Workforce
Do You Need a Second Booster Shot? An Epidemiologist Scoured the Latest Research and Has Some Answers
New data on the second booster suggests the older you are, the more you need it.
Workforce
Want to Get Or Keep Your Security Clearance? File Your Taxes
Failure to file taxes displays both a financial and rules-following hubris which can be a particularly painful hurdle for getting or keeping a cleared job.
Oversight
GovExec Daily: Two Years of CARES Act Oversight
Courtney Bublé joins the podcast to discuss her series on COVID-19 oversight
Management
Biden Administration Agrees to Change Federal Officer Tactics Following the 2020 Crackdown on Racial Justice Protests
The agreement is part of a settlement with civil rights groups that sued over the Trump administration's violent response to demonstrations.
Pay & Benefits
A Bill Could Let Feds Save for Retirement Longer, and More
A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.
Workforce
Opponents to Appeal the Fed Vaccine Mandate as the Biden Administration Pushes Court to Allow Immediate Suspensions
An appeals court struck down an injunction on the federal employee vaccine requirement, but it is not set to take effect for six weeks.
Defense
U.S. Rushes Weapons to Ukraine as Russia Coils for New Offensive Into the Donbas
“There’s a sense of urgency,” says senior defense official, as Biden reportedly weighs approving a massive $750 million arms package.
Management
Biden Administration Announces a Boost for Rural Health Care in its Midterm Election Push
President Joe Biden’s Cabinet members are fanning out across the county to promote benefits coming to rural America from covid relief and infrastructure legislation.
Oversight
New Cybersecurity Bill Authorizes DHS to Ramp up Incident Response Efforts Nationwide
The National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium Act gives the Department of Homeland Security a range of opportunities to bolster cybersecurity preparedness at the state and local level, including technical assistance services.
Special Report
Employee Policy
The COVID Commission—never fully staffed—is issuing reports
The oversight body has no Democratic members and no chairperson. Yet it has managed to do some of its work, as required.
Employee Policy
With Social Security offices reopened, unions report a mixed bag
Some components of the agency report a more collaborative labor-management relationship—but not field office employees, who now complain of feeling physically threatened at work.
Tech
OPM Unveils a New Toolkit for Agencies to Hire Cyber Talent
A new resource hub from the Office of Personnel Management outlines what benefits agencies might be able to offer to fill cyber positions.
Special Report
Oversight
‘There’s a Large Amount of Fraud Out There’: Special IG for Pandemic Recovery Reflects on Nearly Two Years in the Job
The role is “not a political job in any way, shape or form” and “if we go out of business, then I think you're missing a key element of … oversight,” Brian Miller says.
Management
GovExec Daily: The White House Wants to Improve the Customer Experience
Natalie Alms joins the podcast to discuss the latest update to the President's Management Agenda.
Workforce
OPM Issues More Guidance to Encourage Collective Bargaining at Agencies
Building on President Biden’s executive order encouraging more collaborative labor-management relations, OPM strongly encouraged federal agencies to improve unions’ ability to communicate with workers and collect dues.
Employee Policy
Watchdog: 10,000+ employees endured sexual harassment at DHS
A government watchdog cites an unreleased draft DHS OIG audit revealing one-third of employees suffered workplace sexual harassment over a seven-year period, most of it never formally reported. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas responded, stating he is "aware" of such unpublished material, and that it underscores "the need for immediate action."
Tech
Jury: Former DHS Watchdog Official Stole Software, Employees’ Personal Info
The verdict is in for the last holdout in a scandalous scheme to defraud the government.
Updated
Management
Non-Emergency Federal Employees Ordered to Leave Shanghai
The mandate comes as China contends with a worsening surge of COVID-19 cases.
Management
GSA Adds Sustainability Criteria to Push For Greener IT Contracts
The General Service Administration’s new contracting language is one tool for the agency to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
Exclusive
Management