Management
House Passes Defense Policy Bill with Provision to Block OPM-GSA Merger
The must-pass legislation also includes amendments granting paid family leave and protecting feds’ health insurance during shutdowns.
Management
Immigrant Children Sent to Chicago Shelters Are Traumatized and Sick, in Some Instances With Chicken Pox or Tuberculosis
Hundreds of children are being detained in shelters run by Heartland Human Care Services, which says it has made changes since allegations that children were neglected and mistreated.
Workforce
Investigations Into Mistreatment of State Department Workforce are in ‘Final Stages,’ IG Says
The watchdog plans to unveil results of inquiries into political retaliation and the hiring freeze in coming weeks.
Management
Trump Administration to Explore Making It Easier for Federal Employees to Cancel Union Dues
Labor officials decry the effort as a misuse of legal precedent to bust unions.
Management
OMB Moving Ahead to Steer Agencies on Evidence-Based Policymaking
Acting budget chief’s memo sets up three-year timeline, interagency council.
Management
Treasury Asks Congress to Act This Month on Debt Ceiling
Lawmakers had hoped to keep borrowing limit tied to negotiations on budget caps.
Nextgov
Court Rules in Favor of Pentagon in JEDI Lawsuit
The ruling against Oracle clears the way for the government to award the contract in August to Microsoft or Amazon Web Services.
Management
Border Patrol Agents Are Passing Around A Commemorative Coin Mocking Care for Migrant Kids
The coin declares “KEEP THE CARAVANS COMING” under an image of a parade of migrants crossing the border.
Defense
Viewpoint: How We Tamed the F-35’s Spiraling Costs — and Created a Model for Controlling Waste
The former defense secretary says defending America means defending taxpayers’ dollars.
Nextgov
Trump Executive Order Directs ‘All Agencies’ to Share Citizenship Data with Commerce Department
The executive order followed President Trump’s Rose Garden remarks Thursday but doesn’t provide many specifics regarding how to move the records.
Workforce
Career Feds Publicly Defy Trump Administration Over Climate Change
One employee resigns while another challenges an agency chief.
Management
Education Department’s Handling of Loan Forgiveness Draws Union Lawsuit
Teachers union’s Randi Weingarten joins eight teachers citing clerical errors behind denials.
Route Fifty
'Deaths of Despair' Theory Overlooks Other Factors, Researchers Say
A lifetime of poverty and hard work contributes more broadly to the growing mortality gap between low-income people and those who are better off than drug overdoses and suicides, according to new research.
Nextgov
Interior Approves Chinese Drone Purchases Despite Spying Concerns
However, the agency has multiple technical measures in place to ensure the manufacturer can’t use the aircraft to spy on the U.S., according to the director of Interior’s drone operations.
Pay & Benefits
It’s Time for Change: Make Your Voice Heard
Lawmakers have introduced a number of bills that would help federal retirees.
Management
IRS Staffs Up As a Result of Disputed Private Debt Collection Program
With revenue projected to double, 200 specialized workers will be hired.
Nextgov
Clock Starts on Naming Leaders, Beginning Work on Evidence Act
Agencies now have official guidance on how to meet the first phase of requirements under the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act.
Management
Breakthrough Technologies Offer Enormous Opportunity for Federal Leaders—If They Seize It
What Silicon Valley calls “exponential technologies” could transform agency operations and boost national security.
Management
Does the Hatch Act Need a Makeover for the Trump Era?
White House resistance to the special counsel raises questions about enforcement.
Route Fifty