Management
USPS posts $1.3B quarterly loss, as officials clash over fixes
Detailing its first quarter performance Thursday, postal leaders praised service improvements during the holidays season, while bemoaning the agency’s financial prospects.
Workforce
The tail wagging the dog: Snapshots of the public service a year into the second Trump administration
COMMENTARY | One year in, DOGE and the Trump administration have had profound effects on the federal civil service, but looking at the numbers, it's not always where one expects.
Workforce
Trump admin moves to finalize return of Schedule F
Officials estimate that around 50,000 federal workers will be stripped of their civil service protections beginning in around a month, as unions, employee associations and good government groups decry their positions’ politicization.
Pay & Benefits
The federal leave options employees can use when annual and sick time run out
From unpaid leave to parental and military leave, federal workers have multiple options for time off under specific circumstances.
Sponsor Content
Autonomy at the Tactical Edge: A Booz Allen + Shield AI Interview
AI is supercharging cyberattacks. Discover how agentic AI analyzes malware in minutes to outpace evolving threats.
Tech
Agencies lost around 20,000 tech workers last year — and now the Trump admin is hiring
All six departments and agencies that lost the most IT talent currently have open job listings for such roles.
Oversight
A thinning roster at Indian Affairs leaves tribes wondering who’s left to help, watchdog reports
Indian Affairs’ workforce has decreased by 11% since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term.
Pay & Benefits
House panel advances bill to update federal worker buyout caps
Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments offered to federal workers during agency downsizings, have been capped at $25,000 since the 1990s. Newly advanced legislation would tie maximum payouts to half of an employee’s annual salary.
Sponsor Content
Eliminating technical debt to accelerate federal mission delivery
Modernize federal IT without sacrificing security. Learn how DaaS and platform engineering accelerate mission delivery.
Workforce
ICE is scrutinizing work from home permissions for its employees with disabilities, continuing trend across government
The immigration enforcement agency said there was a “dramatic surge” in telework and remote work reasonable accommodation requests after President Donald Trump ended work from home flexibility for federal employees.
FEATURED INSIGHTS
Management
Top Dems in Congress list ICE constraints they want in funding bill
Proposed restrictions on the agency include requiring wearing body camera, the removal of masks and limitations on certain locations where people can be detained.
Management
'Setting this agency up for failure': Amid staffing crunch, IRS taps employees with no relevant experience to assist during filing season
The tax agency is taking unusual steps to prepare for its busy season after watchdog finds it is severely underprepared.
Pay & Benefits
OPM expands job roles receiving 3.8% law enforcement pay raise
OPM Director Scott Kupor designated more job roles eligible for the special pay rate created for federal law enforcement.
TSP TICKER
FUND
G
F
C
S
I
FEB 05 CLOSE
$19.6710
$20.9860
$108.8571
$101.1558
$58.4906
DAILY CHANGE
0.0023
0.0900
-1.3493
-1.7469
-0.8715
THIS MONTH (%)
0.06
0.29
-2.02
-1.63
-0.50
FUND
L 2070
L 2060
L 2050
L 2040
L 2030
L INCOME
FEB 05 CLOSE
$12.9069
$21.7795
$42.1517
$68.6831
$58.7623
$29.4707
DAILY CHANGE
-0.1773
-0.2993
-0.4644
-0.6600
-0.4455
-0.1021
THIS MONTH (%)
-1.42
-1.42
-1.15
-1.00
-0.78
-0.34
FUND
FEB 05
CLOSE
CLOSE
DAILY
CHANGE
CHANGE
THIS
MONTH
MONTH
G
$19.6710
0.0023
0.06
F
$20.9860
0.0900
0.29
C
$108.8571
-1.3493
-2.02
S
$101.1558
-1.7469
-1.63
I
$58.4906
-0.8715
-0.50
L 2070
$12.9069
-0.1773
-1.42
L 2060
$21.7795
-0.2993
-1.42
L 2050
$42.1517
-0.4644
-1.15
L 2040
$68.6831
-0.6600
-1.00
L 2030
$58.7623
-0.4455
-0.78
L INCOME
$29.4707
-0.1021
-0.34
Updated
Oversight
Democrats ask watchdog marked by past controversy to expedite reviews of ICE, CBP
Misconduct allegations against Homeland Security Department inspector general Joseph Cuffari were substantiated in 2024, but President Joe Biden did not remove him.
Management
House Democrats call for Kristi Noem’s firing in rally outside ICE headquarters
Congressional Democrats continued to keep up the pressure on the Homeland Security secretary Tuesday in the wake of the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of federal agents.
Pay & Benefits
Congress guarantees furloughed feds’ back pay despite continued White House maneuvering
The Office of Personnel Management removed citations of the 2019 Federal Employee Fair Treatment Act from its shutdown guidance last month, as the Trump administration continues to insist that the law guaranteeing all federal employees back pay after a shutdown doesn’t.
Management
Partial shutdown ends less than 4 days after it began
Nearly every federal agency is now funded through September and employees will be paid for the days they were furloughed.
Management
Turmoil at FEMA adds to the revolt against Kristi Noem
The homeland security secretary has all but halted the agency’s disaster spending.
Pay & Benefits
TSP investments begin 2026 in the black
Each of the portfolios in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program gained value in January.
Workforce
Employees begin furloughs as lawmakers hope to end shutdown Tuesday
The unusual nature of the funding lapse has led to some confusion for impacted federal workers.
Oversight
Education Department spent up to $38M paying employees not to work before reinstating them, watchdog reports
The Government Accountability Office also reported that the caseload for the department’s Office for Civil Rights increased by an average of 98 cases per week during part of the time that these staffers were on paid leave.
News
2 CBP agents identified in Alex Pretti shooting
The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.
Management
OPM’s challenge of creating a high-performance culture
COMMENTARY | To help federal agencies operate like modern high-performance organizations requires an understanding of their current barriers and an importance placed on the workforce's value.
Workforce
Schedule F won’t fix government’s performance management problems, report finds
The Partnership for Public Service warned that, contrary to proponents’ claims, there is “no evidence” that at-will employment improves employee or agency performance.
Updated
Management
White House initiates shutdown process as Congress hopes to keep duration minimal
Impacted employees will soon receive furlough notices, though they could still avoid missing any time.
