Pay & Benefits
Pay for Trump and Congress continues in shutdown, unless they ask it be held
Some congressional members of both parties have asked that their paychecks be withheld until the current government shutdown can be resolved.
Workforce
Lawmakers decry shutdown layoffs and the Trump administration’s lack of communication about them
The House Democrats pressed for the reversals of recent reductions in force at the Education and Health and Human Services departments.
Workforce
Nation’s largest federal employee union calls for 'clean CR' with backpay guarantee to reopen government
Labor leaders said Monday that a House-passed proposal to fund the government through mid-November with additional language guaranteeing furloughed workers’ backpay is “the best we’re going to get.”
Management
That time one agency shut down for one day and changed government forever
COMMENTARY | Forty-five years ago, the government shutdown was born.
Management
USDA won't shuffle funds to extend SNAP during shutdown, in about-face from earlier plan
Agriculture Department officials said Friday they cannot use a contingency fund to continue paying the SNAP program, despite earlier shutdown guidance allowing its use.
Exclusive
Defense
Hegseth fired the Air Force’s top lawyer. The JAG who took on the job is stepping away.
It’s been eight months since the service had a Senate-confirmed leader in the role.
Workforce
‘I have no idea what I’m going to do:’ Feds abroad fret about making rent without pay or subsidies during shutdown
Some employees say their foreign landlords have little sympathy for their “U.S. issue.”
Pay & Benefits
Cost-of-living adjustments will stay relatively static in 2026
Civil Service Retirement System retirees will see a 2.8% increase to their defined-benefit annuities next year, compared to just a 2% bump for Federal Employees Retirement System annuitants.
Workforce
House Dems demand furloughs end for nuclear security agency
Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., joined 26 House members to call on the Energy Secretary to end shutdown-related furloughs for roughly 1,400 personnel in the National Nuclear Security Administration that began this week.
Management
GSA will be ‘multiplier for efficiency and modernization,’ nominee for administrator says
Edward Forst, President Trump’s nominee to lead the General Services Administration, testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Thursday.
Pay & Benefits
Dueling plans to pay feds on-time fail in Senate, though a bipartisan path forward appears
Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., appeared to agree to negotiations Thursday afternoon on a plan to pay federal employees and potentially contractors amid the ongoing government shutdown.
Pay & Benefits
Shutdown or not, there are things to do
The government shutdown has raised lots of questions about the retirement process, and retirement benefits, for federal employees while agencies remain closed. Here are some of the most pressing answers.
Oversight
Senate Democrats grill inspector general nominees over their independence from Trump
Lawmakers especially criticized the nomination of former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., to lead the Labor Department’s watchdog office.
Tech
As agencies shed staff, industry execs predict AI agents' rise
Amid the White House’s ongoing push to reduce the federal workforce, “government will be the largest users of agentic technologies of any industry,” predicted one Salesforce exec.
Pay & Benefits
House Dems urge utilities to keep lights on for feds amid shutdown
With the prospect of their first full missed paycheck just days away, federal workers already are seeking outside support, whether via food banks or side jobs.
Management
Shutdown is ‘holding my veterans hostage,’ VA chief says
Some critical services are paused and many employees are not getting paid, Doug Collins says, though he will not guarantee their back pay.
Management
Inside Mission Daybreak: VA’s effort to support innovative suicide prevention
VA’s director of data and analytics innovation said the program “is looking for what is the right solution for the ways that we want to optimize care, and sometimes that's technology, and sometimes it isn't.”
Oversight
Whistleblower organizations applaud withdrawal of Trump’s ‘unfit’ nominee to lead oversight office
Media reports in recent weeks found that Paul Ingrassia, who has a history of inflammatory rhetoric, has been accused of sexual harassment and sent racist text messages.
Pay & Benefits
How part-time work affects your FERS pension
Federal employees considering a shift to part-time hours have several factors to consider when it comes to their retirement benefits.
Management