Pay & Benefits

Thrift Savings Plan funds end the year on the downswing

Only one of the portfolios within the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program finished December in the black.

News

FBI confirms New Orleans attack was a terrorist incident

Counterterrorism officials said the assailant was “100% inspired by ISIS.” They have not linked the attack to a recent explosion in Las Vegas.

Updated News

At least 15 dead, 35 injured in New Orleans in terror attack on crowded Bourbon Street

President Biden has vowed to provide all federal resources necessary to assist in the investigation.

Tech

Chinese-sponsored hackers accessed Treasury documents in ‘major incident’

The incident comes in the final days of the Biden presidency and as officials work to root out China-tied hackers from U.S. telecommunications systems.

Management

Biden to close federal agencies Jan. 9 for Carter day of mourning

The White House unveiled an executive order Monday giving federal employees Jan. 9 off in recognition of the death of the 39th president.

Tech

VA plans to restart EHR rollouts in mid-2026, despite viability concerns

VA Secretary Denis McDonough previously told Congress that the department was looking to end its pause on new deployments of the Oracle Cerner software in fiscal year 2025.

Oversight

Two senior executives receive unpaid suspensions for unlawful hiring practices

While one of the executives currently works for a different agency with a new position, they will still be disciplined, OSC officials said.

Breaking News Management

Jimmy Carter, architect of the last major civil service reform, dies at 100

During his one-term presidency, Carter devoted considerable attention to federal management.

Transition

Musk and Ramaswamy to confront Congress in struggle for control of the public purse

The duo will need to garner support from hundreds of members of Congress for any of their suggested spending cuts as co-chairs of the nongovernmental Department of Government Efficiency, to become law. That is an uphill slog many have failed at before.

Pay & Benefits

Biden finalizes 2% pay raise for feds next month

The president was apparently unmoved by federal employee groups and some House Democrats’ pleas to restore pay parity between the civilian and military workforces.

Breaking News Management

Congress averts shutdown with three-month stopgap at 11th hour

The Senate sent the bill to the president's desk after the deadline, but shutdown activities had ceased.

Updated Management

Agencies begin sending furlough notices as shutdown nears

House Republicans are closing in on a plan C to avert agency closures, but its fate remains uncertain.

Oversight

CBP chief medical official moved months after whistleblower complaints

Whistleblowers accused Dr. Alexander Eastman of creating a hostile work environment, among other allegations.

Pay & Benefits

Your guide to pay and benefits during a shutdown

Congress has just hours to reach an agreement to fund the government past midnight Friday, after President-elect Trump and his confidante Elon Musk scuttled a bipartisan deal earlier this week.

Management

Trump wants 10 regulations eliminated for each new one issued. Will it actually work?

Experts argue that a similar policy during Trump’s first term didn’t lead to substantial deregulation but did slow rulemaking.

Management

Government shutdowns hurt federal worker morale, long after paychecks resume − especially for those considered ‘nonessential’

COMMENTARY | People don’t leave government because of a single event like a shutdown, but negative experiences accumulate over time.

Transition

What does the U.S. attorney general actually do?

The position is one of the most important in the federal executive branch.

Workforce

Federal employee unions dismayed—but not surprised—by sudden shutdown threat

President-elect Trump and Elon Musk on Wednesday blew up a bipartisan deal to fund the government past this week, increasing the odds of a government shutdown Saturday.

Updated Management

Latest Republican plan to avert government shutdown fails with one day until agencies shutter

Republicans had hoped a stopgap measure that suspended the debt ceiling would earn Democratic support and avoid Trump’s wrath, but Congress remains on a shutdown path.