Pay & Benefits
TSP to Increase Default Contributions, and More
A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.
Management
High-Ranking State Dept. Official Testifies IG Was Not Ousted for Political Retaliation
Four months after the firing, questions linger over exactly what happened.
Route Fifty
California Opens a Path to Professional Firefighting for Formerly Incarcerated People
In California, many wildfires are fought by incarcerated people trained to be firefighters. Their criminal records barred them from continuing in the field after release—until now.
Management
TSP Board Nominees Advance From Committee, But Vote on OPM Nominee Postponed
Senators in both parties last week expressed concerns about OPM director nominee John Gibbs’ fitness for the position in light of Twitter posts that were Islamophobic, anti-LGBT and endorsing debunked satanic conspiracy theories.
Nextgov
Interior IG Team Used Evil Twins and $200 Tech to Hack Department Wi-Fi Networks
A team of hackers was able to gain access to Interior networks using publicly available equipment, open source software and a backpack.
Pay & Benefits
How to Know if You’re Contributing Enough to the TSP
For some people, $100,000 may be enough; for others, $2 million may not be enough.
Workforce
Coronavirus Roundup: Lawmakers Ask for Emergency Review of ICE Whistleblower Claims, Administration Releases Vaccine Distribution Strategy
There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s today’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.
Nextgov
Why the Pentagon’s JEDI Saga Is Far From Over
The Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure procurement may be grounded until at least February, according to a new timeline agreed to by the government and Amazon Web Services.
Defense
Revealed: US Air Force Has Secretly Built and Flown a New Fighter Jet
The new digital tools that designed the full-scale flight demonstrator could herald a sea change in weapons acquisition.
Management
Gauge of U.S. Democracy Hits Its Lowest Score Yet
The latest survey results from the political science research project Bright Line Watch are in: U.S. democracy gets just 61 out of 100.
Oversight
GovExec Daily: Communications and the Pandemic
Courtney Bublé joins the podcast to discuss the $250M messaging contract at HHS that Democrats want to investigate.
Route Fifty
Louisville Agrees to $12 Million Settlement and Police Reforms After Death of Breonna Taylor
STATE AND LOCAL NEWS ROUNDUP | Minneapolis police making fewer traffic stops … Maryland needs to decide how to complete transit project after contractors leave … Private schools will get less CARES Act money than U.S. Department of Education wanted.
Pay & Benefits
Appeals Court Overturns Dismissal of EEOC Attorney’s Retaliation Claims
D.C. Circuit Court finds that a lower court improperly dismissed a lawsuit by an EEOC attorney who said the agency interfered with her pay and benefits and denied reasonable accommodation requests over her filing discrimination claims against federal agencies.
Management
Calls for Investigations, Resignations Ramp Up Over Allegations of Political Interference at Federal Agencies
Democrats are probing potential improper political influence at several different agencies across government.
Route Fifty
Employers in D.C. Region Expect Some Remote Work Into Mid-2021, Survey Finds
About 60% of respondents anticipated less than a third of workers would return to the office by early September because of coronavirus risks. Some are planning for a portion of staff to still be working remotely even next summer.
Management
House Passes Bipartisan Bill to Boost Agencies’ Spending Transparency
Lawmakers of both parties resoundingly support measures to more clearly show the public how agencies spend taxpayer money.
Oversight
Emails Show the Meatpacking Industry Drafted an Executive Order to Keep Plants Open
Hundreds of emails offer a rare look at the meat industry’s influence and access to the highest levels of government. The draft was submitted a week before Trump’s executive order, which bore striking similarities.
Workforce
Coronavirus Roundup: Top HHS Spokesperson Accuses CDC Scientists of 'Sedition;' ICE Whistleblower Outlines Unsafe Health Conditions
There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s today’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.
Oversight
America Is About to Lose Its 200,000th Life to Coronavirus. How Many More Have to Die?
As another grim milestone approaches, here are the lessons officials ignored and what the country needs to do to prevent further tragedy.
Tech