Management
Trump’s Fiscal 2021 Budget Seeks to ‘Resize’ the Bureaucracy
Among other things, the White House wants to rein in “improper end-of-year spending” by agencies.
Pay & Benefits
White House Revives Controversial Retirement Cut Proposals
The Trump administration’s fiscal 2021 budget proposal would require federal workers to contribute more to their retirement benefit programs and reduce annual cost of living adjustments.
Workforce
Trump Pushes Significant Federal Hiring and Firing Reforms in 2021 Budget
Changes will help employees at agencies looking to make cuts have "the best shot of being part of our workforce going forward," White House official says.
Defense
Pentagon 2021 Budget Would Trim Arsenal, Shift Funds To Arms Development
Some experts say the budget proposal assumes a worrying amount of near-term risk.
Route Fifty
Most Millennial State and Local Government Workers Satisfied With Jobs, Survey Finds
The mission-driven aspects of public sector work could help explain the results, the group that released the research says.
Management
How Would Your Agency Fare Under President Trump’s Fiscal 2021 Budget?
All but five major agencies would be slated to receive spending decreases, with many dropping by double-digit percentages.
Route Fifty
A State Could Require Schools to Play the National Anthem Weekly
An Alabama lawmaker said he decided to sponsor a bill after noticing that schools did not play the anthem at all sporting events.
Nextgov
Justice Department Attributes Equifax Hack to Chinese Military Officers
Officials highlight the theft of intellectual property, in addition to personal information.
Pay & Benefits
Trump Proposes 1% Pay Increase for Civilian Federal Workers in 2021
The proposal marks an improvement over last year’s initial pay freeze request, but a significant downgrade from the average 3.1% pay increase that was ultimately enacted for 2020.
Defense
A Group of Agents Rose Through the Ranks to Lead the Border Patrol. They’re Leaving It in Crisis.
How several agents from a small outpost in Arizona, including recently retired chief Carla Provost, climbed to the top of the Border Patrol, then one by one retired, leaving corruption, misconduct and a toxic culture in their wake.
Nextgov
Amazon Seeks Trump Testimony About Pentagon’s JEDI Cloud Contract
Amazon Web Services also wants to hear from Defense Secretary Mark Esper and asked for White House communications in its case against the Defense Department.
Workforce
Why People Get the ‘Sunday Scaries’
The end of a weekend has always been unpleasant, but there is something distinctly modern about the anxiety many people feel on the eve of a workweek.
Oversight
Trump’s Plan to Make Architecture Classical Again
A fringe group of traditionalists persuades the White House to take its side.
Management
Analysis: The Crime of Doing the Right Thing
The former National Security Council staffer Alexander Vindman joins the club of honorable people whom the president has targeted for telling the truth.
Management
Trump’s 2021 Budget Would Slash Civilian Agencies, Boost Defense and Veterans Affairs
The White House also reportedly will propose moving the Secret Service back to the Treasury Department.
Route Fifty
States Take the Reins in Resilience Planning
Governors say states are taking steps to assure their long-term resiliency in the face of worsening climate change—and in the absence of sweeping federal action.
Management
White House Memo Could End Unionization at the Pentagon
In a January memo, President Trump authorized Defense Secretary Mark Esper to exempt the Defense Department from the law governing collective bargaining in the federal government.
Management
VA Secretary Looked for Dirt on a House Staffer Who Reported Sexual Assault in a VA Hospital, Complaint Says
VA chief Robert Wilkie called a House policy advisor’s assault allegation “unsubstantiated” even though an independent investigation found it was not.
Route Fifty
Containing the Coronavirus
In King County, Washington, the public health department is relying on temporary staff hired for measles and hepatitis A outbreaks to help investigate a confirmed case of coronavirus.
Oversight