Workforce
Coronavirus Roundup: Agencies Warn of Cyber Breaches During Telework
There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s today’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.
Workforce
The Pentagon Is Using Zoom. Is it Safe?
Experts say the ubiquitous videoconferencing tools bear some risk of accidentally exposing mundane details, and even inviting a new wave of deep fakes. But the risks can be managed.
Defense
Acting Navy Secretary Under Fire For Speech Calling Fired Captain ‘Stupid’
Capt. Brett Crozier, commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), addresses the crew Jan. 17, 2020. The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment to the Indo-Pacific.
Oversight
How OSHA Has Failed to Protect America’s Workers From COVID-19
Efforts to create a federal rule to protect workers from infectious diseases were put on ice in President Donald Trump’s first year in office.
Oversight
GovExec Daily: Oversight of the Stimulus Plan
IBM Center for the Business of Government Senior Fellow John Kamensky joins the podcast to discuss the accountability provisions in the CARES Act
Route Fifty
Bruises from Coronavirus Begin to Show on State Budgets
Recent days have seen spending reductions and downbeat revenue forecasts.
Management
Viewpoint: This Is What Happens When the Federal Government Abandons You
Local officials and health-care workers are losing faith in the national response, and struggling to improvise their own solutions.
Nextgov
Mid-Pandemic, CDC Looks to Upgrade Its Biosurveillance Database
The system collects data from hospitals, local public health departments, pharmacies and more to give researchers and officials a view of how diseases spread across the country.
Nextgov
Pentagon Attorneys Say Amazon Wants ‘Do-Over’ in JEDI Bid
The Defense Department defended its request for a four-month remand while it addresses issues raised by Amazon’s lawsuit over the multibillion-dollar cloud contract.
Oversight
Federal Prisons Pose ‘Imminent Danger’ in Spreading COVID-19, Union Says
A complaint filed with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration cites hazards at 100 of 122 facilities nationwide.
Pay & Benefits
State Department Allows Employees to Take Off 10 Paid Hours Per Week
Administrative leave will help employees look after loved ones or their own health during coronavirus crisis, department says.
Management
Supreme Court Makes It Easier for Feds to Prove Age Discrimination
In an 8-1 decision, justices found that the “plain language” of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act has a lower burden of proof for proving differential treatment based on age in the federal government than the private sector.
Route Fifty
State and Local Officials Call for Residents to Wear Masks
A city in Texas apparently became the first in the country to institute a fine for residents who don’t wear masks to places like grocery stores.
Nextgov
Pentagon Launches Coronavirus Mythbuster Site
The Defense Department created a web portal to fact-check bad information circulating about the coronavirus and the military’s response.
Workforce
Coronavirus Roundup: 39-Year-Old TSA Employee Dies, VA Steps Up Assistance to States
There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s today’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.
Oversight
Who Has Emergency Authority Over Elections? Nobody’s Quite Sure.
The tug of war over whether and how to hold Tuesday’s Wisconsin primary exposes a national problem: State and local officials with the most experience running elections lack the power to revamp or postpone voting during a crisis.
Defense
Lockheed Adds 1,000 Employees Amid Coronavirus Crisis, Wants to Hire 5,000 More
The defense giant also said it would give bonuses to employees who can’t work from home.
Management
GovExec Daily: How Communities Enforce Stay-at-Home Orders
Route Fifty's Andrea Noble joined the podcast to talk about quarantine scofflaws and the rules states have put in place during the pandemic.
Oversight
Trump Fires Intel IG, Taps White House Confidant for Pandemic Oversight Role
The president’s moves late Friday night underscore the vital role inspectors general play as agencies grapple with pandemic response and unprecedented federal spending.
Workforce