Management
Here are the 9 biggest agency and program reforms in the final FY24 spending package
Lawmakers have until the end of the day Friday to move the second "minibus" of the fiscal year to avoid a shutdown.
Pay & Benefits
Public Service Loan Forgiveness passes $60 billion in erased debt
Since a series of tweaks to make the program easier to access, more than 850,000 Americans have had their loans forgiven in exchange for a decade of public service.
Pay & Benefits
The TSP savings rate is up, but so are the number of TSP loans
Answers to some of your questions about the government’s 401(k)-style retirement plan.
Updated
Oversight
House committee leaders want Biden to oust the acting Commerce IG
Lawmakers on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee said the current acting inspector general is “entangled” in the allegations that led to his predecessor’s ouster, adding that they lack confidence in “any” senior staffers to lead the watchdog office.
Tech
Lawmakers eye 2025 defense bill for AI proposals
A leader of the Senate’s bipartisan AI working group said that next year's must-pass defense policy bill could include some substantive AI proposals, but the Senate is “not ready” for a comprehensive AI bill at this time.
Workforce
Championing an expanded role for HR in the federal government
COMMENTARY | Human resources executives have the lead role in creating a great workplace and building the workforce agencies need, writes one observer.
Tech
Lawmakers propose a new federal office to regulate workplace surveillance tech
The new bill from Reps. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., and Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., would also establish new employee rights and employer transparency rules around surveillance.
Updated
Oversight
Key senator calls for pause to DeJoy’s changes at USPS
The Postal Service is not being transparent with Congress about its reform efforts, committee chairman says. USPS disputes the claim.
Pay & Benefits
OPM taps insurance carriers to service new USPS benefits exchange
The federal HR agency conditionally selected 32 carrier applications to provide health coverage to U.S. Postal employees, annuitants and family members starting in 2025.
Management
GOP bill aims to limit IRS’ use of AI
The legislation — cosponsored by Reps. Clay Higgins, R-La., and Eric Burlison, R- Mo. — could look to put new restrictions on the tax agency’s deployment of AI in its revenue enforcement efforts and require staff to launch new investigations.
Workforce
D.C. lawmaker wants to restore due process to feds in ‘sensitive’ posts
A new bill would overrule a 2013 federal appellate court decision that denied roughly 200,000 federal employees access to the Merit Systems Protection Board.
Workforce
VA to shed 10,000 employees at underutilized facilities in FY25
The department plans to use attrition only and focus on staff in supervisory and administrative roles.
Tech
IRS has some of the oldest tech in government — it’s trying to change that
Agency leadership views the “historic funding” provided under the Inflation Reduction Act as an opportunity to get out from under the list of needed tech improvements that have long plagued the IRS.
Management
Biden just signed the largest executive order focused on women’s health
From maternal health to menopause, federal agencies will study the health issues that emerge across a woman’s lifespan.
Updated
Management
Congress, White House lock in a funding deal but face a tight timeline to avert shutdown
Appropriators are racing to finalize the text of the six-bill package.
Workforce
More than 600K federal employees are facing furloughs this week
Congress and the White House are still negotiating over a funding plan as they face a partial shutdown deadline on Friday.
Workforce
OPM’s labor-management forum guidance charts new ground for union policies
Federal agencies will be expected to embrace the return of collaborative councils, where federal employee unions may weigh in on future workplace policies, and measure the forums’ impact on employee engagement, agency performance and cost savings.
Exclusive
Oversight
House GOP launches investigation into DOJ's immigration judge 'gag order'
Top lawmakers say the Biden administration is inhibiting free speech and circumscribing congressional oversight.
Pay & Benefits
“It feels impossible to stay”: The U.S. needs wildland firefighters more than ever, but the federal government is losing them
Highly skilled firefighters are the last line of defense against wildfires, but that line is fraying because the government decided long ago that they’re not worth very much.
Management