8 midterm races for federal employees to watch
Several high-profile races, including Senate elections in Maine, Georgia and Texas, could impact civil servants.
Workforce
HHS scraps disability accommodations over missing paperwork. Employees say they have receipts
A union leader for CDC headquarters employees said the Health and Human Services Department closing out these accommodation requests was “a deliberate choice to clear the backlog."
Exclusive
Oversight
Watchdog to examine summertime hack of DHS information network, other incidents
The Government Accountability Office is expected to flag that the Homeland Security Department delayed in notifying Congress of the incidents, according to a person familiar with the review.
Workforce
Bureau of Prisons re-terminates union contracts despite court order
Attorneys for the Trump administration said there is nothing in U.S. District Judge Vernon Oliver’s preliminary injunction preventing BOP from canceling its collective bargaining agreements a second time.
Tech
VA rolls out CLEAR login option and in-person identity verification pilot
The new offering will allow participating veterans to use facial recognition to access their VA.gov accounts.
Workforce
Some former federal employees are still struggling to find the right fit
Workforce officials and lawmakers say some of the employees pushed out of government last year are still struggling to find work that matches their skills.
