Management
Coronavirus Roundup: OMB Director Tests Positive for COVID-19
There’s a lot to keep track of. Here’s a list of this week’s news updates and stories you may have missed.
Management
Biden Asks Federal Agencies to Help Boost Abortion Access
New executive order convenes an interagency task force to coordinate the administration’s response to the Supreme Court’s recent decision.
Tech
CFPB Expands Its Technologist Hiring Program
A top agency official says the agency needs more technologists to help it achieve its core mission.
Employee Policy
The Supreme Court is limiting the regulatory state
The Brennan Center's Martha Kinsella joins our partner site, GovExec, on its podcast to discuss the high court's decision on regulatory power
Oversight
The Justice Department is Investigating Texas’ Operation Lone Star for Alleged Civil Rights Violations
Emails obtained by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune confirm that federal authorities are probing discrimination claims involving Gov. Greg Abbott’s multibillion-dollar border initiative.
Defense
GovExec Daily: The Defense Department Will Continue Reproductive Health Procedures
Jacqueline Feldscher joins the podcast to discuss how the Pentagon is treating the Dobbs decision and abortion at its facilities.
Nextgov
Treasury Defines Key Terms Under Executive Order on Cryptocurrencies
The department wants feedback for implementing the order to “ensure responsible development of digital assets.”
Oversight
The SBA Gave 'Shuttered Venues' COVID Relief Funds They Didn't Ask For
Poor oversight riddled the emergency program, leading to $1.5 billion in questioned awards.
Pay
Court weighs whether to pay damages to employees who worked during 2018 shutdown
The Biden administration argues the government's hands were tied and it did not violate labor law.
Pay & Benefits
It Could Soon Get Even Easier for Feds to Qualify for Student Loan Forgiveness
The Education Department has proposed a package of regulatory reforms aimed at making loan forgiveness programs more accessible.
Workforce
Staffing Shortages Are Growing Worse at VA After Years of Improvement
The department cited the pandemic and union obligations for its issues.
Pay & Benefits
A Retirement Journey, Part Two: The Transition
The second in a three-part series on one employee’s retirement experience.
TSP
More help on way for feds with TSP transition troubles
A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.
Defense
After Criticism, Army Reinstates Its High School Diploma Requirement as Recruitment Plummets
Service leaders offered to welcome more applicants without degrees, amid the “most challenging” recruiting environment since the Vietnam War.
Workforce
Right-Wing Activist Tees up a Successor to Schedule F
Christopher Rufo, an instigator of culture war battles over critical race theory, wants to "centralize ideological control" of federal agencies within the Office of Management and Budget in the next Republican administration.
Employee Policy
The Postal Service will continue to deliver abortion meds by mail
On our partner site's daily podcast, reporter Eric Katz discusses how USPS will handle mailers sending mifepristone and misoprostol via its network.
Management
Fred Gray, the ‘Chief Counsel for the Protest Movement,’ to Get Medal of Freedom for His Civil Rights Work
When Rosa Parks was arrested for sitting in the front of a bus in Montgomery, Fred Gray was her lawyer. Now he’s being honored for a lifetime of civil rights advocacy.
Oversight
GovExec Daily: The Supreme Court Is Limiting the Regulatory State
The Brennan Center's Martha Kinsella joins the podcast to discuss the high court's decision on regulatory power.
Oversight
19 U.S. Diplomatic Posts Receive Grants for Their Sustainable Ideas
A State Department program awards up to $1 million to assist U.S. embassies and consulates for their innovative solutions to environmental problems.
Pay & Benefits