News
Gunshots fired near Trump in Florida; campaign says former president is safe
Secret Service officials said “a protective incident” involving Trump occurred near Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, two months after an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.
Oversight
Lawmakers mull a fraud-focused scorecard for oversight
Agency watchdogs warned lawmakers that their centralized fraud analytics capacity could end next year without congressional action.
Management
'Gross negligence': Shortages in USDA food aid for Native Americans blasted in Congress
House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole said the USDA had failed in its duty to provide “critical food assistance for tribal members and vulnerable senior citizens” for months.
Oversight
Watchdog wants more transparency on DOD’s reprogramming of military pay funds
While GAO did not find that the realignment decreased military benefits, it did urge the Pentagon to provide more information on the funding to Congress.
Management
Voting by mail? Election workers are worried about issues at the Postal Service
State election officials are encouraging people who vote by mail to be proactive about making sure their ballots are counted. Here’s what to know.
Workforce
The peaceful transfer of power starts now
COMMENTARY | Why we need to talk about election anxiety in the federal workplace.
Management
TSA proposes a softer rollout of Real ID enforcement
Federal agencies would have the option to gradually require the secure documents after May 7, in part to avoid chaos at state DMVs when the deadline approaches.
Management
GSA’s coworking pilot could help better plan the future of work, but first, it needs to define long-term success
A new GAO report found that before the agency can further scale up the program to consolidate federal office spaces, it must find out how to measure its cost-savings gains.
Management
Additional security will be in place for the Jan. 6, 2025 certification of the presidential vote
Almost four years after the assault on the Capitol, Homeland Security Department officials will designate the congressional certification of the 2024 election a National Special Security Event.
Updated
Oversight
Federal employees can resolve EEO complaints without litigation. But is the alternative process fair?
The alternative dispute resolution process can reduce conflict, cost and delays through techniques like mediation.
Workforce
O’Malley makes last ditch effort to secure Biden’s budget proposal for Social Security
The commissioner said that without a budget anomaly to boost funding at the agency, the Social Security Administration would need to institute a hiring freeze and would see its workforce fall to a 50-year low.
Management
U.S. Education Department to open new financial aid form to more applicants
The department named six participants who will help test the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form for 2025-2026 after the previous year's form faced technical glitches.
Oversight
IRS workforce is more diverse than the national civilian labor force. So why is GAO criticizing the tax agency’s DEI programs?
A new GAO report found that women, employees from historically disadvantaged racial or ethnic groups and persons with disabilities were underrepresented in senior levels at the agency.
News
U.S. House speaker withdraws spending bill that would require ID to register to vote
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., walked back a plan to fund the federal government for six months Wednesday after Democrats and some Republicans balked at the proposal.
Pay & Benefits
HHS expands health benefits eligibility for 9/11 responders under new rule
The interim final rule, published on the 23rd anniversary of the terror attack, opens eligibility for the World Trade Center Health Program to resolve coverage gaps for Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, responders.
Pay & Benefits
Lack of guidelines scuttled VA’s goal to expand access for substance use disorder treatment
The department’s inspector general found that despite budgeting to hire more than 1,000 substance use disorder treatment staff at its medical centers, it only netted 310 new employees in the first year.
Management
Key debate takeaways for federal employees
Vice President Harris and former President Trump sparred over border security and Project 2025, among other things, on Tuesday night.
Pay & Benefits
Lawmakers file discharge petition to repeal controversial tax rule affecting federal retirees
The Social Security Fairness Act has broad bipartisan support both in Congress and among federal employee unions.
Tech
Agencies have met all AI mandates for management and talent, watchdog says
The Government Accountability Office said agencies’ compliance with 13 key AI benchmarks in the 2023 executive order “is likely to increase AI expertise in high-priority areas quickly and more efficiently.”
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