Route Fifty
The Promise and Peril of Borrowing Money to Manage Pension Costs
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel last week proposed issuing bonds to improve the city’s pension funding levels. Is that a good idea?
Pay & Benefits
Shutdown-Averting Bill Could Doom 2019 Pay Raise for Feds, At Least for Now
Proposed continuing resolution funding federal agencies until February would be “clean,” making it likely President Trump’s plan to freeze federal civilian employee pay would move forward.
Management
Senate Republicans Prepare Two-Month CR to Avert Shutdown
Bill would keep unfunded agencies open until February.
Nextgov
A Government Shutdown Doesn’t Mean All the IT Shuts Down
Both baseline infrastructure and critical IT systems have to stay on during a shutdown, which means some IT staff won’t be furloughed.
Management
The Most Experienced Job Candidates Aren’t Always The Best
Too many entrepreneurs, especially new ones, shy away from any untested talent.
Management
The VA’s Private Care Program Gave Companies Billions and Vets Longer Waits
Trump wants to supersize a program that spent almost a quarter of its funds on overhead.
Nextgov
The Pentagon Doesn’t Know All the Software on Its Networks—And That’s a Problem
The Defense Department faces “unnecessary” risk without a complete software inventory, according to the agency’s inspector general.
Oversight
Play of the Day: The President Does Not Like Christmas Parties
There's a lot of handshaking to do.
Route Fifty
Police Layoffs Likely in Houston After Judge’s Pay-Parity Ruling
STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Oklahoma’s unaccredited teachers … Connecticut’s new budget chief … and New Mexico’s backlog in unpaid film incentives.
Pay & Benefits
Trump Gives Federal Employees Christmas Eve Off
Move comes as partial shutdown prospect still looms.
Management
Civilians Are Cheaper Than Contractors for Most Defense Jobs, Internal Report Finds
Contractors are particularly more expensive in the capital and Southeastern regions, according to a report obtained exclusively by Government Executive.
Route Fifty
Crime and Murder Rates Drop in Most Big Cities
While the trend isn’t universal, Brennan Center for Justice research findings “definitively reject any claims” of the nation being in a “crime wave.”
Route Fifty
Auto Loan Delinquencies Higher in Southern States
States with delinquency hotspots should reconsider harsh vehicle repossession policies and improve consumer protections, said one Urban Institute researcher.
Defense
Trump’s Space Force Request Is Coming — But Final Form Remains Hazy
Will his proposed space organization more resemble the Air Force or the Marines? Pence didn’t say.
Nextgov
If Feds Go Home For a Shutdown, Do Their Phones Go With Them?
A handful of potentially impacted agencies have updated their guidance since the last shutdown.
Management
Agriculture Readies Second Round of Tariff-Related Farm Aid
Trump joins farm groups in welcoming money, with only a fraction delivered.
Management
White House Punts on Shutdown Specifics, Puts Onus on Senate
Press secretary had suggested Trump would back down from his demand for $5 billion in border wall funding, but Democrats rejected the latest offer from Republicans.
Nextgov
Homeland Security Delegation Visits Asia for Emerging Tech Ideas
An agency group is going abroad for ideas about 5G, artificial intelligence, machine learning and cybersecurity.
Management
A Shutdown Would Have More Negative Effects than You Might Think
The budget impasse threatens our future capacity to govern.
Defense