Transition
What does the director of the FBI do?
The role of both the FBI and its leader have dramatically shifted over time.
Oversight
Legislation to promote better federal building security set to be signed into law
Multiple watchdogs have recently criticized the effectiveness of security at government facilities.
Tech
OMB releases its federal technology impact report as the Biden administration winds down
Clare Martorana, the federal CIO, says she expects federal IT to stay bipartisan.
Oversight
3 key findings on the Trump assassination attempt in Butler, Pa.
The congressional panel investigating assassination attempts on Donald Trump issued its final report this week.
Management
Could Biden’s recent strategy to streamline government hiring be scuttled under Trump?
One of the purposes of the administration’s federal hiring improvement plan is to make agencies aware of hiring tools they already have access to.
Management
DHS’s plans to fix problems with its hiring and training for the acquisition workforce might not work
The department knows its acquisition staff are overwhelmed with work and slowed down by long hiring processes, but the Government Accountability Office says DHS hasn’t reviewed whether its solutions are actually helping.
Pay & Benefits
What difference does 2.5% make?
Here's what a Dec. 31, 2025 retirement might look like with a 4.5% increase in pay for 2025 compared with only a 2% increase.
Pay & Benefits
Schumer tells feds he’ll call a vote on windfall elimination provision repeal
The Social Security Fairness Act, which would repeal to controversial tax provisions affecting some federal workers and retirees, has 63 sponsors in the Senate, more than the 60 votes needed to force a vote on the measure.
Tech
Republican lawmakers ask Trump to kill IRS Direct File
The new program intended to enable free, online tax filing directly with the government has garnered controversy and praise since its inception.
Pay & Benefits
Federal firefighter pay raises could vanish without action by Congress within days
The 2021 infrastructure law included $600 million to boost salaries for the nearly 11,200 wildland firefighters for two years.
Transition
An open letter to the public administration and public management communities
COMMENTARY | “We must reexamine the fundamental values that drive our work…[and] we need a vigorous debate about the basic principles of the field,” argues one expert.
Pay & Benefits
OPM extends postal open season enrollment and beefs up customer service
The agency shifted its original deadline for U.S. Postal Service employees and beneficiaries to enroll in the new health insurance exchange to help provide “ample time” to make selections while offering additional customer support.
Pay & Benefits
Lawmakers call on Biden to grant feds a 4.5% raise in 2025, restoring pay parity
President Biden previously came under fire from federal employee groups and some lawmakers for proposing only a 2.0% average pay raise for civilian workers, abandoning a longstanding Democratic priority.
Management
House committee piles on criticism of DeJoy’s postal overhaul plans
USPS’ inspector general said there hasn’t yet been improvements to service timeliness and reliability.
Management
Federal telework would be capped under a new House bill
Rep. Andy Ogles’ Show Up To Work Act would limit telework at federal agencies to 25% per pay period and require agency heads to certify performance gains for individual waivers.
Defense
Some Republicans remain unsold on Hegseth
Sexual-assault allegation cited along with other concerns about Trump's pick for defense secretary.
Pay & Benefits
No expansion of military IVF coverage included in the final defense policy bill
Congress is expected to vote to approve the package during the next two weeks, before both chambers leave town for the holiday break.
Workforce
Federal workforce is generally more diverse than the U.S. population, but gaps persist
EEO complaints filed by federal employees continued to decline from their fiscal 2018 height, sliding to 12,200 in fiscal 2021.
Workforce